Beach Runs

A few years ago I used to run. Well-- it probably looked more like a solid jog to those driving past me in their cars, but in my mind I was cruising right along at an eligible clip. The farthest my long runs ever reached was 8 miles. I never truly fell in love with it, never got the addictive "runner's high" that avid runners are seeking on each outing. I did have great runs though, often times I would hit mile 3 and feel like I could go on for forever. Sometimes I loved it, and was eager to run again. Eventually I found a lot of other things to be more fulfilling and as I learned how to enjoy the ocean through water sports running phased out of my life entirely.

In the last two years I found a nice relief from school by jogging on the nearby Baldwin Beach with my lovely dog Rocko Chops. Yes, it felt good. Yes, I love it. Do I ever feel like pushing it though? Do I ever really want to run, rather than jog? No way. I enjoy it because I love to see Rocko sprint ahead of me and attack the sand crabs. I love the sound of the ocean. I love the deep breath of fresh ocean air I can take when I am finished.

I haven't been jogging lately, not at all. But last two weeks I noticed an increase in my energy levels and some days I really felt the urge to run. A run on the road, the bike path, or the beach-- I've been craving it. So I gave into my crave a few days ago and of course, opted for Baldwin Beach so that Rocko could indulge in a playful beach time too. It was very late in the evening, the night before "the big moon". The sand felt packed and hard under my feet in most places--low tide. I felt springy. My legs felt strong and light. Even in the deeper spots, my legs seemed to pop out of the sand with little resistance. I made it to the end of the beach and laughed as I watched Rocko do his traditional dive-bomb into the ocean in the same spot as he always does. We turned around and he swam parallel to Baby Beach, downstream in the current--racing me!

It was actually almost dark now, with nothing but the moonlight to illuminate the frothy waves breaking along the beach, showing me what was left of my footprints from the first half of my trek. By now my breath was heavy and the beads of humid sweat were forming on my temples. But somehow, my legs still felt springy. And it felt so good. The rhythm of my breath in time with the reach of my legs. So I reached farther. And pushed. And my lungs hurt a little, but it hurt so good. I could hear my breath, loud and clear, but there was nobody else on the beach to share it with. Just Rocko Chops. In the dusky moonlight I could see the lifegaurd tower ahead, and I pushed a little harder. Was I really running? I doubt it. Probably just a good jog. But it felt so good. I wanted to run. I wanted to continue down to the other end of the beach, but the north shore beaches at night aren't necessarily the safest place for a lone jogger with her harmless ball of fur.

I thought maybe it was coincidence that the run just felt so good. Maybe the low tide and firm sand was the trick. Or the energy of the full moon in the late evening. Or maybe, its the yoga I have been practicing 5 days a week.

This evening I got a sudden burst of energy and headed down to Baldwin for round two. I felt it again-- springy, alive, and connected to my body. No moon--as it was a cloudy evening-- but just enough light in the darkness to make my way down the beach. The last half I pushed myself again-- with nothing but the sound of my deep breath, the sand squishing between my toes, the water lapping my ankles and the visual blur of my furball Rocko Chops to keep me company.

I think its the yoga.

Fanning my toes!

This post must be dedicated to my mother. Who always makes fun of me for my toes. You know the strange bony bump next to the base of your big toe? Have you ever noticed that some peoples are larger than others? And that some peoples big toes point at an angle outwards instead of straight forward? Well, meet my feet!

Last week in yoga practice Avi pointed out how my toes are somewhat umm... deformed. And he taught me that this is caused by wearing shoes all the time-- particularly tight fitting shoes. Well, I grew up wearing tight shoes a lot! Tennis shoes, but mostly my horseback riding boots! those guys are SNUG. Maybe that plus a little genetics is the explanation for my hideous toes.

The basis of the ashtanga poses seems to be about putting pressure on the ball of your foot and flexing up through to your quadriceps muscle into your abdomen and core. When doing it properly, you can rebuild a broken down foot arch and strengthen your big toe! While in downward dog position, Avi and Shari taught me how to fan out my toes properly and put the weight in the proper spot on my foot.

Avi showed me his feet now, and explained how they used to look. Yay! He fixed his feet! Maybe I can have normal feet someday too!

So now during yoga I am fanning out my toes. And while I am going about my day I sometimes remember-- and I fan my toes and distribute my weight properly.

Yay for pretty feet!!

week 2 completed!

Wow, where did week two go?! Thursday evening I was just getting ready to update this blog, when my boyfriend turned on the TV and we were informed of the tsunami warning. At that point it was inappropriate to mess around on the computer and felt even more inappropriate to think much about my yoga. I completed all my days (Sunday--> Thursday), and Friday/Saturday were my days off. I usually at least think about my yoga and review my memorization of the poses but instead on these days my mind was elsewhere.

The tsunami warning was very serious and my heart goes out to those in Japan. It makes me sick to my stomach to see the devastation, and I wish so badly that I could be there to help. Maybe someday I will look into working with Red Cross and be able to fly to places after disasters such as this, and be able to help those in need. Our situation here on Maui was stressful, and I live just a 3 minute walk from the ocean. I stayed awake until around 3:30am. Overall, those of us in the U.S. were INCREDIBLY lucky to have such minimal damages occur. Yes, some people lost their boats .Yes, our beaches are a bit uglier. Yes, there is some cleanup to be done. But anyone who honestly can be upset about any of this is living in a bubble-- look around (at Japan). We are so lucky that we were able to have warnings so far in advanced. There was no loss of life or loved ones. Next time the earthquake could be here. But this time, it wasn't us. And we should be grateful. I guess that is all I have to say on the tsunami...

My yoga challenge last week went really well. I felt huge improvement by the end of the week!! One thing that I find funny is that a couple months ago I told Shari "I can commit to two days a week at the most right now. With the way my schedule is, I hate to say I can come more often than that and be wrong". Well, the challenge requires at least three days of practice in the studio. I recently asked Shari if I can do all 5 days in the studio!! Am I getting hooked? Addicted? Hmm.. maybe so! I really enjoy it though. I felt great all week.

The most interesting practice I had was the one day out of the studio-- at Kalama Heights! The assisted living home. After Daphne (the elderly woman I care for) went to bed, I snuck away into the exercise room. At 9:00pm I did my practice-- and it was great! The first 5 minutes was a bit awkward but once I got going I was able to really focus. I was sweating like crazy!

Thursdays practice was the best yet. I felt so much more stretchy and strong! Avi even commented on seeing my improvement! I suddenly began to get a glimpse of what he has been explaining to me about flexing the muscles in my legs, pulling them upward. It felt amazing.

So today is Sunday, and it may have been my first "bad" day. I felt tired from the minute I woke up. My patience was short, and my muscles felt tight. I regretted my lack of excercise: Friday was recovery from no sleep, and Saturday I worked alllll day. It was kind of annoying to feel such improvement on Wed/Thurs and then feel so out of the loop today. But-- oh well. Apparently I needed today to loosen up again.

I wrapped up the afternoon with a really sweet hike with some friends. Down a path through the jungle, and then hiking through and along a streambed that led to the ocean. Breathtaking cliffsides and natural swimming holes were to be found. It was really nice and my body feels really good -- and tired!

Looking forward to week three!

Week 1 completed

I finished week 1 and today was week 2! Today was awesome, I felt so great and pushed myself some. My body feels really good but a little tired. Going to rest now and then go windsurfing-- the trade winds are back in full force! Here is the email I sent to the Lululemon lady in regards to my experience during the first week:

In the past I have gone to less than a handful of yoga classes and almost never with consistency. When Shari encouraged me to start going to the Mysore class regularly I was interested but still uncertain. For me, a newly graduated nursing student, money tends to run a little tight and I found it hard to put money into something I may not stick to or see benefits worth it. Shari could sense this in me and offered me the opportunity to complete the challenge. This is a huge blessing for me as I now have to opportunity to really see what yoga has to offer me without the stress of finances. In addition, I am very excited to see what Lululemon has to offer me each week!

Showing up to a yoga class with almost no experience is intimidating but at once both Shari and Avi put me at ease. There are times in wich I feel as though I am getting a private yoga lesson. In fact, I almost am-- because each practice is taylored to my level and how I feel that day. Each practice builds on the last practice with new asanas, but I learned that foundation for each one is the same. I am learning to engage the same parts of my body for each different position. The benefit of having both Shari and Avi is that they each tell me the same things but in different ways. If it didn't "click" to me when Avi said it, chances are it will "click" when Shari says it or vice versa.

I felt that the week was physically challenging in the sense that I was definitely sore and had to listen to my body to determine how much to push myself each time. Now that the week is over the soreness is mostly passed and I feel ready take on another week. My goal for this week is to really focus on flowing from one posture to the next while focusing mostly on my breath. I am already feeling eager to return for my second week of practice and look forward to seeing my improvements throughout the next week.

Day 3

Today is day three of the overall challenge, and was my second day of practice. I decided to take yesterday off from yoga since I was sore from day one. I went surfing at Hookipa instead and caught some really nice waves and felt looser after being in the water.

I set my alarm for 6:30 this morning and was able to start my day relaxed and mellow by sharing a cup of coffee with Nitsan. Just a few sips for me to wake up. Next I walked down to the studio. I love living in Paia-- just two minutes later I am marching up the steps, yoga mat under my arm and a grin on my face.

Avi and Shari greeted me warmly and any little nerves I had about day 2 quickly fizzled away. Practice was different today. With only two of us in the studio, it was much quieter and not as hot. Initially this seems better, but I found myself slightly more distracted. Ashtanga Yoga is all about the breath that is taken. Infact, there is a specific way to breath that at first seems challenging but becomes easy as the practice goes on. The breath is deep and almost noisy. When I hear the deep, rhythmic breathing of those around me it seems to relax me and help serve as a reminder to focus on my own breathing. I also enjoyed getting so hot and sweaty on day 1, but with only two of us the heat was minimal.

The practice itself went OK, but I struggle to remember the order of the poses. I look forward to having them memorized within my trained muscle so that I can get into the flow rather than get confused about where I am at. It takes time so I am told. Just time.

I felt that my biggest struggle today was that my hamstrings feel tight from day 1. It was hard to really relax into any poses I tried my best to do well but not over-do it. The great news here is that my quadriceps muscle felt fantastic, and still feels great.

After the practice I sat in the window for a few minutes to observe the others. By this time there were three other people. That is the beauty of Mysore class, you can arrive whenever you want to begin your practice. Shari and I began to discuss the benefits of yoga and I realized then that I should make a few goals for myself in order to maximize the potential of the following month.

A mechanical goal:
1. Ability to go through the flow of postures without thinking about what come next. To be able to focus on the moment that I am in and make it the best possible effort, being able to push myself without reservations.

A goal that applies to my everyday life:
2. Improvement in my posture. I have a terrible time trying to maintain proper posture. This month this will be a goal that I will work out outside of yoga class as well. I hope that by the end of the month I will notice a change in my ability to maintain good posture.

A goal about my physical health
3. Becoming more physically fit, mostly having my clothes fit me better. I'm going to be honest with myself-- this goal seems somewhat shallow and silly. But I can't lie, I have not stuck to a regular exercise routine in a long time and I really don't like the way I feel right now. I hope that consistent yoga practice in addition to whatever else I do (surf, beach jogs with Rocko, etc) will be enough so that I notice a difference in my level of fitness by the way that I feel and hopefully the way my clothes feel on me.

These are three things I will pay attention to and see if I notice a change by the end of the month. I am also open to whatever other things I achieve throughout the next month. Maybe I will notice other great things as well.

So now I am headed to work for the day and I feel like a relaxed pasta noodle. A little tired, hamstrings and shoulders a bit sore but overall I am feeling great. The next 24 hours will be spent working in Kihei followed directly by a 6 hour waitress shift and then straight to yoga again.

Have a great rest of the week and take care!
Sierra

The beginning of something

I'm going to begin by saying I have a terrible record of keeping up with blogs and to this day I blame facebook. When everyone (and their mom) can stay updated with my life purely through an expansive social networking site it doesn't make sense to spend the time and energy it takes to keep a blog lively, updated and interesting. On this go-round, I am going to do something different.

I have been offered an exceptional opportunity to improve my physical health and whatever else comes along with it. And that is what this blog is for: to help me determine what the next 30 days will do for me in every or any aspect.

Quick background information: I recently graduated from nursing school and obtained my RN license. If you have ever known anyone in nursing school or had the joy (burden?) of completing the degree yourself, then you undoubtedly comprehend the effort and time that goes into it. I reflect on the last few years of my life as being somewhat of a train wreck. Chaotic, painful, and overwhelming. On the other hand, I absolutely love nursing, and I love school-- but nursing school takes an incredible amount of energy, time and commitment. After celebrating the passing of the NCLEX license test, I felt as though I hit the ground running-- ready to fulfill every want-need-desire that I have been denied the ability to indulge for the last few years. Surfing, windsurfing, yoga, soccer, SUP, Baldwin Beach with Rocko...the list goes on.

And then came Superbowl Sunday: a slammin' busy work shift, a cheering customer elbow checking a tray of drinks down my shirt, broken glass everywhere and ultimately a wet floor combining with some already sore muscles. All this turned into a torn quadricep and a halt to all things active. The last 6 weeks has been spent making up my own version of what "rehab" means for my poor stump of a leg. But at last, my leg feels strong and the hard lump seems to be decreasing. I can run, swim, and surf without any painful stretching sensations.

Now as much as I want to hit the soccer field again and go crazy in the water (I had just bought a pair of new soccer cleats: black with hot pink nike swooshes!), I know I need to take it easy. One thing at a time.

Yoga seems to be my best bet. Strengthen, lengthen, sweat dripping, tight spandexy pants, and plenty of inspiration all around me (have you seen the killer bodies those yoga girls have?!). And then there is supposed to be more... all these regular yoga people talk about enlightening, ability to relax and focus, increased mental stamina, ability to control breathing, gaining a control of the their bodies, and a release of pains, tightness and old injuries. When asking my friends about the effects of yoga on their other athletic activities I hear that they can hold their breath more easily when getting worked in the surf and that their balance has increased on the water. This sounds like it could be great. Finally, I am told that yoga will help improve my posture. If you know me, you know that if I don't get a grip on that soon I might end up a hunchback lady at a young age. . So what am I waiting for?!

I have done yoga, but never consistently. My usual ultimate excuse is money. Let's face it: yoga isn't cheap when you are a broke college student. So when I was offered the opportunity for The Ashtanga Challenge, I could not come up with a singe excuse as to why not. In fact, all logical reasoning screams DO IT!

So there it is.
Free yoga with a commitment of attending three days a week and practicing twice at home.
A feedback email at the end of each week.
Free yoga gifts from Lululemon, a very expensive and high quality yoga brand.


So here goes. Thirty days of yoga. Well, at five days a week its really 20 days of yoga. If I am not totally hooked on it at the end of this month, maybe I will never be. But, I have seem to have much to gain and nothing to lose.




To see more about the yoga studio offering the challenge go to www.mauimysorestyle.com
To see more about the challenge go to www.mauimysorestyle.com/ashtangayogachallenge.htm