This morning I began my return to LA in ernest. It takes me about a week to adjust from being out of town on vacation – and a bit longer, when I’ve been so far away from all that makes my life … what it is.
The biggest single adjustment has been desk time: sitting in a chair in front of a keyboard and monitors for 6+ hours in a day. The new cube has wonderful windows which help – but my eyes are still extremely fatigued from staring just 16 inches into the future, where the cursor does my bidding. My right eye, tired from all this “work”, developed a little flutter which is only just going away.
Overall, things are pretty laid back right now, as most of my team is off on refresh, and the work I’m doing is exploratory. I can spend time thinking, writing, and catching up with people here on campus. But the work will ramp up soon enough (in about 2 weeks, I’m expecting), so I wanted to get some good patterns set up in advance.
So? I started taking yoga!
There were many jokes on the trek about “om” – which in Bhutan is the word for milk. Every night at the camp table, the staff would come around with thermoses of hot water and milk. “Madam… hot wota?? Madam…. om, more?” Being back, I realized there is *always* room for more “om” – especially since my landlady is an experienced, certified Iyengar instructor.
Diane is amazing for a number of reasons. For one – when her husband was hit by a car & suffered a devastating brain injury – she was the one who (through Yoga, patience and love) nurtured him back to physical and mental wellbeing. She travels to India yearly to study her practice, meeting many friends along the way. And when diagnosed with breast cancer last year she kept on travelling and teaching – continuing today, fully recovered with her steady and straightforward manner in tact.
She specializes in prenatal, post partum, senior and rehabilitative Yoga – so many of the people in my class today were rehabbing… or over 60. But so flexible, and pleasent!! Especially the seniors - who were immediately welcoming, friendly and curious. Plus, they use endearments like “sweet pea”!
Predictably, the lesson in all of this came when we moved from stretches and back relaxation exercises to inversions – the signature method of Iyengar. As the rest of the class hung upside down or did unsupported, rod-straight headstands… I sat in the L shape, legs against the wall. So much for the advantage of youth!!
I’m really looking forward to morning Yoga as the summer sets in. Even now, I can feel a difference. I’m much more conscious of my posture, as I type… the food I eat, the air I breathe. “Look from the outside world to the world within. Listen to the stillness inside.”
Indeed.