she understands my rhomboid

Filed Under practice | 4 Comments

From my aerial dance practice {yes, that’s what I call it right now}, I have a chronic rhomboid muscle injury on my right side…

rhomboid muscle: rhombus-shaped muscles associated with the scapula and are chiefly responsible for its retraction

Over the past several weeks I’ve been bouncing around to various yoga studios, classes and teachers hoping to find a good match; someone who is inspiring and skillful. It’s amazing how many yoga classes are only just so-so. I always feel good after a class because of the physical release of tension, but inspired? Not so much.

The other thing I’ve noticed is how little these supposed “body experts” know about my injury. Every teacher asks the class whether anyone has any injuries or pain they should know about and several people always mutter things about their wrists, lower backs, knees and hips…then I raise my hand and say, “I have a rhomboid injury” and the teacher looks at me with a little flicker of “uh oh, we didn’t spend much time learning about that in teacher training” and then they say something like, “oh, gosh, ok, well, let me know if anything hurts”.

This makes me chuckle silently, because I always hurt ~ this injury is chronic, so I walk around and sleep with a little pain or discomfort most of the time.

Well, tonight I found the teacher I’ve been looking for. Not only did she begin the class with some thoughtful ideas and ways to integrate yoga into daily life, but she recognized that I had something going on in my shoulder before I even mentioned it. I was in a cobra pose and she came over and asked, “Do you have some sort of shoulder injury?” I was shocked.

She asked if I was a swimmer and I told her I do a type of aerial dance. She then proceeded to adjust me and help me engage in a way that made all the pain in my rhomboid completely disappear. She complimented my body awareness and ability to take and hold adjustments, which, of course, stroked my ego. She was fun, challenging, grounded and wonderful.

At the end of class she told me about her other class called Theraputics where she specifically works with students with injuries and encouraged me to come.

I feel so refreshed and excited and eager to get back to her class again later this week and in the weeks to come. Sadly she only teaches two classes per week that work in my schedule, but that’s two days per week down, two to go, in order to meet my weekly 4-class goal.

Hooray for finding the right teacher! I feel even more motivated in my yoga journey than before…

mold.

Filed Under goings on, what's the meaning of the word | 2 Comments

I rearranged my one bedroom home into a studio…
home. rearranged.
Why? Because the ceiling in my bedroom had mold.

mold: noun: a growth of minute fungi forming on vegetable or animal matter, commonly as a downy or furry coating, and associated with decay or dampness.

If you remember, on Labor Day, the ceiling in my bedroom poured water across the room and down into my closet below. Ever since I have been battling with the evil HOA property management woman to handle this issue properly. She did not. So I called my insurance, which is something I really should have done right away, and they are being so thorough and wonderful. They sent out some water damage restoration experts who determined the ceiling was still wet. They left a big, noisy dehumidifier in my room and took a ceiling sample. The next day they called and said that the test came back negative (hurrah!) and they would return to pull out the bad ceiling and replace it with new. Unfortunately, when they returned and opened up the ceiling, they found mold (boo!). So all my bedroom furniture was moved out into the living room, my closets were taped shut and the bedroom door was sealed. Yes, with my clothing still hanging in the closet ~ I was at work. (Luckily my laundry hamper was removed from the room, so I did laundry and now all my workout clothes are clean for the week ahead and two pairs of flip flops were outside the bedroom. Could be much worse.)

dehimidifier in the bedroom: saddies dehimidifier drains here ceiling sample: incorrect diagnosis bedroom furniture chaos bedding chaos taped closed: do not go in there
*click any photo for larger views
~~~

I am now actually living in my living room. This has caused a little stress and anxiety that I am trying hard to ignore and Marceau is terribly confused.

Meanwhile, I’ve decided to give myself the gift of this yoga retreat in December! I think that having something to look forward to is just what I need. Something just for me.

johnny cash dogg

Filed Under goings on | 1 Comment

Who knows me so well? Kathleen K. Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

cat fight

Filed Under distractions, makes me laugh | 4 Comments

I found this to be hysterical…all three times I watched it. May it bring you a belly laugh.

joy

Filed Under journal, what's the meaning of the word | 3 Comments

Shhhhhhhhhh. Don’t tell anyone, but I feel so happy! I don’t know what happened, but I’m finding it rather concerning, this strange sense of mirth. I feel rather light and giddy inside. The corners of my mouth tickle upward. It happened sometime between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday evening and the symptoms are still present this morning. I am beginning to worry that I may have picked up a little *joy* somewhere…

joy: noun: an expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety; a state of happiness or felicity.

I found joy in the classroom with my students.
I found joy in my my yoga practice.
I found joy in my continually successful attempts at packing lunches.
I found joy in love.
I found joy in my journey.
I found joy in my family.
I found joy in the purring of my cat.
I found joy in acting.
I found joy in the sunshine.
I found joy in my friends both near and far. {That’s you!}
I found joy in taking better control over my own existence.

I am emerging. Hopeful and positive. Me.
~

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