July 3, 2014
What a rare mood I'm in. It's almost like...
A. being in love
B. taking candy from a baby
C. easy as falling off a paddle board
If you selected C you are correct. What a crazy day!!! Woke up feeling good after sleeping in the recliner chair half of the night and icing my hip. Perhaps the spreading out of the Tramadol helped too. Got up a bit hesitant but ready for S(tand) U(p) P(addle board) Yoga. My girlfriends met me at my house first and then we headed to the park to begin class with my daughter. It was cloudy when we arrived and looking a bit rainy but it was warm. We were not to be disappointed. By the time we paddled to the yoga spot and got settled into child pose the rain began to gently fall. Throughout the class and rained softly of and on. It was wonderfully refreshing and cleansing. The wind and the water were still and the sound of the birds and water were so soothing and inspiring. Class went well even though I had to struggle and modify some poses. I had decided to save a bit of energy for a class that was to come later. At one point we heard a splash when my friend got a bit out of balance and fell in. No big deal the water is shallow, only about up to your waist, and not at all cold. We clapped as is the protocol and welcomed her as an official SUP Yoga practitioner. One is not official until they fall in unintentionally. Much like the christening of flipping your single when rowing. At that moment you have joined the elite club.
We got back to the dock after a beautiful and peaceful paddle though the inlet and made plan to meet again next week for another class. It appears that Thursdays are now the official senior citizen SUP Yoga day.
But wait...there's more!
About a 2 hours after that class I returned to the park as per my daughter's request. The Buffalo News was sending a reporter to interview her about SUP yoga and she wanted some people there t demonstrate as class. Boy did she get a demonstration. LOL I guess I was to show that anyone, even a crippled senior citizen, can do it. The class started out well enough. The photographer was clicking furiously away as we went thought the class. Mare had brought her Pomeranian dog, Sophia along with her as she often does when she teaches a class. Sophia just sat on the board or laid down to enjoy the water and the fresh air. Plus Sophia's happy place is with Marie so she was in puppy heaven.
As we progressed through different postures I decided it was time for me to challenge myself a bit. My hip was doing well and I was feeling pretty good. Many of the postures are modified with one knee on the board for things like Warrior 1 and 2 or what ever will provided the most stability. I had done the first on with my knee down. The Warrior 1 on the other side was a different story. I decided to lift the knee of my surgical leg. All was going well until I felt a little tweak and as I looked at my feet on the board I could see that I was going off balance. I had not set my foot in the center of the board before going up...the rest is history and also caught on camera. In what seemed to be slow motion I begin to tip and next thing I knew I was in the water. LOL!!! I got back up on my board laughing and sputtering. As is the custom everyone clapped. The only difference is that my fall was caught on camera...and not just any camera. The camera of a news photographer. I did feel a but better when another member of the class went in doing a handstand. But that is no big deal and he does it all the time. The end of the class was even better though. We all decided to try a headstand. As I tipped up into it I saw my daughter on her head with her feet in the air and Sophia licking her face I knew I had to watch. When Marie split her legs for a more advanced headstand posture Sophia turned around, walked to the front of the board, and sat down as if to guard her as she finished her practice. It was beyond adorable and wonderfully caught on film. I only had wished it was on video. What a YouTube post it would have been. If any photo makes it into the newspaper I hope it is that one...not me falling in.
After the class the reporter interviewed Marie for about a half an hour. When I walked over to see how it was going he started to ask me questions about my surgery, my practice, and my recovery. One question he asked was how I came to yoga in the first place (I LOVE people that are curious and he asked great questions). I explained that my mother did yoga back in the 60's and Marie had grown up with her watching her do it. I had done it off and on at home and at the gym, but never as religiously until Marie began her Baptiste training and she encouraged to me take a class at a "real" yoga studio". When that happened I was hooked. At the same time I was looking for a way to rehab my back. I was having pain in my right lower back and had gone to an amazing D.O. who treated it with injections but encouraged me to pursue yoga as a therapy. After a year or more I was better so much so that I began to train at the rowing club for the upcoming rowing season. That was when it all ended. Shortly after that I was rear ended in a car accident and the problem with my hip began. And, again, the rest is history and I am back to my practice to help me recover.
But wait! There's even more! This reporter had recently been in a accident and was scheduled to see a physician for his injury. The doctor was schedule to see?...the same one I had seen for my back. How crazy is that?? Believe in syncrodestiney? I do!! (see Deepak Chopra for more information).
So that was my amazing day. I felt really good by the end of it. My hip felt great! I guess I need to do more SUP yoga. Here is another message to change my rehab protocol.
The article on my daughter is supposed to be out next week. I can't wait to read it!
Stay tuned!
Namaste
Donna
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