Friday, February 27, 2009

My Sunday column early

Hopefully, this will get a few edits before it publishes in the newspaper

Why yoga is like journalism


If you read last Sunday’s newspaper I hope you took the time to read Jeannie Brewer’s column about yoga and equanimity. Equanimity, as Jeannie explained, is eveness of mind, especially under stress.

In yoga it means, as I understand it, keeping your mind at ease even while you have contorted your body into a strange position.

My full disclosure is that I have been taking Jeannie’s class for the last 14 months.

Yoga, I have discovered is a lot like journalism.

Anyone can do yoga. Anyone that can read and write and has access to the Internet can be a journalist.

My first yoga class was Dec. 20, 2007. I was trying to lose weight and get in shape and Jeannie had talked me into trying out the class. I could try a couple of classes for free and she would let me borrow a mat. She had me at the word free.

I thought the first class was easy. I got a bit tired in the inverted V of the downward facing dog position, but other than that it seemed like nothing more than a pleasant stretch.

At the next class, Jeannie showed us how we could increase our heart rates by a simple breathing exercise. Maybe, I thought, there was* more to this than stretching.

During the second class, I pushed myself a little more. When she told us to push into the floor while in the warrior pose, I pushed hard into the floor. I started doing a thing I called “angry yoga.” I pushed like I was mad and stretched like I had to reach out and strangle someone.

I would leave each class on wobbly legs. I don’t think I was doing the yoga very well, but I was getting something out of the class.

It wasn’t until the summer that I started to really get it.

It was hot and we were about half-way through a class. With sweat rolling off my bald head we moved into the downward facing dog position and I let out a yelp.

It is usually pretty quiet in the class, but I couldn’t help announcing that instead of balancing on my toes, my heels were on the mat. Jeannie came over and adjusted me a little and reminded me to breath. I inhaled slowly and finally understood what she meant when she told us “relax into the pose.”

The downward facing dog had always been a position of stress for me - I used the stress to my advantage but I wasn’t getting everything out of the pose.

Now, I love the dog. It’s still hard and it still hurts when it stretches my legs and lower back, but now I let my body handle the stress while my mind dwells on something else, or nothing at all.

So, how is yoga like journalism?

Anyone can do it. It’s easy to be an angry journalist and push an agenda and get caught up in politics and jump when the scanner chatters and chase ambulances and fire trucks.

It isn’t until you can achieve an eveness of mind that you can really understand your community, really understand what is important and use your resources towards the most beneficial outcome.

You need to work hard and push and stretch and fight, but you need to do it with control and eveness or you waste a lot of energy.



Thursday, February 26, 2009

Testing

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

My legs

I went for a run last night. I intended to run three miles, but about 3/4 of a mile out my calf muscles began to stiffen up and then to hurt. I walked home. The pain is concentrated on the inside of each calf - more on the right leg than my left. I have a lopsided gait and my right leg is the one that comes down gracefully, my left leg thumps down. Not sure what it all means.
Last summer I always waited two days between runs, lately I have occasionally only waited one day. I am hoping that I just overdid it and that a few days rest and I will be OK.
I did the TV yoga class "Inhale" this morning to make up for my laxness. If you want to start the day with a real good sweat, I have to recommend "Inhale." 6 a.m. on the Oxygen Network.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

toys

I wish I was a better photographer. Or wanted to take the time to take better photos. Here are some quick snaps of the hand-sewn stuffed felt animals Lucy and I made last week.
Spot the dinosaur. I made this one. It took way to long for the lousy result.

Chucky the chick. Lucy did this one. I think the perspective is amazing.


The Frankentoys together.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Back from the dead

I go back to work this morning after a week off. Mary went on a short trip to visit with her mom and sister and niece. Lucy and I stayed in Ohio. Lucy was sick most of the time. We made stuffed animals. I will post more pictures later.
I didn't do any exercise on Saturday. Sunday, when Mary got back, I did a three-mile run.
I thought I was picking up speed from previous runs but ended up finishing in 34:41, about 15 seconds slower than the previous run.
Oh well, I will keep plugging. Last year at this time I couldn't think about running three miles.
No yoga on Tuesday. I have to go to a meeting out of town.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

training

Winter came back and Lucy has been sick, so running is out.
I have been on the bike trainer, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I did yoga on Thursday.
I guess my only full day off this week was Tuesday. On Tuesday, we went to see a doctor in Columbus (nothing to get excited about) and then spent the afternoon at the Columbus Museum of Art.
I guess walking around a museum for four hours has to count for something.
Mary is off for a weekend with her mom, sister and niece, leaving Lucy and I to wallow in our own filth.
Last night we watched "Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco."
It was pretty awful, but Lucy liked it.
We also made some stuffed animals this week. They are supposed to be cute, and I guess the ones that were designed by someone else are kind of cute. The ones that Lucy and I designed are more gruesome than cute.
don't know how that happened.

This is "Whaloe," the whale I designed. Lucy helped with the tail.


This is Lucy's Alien. Not sure if he has a name yet. She did this all herself.


The Panda was professionally designed and the parts cut out by the nice ladies at the Marion Public Library. Lucy sewed him together. No name yet.


The rabbits were professionally designed and cut out at the library. Lucy sewed the orange one, her name is Libby (for the library). I sewed the blue one, her name is Summi (because it sounds Japanese and we live on Summit Street).



Here is the whole menagerie. I wish I was a better photographer, and sewer.

You really need to click on the photos to appreciate the dreadful photography and horrifying stitchery.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Another visit to the doc

Saw my new oncologist Monday. We went over my latest blood work and my recent cat scan. There is absolutely nothing to report.
I am now on quarterly visits for the next two years.
Hurray for me!
Yesterday was Presidents Day so Lucy was off from school and I am serving my one week furlough from work.
We went to the playground and played "Animal Ninja Warrior." It is a game we made up based on the popular "Ninja Warrior" television show.
Basically I make up an obstacle course using the playground equipment and then tell Lucy was sort of animal she is and then she completes the obstacle course while I provide hilarious play-by-play.
Then we went to the Library where Lucy made a little stuffed animal that I will take a picture of today.
Today we are going to Columbus for a doctors appointment, then maybe special surprise.
More on that later.

On the training side of life. I ran three miles on Saturday then rode my bike trainer for 45 minutes on Sunday and ran another three miles on Monday.
I have no training plans for today.
I have a three-mile run planned for Wednesday.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

My big plan

The big plan was to ride the bike trainer last night. I was not prepared for the horrendous toll I would pay for my sudden leap to running on Sunday. My thighs were extremely sore yesterday and don't feel much better today.
I thought it might be best to give them a rest last night.
Tonight I have yoga class. That should help.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Back to training

I have decided to transform this blog into my training blog. I had a training blog on Marionstar.com for a full year, but was urged to take it down. I think it was a uninformed urging, but I don’t want to go into it.
So, I haven’t really trained since Nov. 16, 2008. I did ride my bike trainer on the weekends through December, but have done nothing in January and thus far in February.
I should mention that I have kept up with my yoga classes. I go twice a week. I miss one now and again. I have not been doing the morning yoga on TV that I was doing over the summer.
Today I ran three miles. I think I will be kind of sore tomorrow.
I set the bar kind of low. My first three mile run in 2009 was completed in 35:35. I had to stop once because some moron, who lives in a big house on nice street never shovels his walk. I am going to write them a letter. They live on a very busy street so running in the road is not an option. It looks like they could afford to hire someone if they are physically incapable.
So, here we go again.

Friday, February 06, 2009

A look into the past

You might have to click on these to read them clearly.





Check out third paragraph. My coach really liked me.

I am pretty sure this is the only high school hockey game we ever covered. We did high school football and basketball and college hockey!

I gave away a cake every morning on my radio show!

Check out the third paragraph. I had forgotten all about Penn State.