Samadhi

Lately, I have been doing anything & everything I can to keep my mind distracted... from attending church to running an extra 10 miles, just because. And proudly, this has forced me back into what will hopefully become a routine yoga practice. When I left NYC, besides leaving my running group "family", I also left a yoga practice that brought a whole new level of the city & the practice to my life.

And since being in Seattle, I had yet to find a replacement. Until now.

The beautiful thing about this particular studio, which is unlike anything I have ever experienced, was that at the beginning of the practice, we started out with song books. And spent the first 15 minutes chanting, singing, meditating our way inward.

Strangely enough, instead of relaxing me, I think the lack of practice in my life these last few months actually built up so much anxiety that I had to consciously focus on not letting the search for calm overwhelm me than calmingly enjoying my introduction back to yoga.

The practice lasted two hours... during that time, I experienced everything from my plantar fasciitis acting up to my hamstrings & hips refusing to move to my breath saving me when I almost collapsed in head stand. And what a joy it was to stand up & walk away feeling that I survived.

State of Mind: Working within my advantages....

From Murakami to Loss

I have always liked running, so it wasn't particularly difficult to make it a habit. All you need is a pair of running shoes and you can do it anywhere. It does not require anybody to do it with, and so I found the sport perfectly fits me as a person who tends to be independent and individualistic.
Haruki Murakami, author

Independent, check. Individualistic, check. I knew there was a reason why I loved Murakami so much, minus my jealousy of his global lifestyle of living in Japan-Cambridge-Hawaii, year-in & year-out.

This weekend was my first 20+ weekend this year & man-oh-man, was it good. In typical Washington-style, I ran primarily with all men, which isn't the hardest part of my life, if you know what I mean. From the streets of Mill Creek to the trails & waterfalls of Cougar Mountain, I felt an embarrassment of riches of sorts by being able to live near so many amazing running areas.

And the silent times allowed me to question my recent days & wipe away tears for the woman I never imagined losing. I guess every day leads to the next, which eventually leads to the last.