Seattle Yogini

Restlessness & Reference Points

Have you ever heard of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)?  I hadn't, until one day in 2000 when, fed up with my own discomfort, I entered these words into a Google search:  restless leg sleep.  The results for this search were numerous...much to my surprise and relief.  I really had no idea that others experienced this irritating condition.  Characterized - for me, at least - by an irresistible urge to shake or otherwise move the leg affected, this condition made falling asleep seem impossible, and of course the longer I lay there the worse it got.

For years, even as a child, I had experienced a great deal of jitteriness in my legs if I stayed up too late, had to sit still for a long time, or was over-tired.  I discovered that adding in the stresses of adulthood exacerbated these occurrences, which went from occasional to almost nightly.  I dreaded long flights, knowing that a few hours in I would have to get up and walk the isles in order to maintain my sanity.  Business meetings were sometimes excruciating, as I tried to discreetly move my leg(s) to ease the need to move (this usually involved an inordinate number of leg-crossings and un-crossings).

A year or so into my military service, the restlessness crept into my arms as well.  In fact, nowadays I think of it more as "Restless Limb Syndrome".  During the year I served in a war-zone, and the other five months I served in a different war zone, my symptoms were at their worst.  At home, my husband often helped by gently rubbing my arm or leg or squeezing the muscles a bit, helping me settle into sleep.  Oftentimes, however, even that didn't help, and I would finally throw myself out of bed - sometimes in tears - to run a hot bath with lavender and try to soak out the jitters.  I remember on our honeymoon (we spent a week at a spa in the Southwest) laying on massage table after massage table, miserable because the more I relaxed the worse my limbs ached for movement.  Remember, I'm not talking about just a nice little stretching kind of movement.  It's more like a flail/jump/spasm....like if that limb doesn't move (and soon!) it's going to throw a fit right there in the middle of your otherwise quiet experience.  To ignore it is to suffer, and to allow the movement does not ensure that the need will be satiated.  This, like a thirst that cannot be quenched, is the definition of torment.

This syndrome is not well understood and not many studies have been done on it.  I read in 2000 that some believe it has to do with a chemical imbalance in the brain, and so there is a drug to alleviate the symptoms.  Over the years, however, I have come up with my own strategies, trying to take care of the underlying causes and not just the symptoms.  I have seen the greatest results since getting out of the military and making other major life changes.  To note, basic practices for general health have had the greatest impact on my symptoms.  What works best for me is:

• daily exercise ~ for me, that means a nice walk and staying active throughout the day
• regular yoga practice ~ which addresses the physical roots as well as the energetic causes (generally understood as "blockages") by increasing blood flow, decreasing stress, balancing body chemistry and more
• regular bed times and not going to bed over-tired
• minimizing stress, particularly that sneaky kind that I don't even realize I'm holding until a bout of RLS tells me (for which sign I endeavor to be grateful)
• eating Sunrider herbal foods ~ particularly NuPlus and ESE, which are invaluable in alleviating/preventing my discomfort during stressful times

In a recent conversation with a friend and student, who I learned also lives with RLS, she was surprised to learn that we had this in common.  Particularly, she was surprised that I experience this, considering the amount of yoga practice under my belt.  I told her that, considering how bad it had been just a few years ago, and that I had lived with it for as long as I can remember, I considered the little bit I deal with now a great improvement.

After all, in order to really see how far we've come, we have to consider where we started!

Lush-ious Distraction

A friend of mine is in need of some distraction...and specifically mentioned blog-reading as a good one for her.  This post is dedicated to you, Duchess!

On Sunday of our trip to visit family (back in early August), my sister hosted a Lush party.  She had won a contest and the gift was an at-home spa party for her and 7 friends hosted by representatives from Lush!  Since I was the one who whet her appetite for these fun, great-smelling bath products, she planned the party for the weekend of our visit.

And so it was that Mom and I drove to Indianapolis for the day.  Since there is no direct (diagonal, in this case) route to Indy, aside from slow-moving/meandering state roads, it is a 4-hour drive at best.  We didn't want to drive 8 hours round trip in one day, so we decided to leave on Saturday night and make a pit stop at my Grandpa's.  We spent the night at his house, took him out to breakfast, and had a great time visiting.  Then it was time to hit the road and head north so that we could make it to my sister's on time:  Indiana residents have two different time zones, so it can be a real challenge to arrive anywhere on time.  Evansville and Indy are on the same time, but Corydon (where my extended family live) is on Louisville, KY time (EST).  We had to take the one-hour time difference into account when figuring our departure time.

My sister lives in a great house with a couple of other young women (and maybe a male roomate too...I lost track).  They host house shows, and had just had one the night before.  What that means is that they host bands who are traveling and want a small, intimate venue in which to perform.  They often accompany these shows with art installations by photographers, painters, sculptors, etc.  Apparently there's a whole network of house party homes.  It ensures that they get to hear lots of good music, make new friends, and continually broaden their horizons.  What fun!

The Lush ladies arrived just before the catered lunch:  a couple of hundred dollars' worth of sushi!  It was very tasty...and there were beverages, fried rice, and other goodies aside from the fish.  We ate while they set up, and enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other.  My sister's friends were funny and nice, and it seemed to me that we all hit it off pretty well.

The party really got going once we all settled into the living room.  Out came the facials, lotions, potions, massage bars, foot soaks, you name it!  Man, that place smelled good!  We scrubbed and soaked and massaged hands.  We talked and learned more about the company and its philosophy.  We (well, me really) voiced concerns about ingredients (what's up with the sodium laurel sulphate?) and quality (where do they source their essential oils?) and received good, insightful answers.  It was relaxing, fun, and educational!

The Lush ladies brought different kinds of masks for different skin types.  My sister and I both used the same kind - one for sensitive, acne-prone skin.  It was fun to commiserate on our tender/tough skin and compare notes.  Here's the group all masked-up:

Here's one of the ladies of my family, honoring my sis for winning such a great prize:

See the family resemblance?  Ha ha ha - it's all about the lovely, big smiles!!!!

We all had a great time, and were sad to see it come to an end.  Then we learned that it was the gift that keeps on giving - we each got a fabulous box o' Lush to take home with us!  It was a cool octagonal box (interesting to try to get home on a plane, let me tell you!) packed full of bath bombs, soap, lotion bars, conditioner - you name it!  Plus, the ladies left all the stuff we'd used so the 8 of us got to divvy it out amongst ourselves.  Yes, we were the epitome of polite and solicitous.  No need to get catty over an abundance of bath products!

Sleepy, but ready to head home, Mom and I hit the road once more.  I drove for about half the trip, then Mom got us the rest of the way to Evansville.  It was a lovely day and I was so happy to have been there to be part of it!

The Yin/Yang of Knitting and Life

Yesterday I went to a party at a friend's house where, aside from my friend's family, I knew no one.  Never a wall flower, I found a spot near some folks, sat down and worked my way into their socializing.  :-)

After drinking tea and eating a cucumber sandwich (my first!  they're very yummy!), I pulled out my knitting.  This, unsurprisingly, began a whole new branch of conversation/question & answer.  It was very fun and engaging - hopefully as much for those I spoke to as it was for me, ha ha - and ended up leaving me with a question for myself.  When asked how large the lap blanket I'm working on would be, my response was:  "Well, as large as I can get it in the couple of weeks or so that I'll be knitting on it."

How's THAT for an answer?!?!

I wasn't trying to be snide, it's just that I'm not particularly concerned about how big it will end up, since I can easily make it as large or small as I want (or have the yarn, patience, and time for).  It is one of my "I can't take another row of blue stockinette stitch" projects, with bigger needles, different yarn, and lacy-goodness to engage me in a way that working on my husband's sweater doesn't offer.  Therefore, I'm not particularly concerned about how long it will take me, either, as long as it's done in time for the holidays.

What really struck me about my answer, though, was that it showed me that in my knitting I can be as imprecise as I am exacting in my teaching.  Hhhhmmmmm.  What's that about?  Yin and Yang?  Pitta and Vata?  Mars and Venus?

Yoga & Community

Ahhhhh, the end of another first-week-of-the-session at the studio.  The week of getting reacquainted with the yoga practice (for those who took a hiatus right along with me!), and meeting new people.  The week of announcements, arrangements, and taking care of payments.  The week that ensure that the next nine weeks can go more smoothly.  Such a great week!

One of my favorite parts of the first week of a new session is having everyone introduce themselves.  It's always intriguing to hear what additional information (to the basics: name, yoga experience) students offer when discussing their yoga practice.  I feel privileged to hear students' reasons for coming back, or coming in the first place.  I feel humbled by their graciousness as they continue their practice, and the newcomers' willingness to embark on a new adventure - one that can bring as much personal challenge as it does revelation and joy.

In my own introduction I take great care in introducing the studio as well as myself.  Its story is as much a part of my yoga practice as all the years spent "on the mat".  You see, aside from wanting a walking (rather than driving) commute, I decided to open up a small studio in my own neighborhood because after a single year in the city I had already made a somber observation:  we are surrounded by people, and yet many of us are very, very lonely.  How can this be?  What is this isolation we experience in spite of our proximity to one another?

I decided that I would create a studio that not only provided me with a venue to teach from my heart, but that offered an opportunity for people to make connections.  That's what yoga's about, after all, connection.  Individually, we practice to "connect" the mind, body and spirit.  In the bigger picture, however, the practice helps us see how we are all integrally connected to each other, indeed, to all of creation.  Ultimately the yoga practice breaks down our self-imposed barriers to wholeness, and we feel unified...all aspects of our being working harmoniously, our relationships smoother, our environments healthier, our connection to the Divine stronger...our understanding that we are "the Divine" solidified.

It is from this desire to build more "we" than "me" that I do this work.  My practice, and my business, are not really about "me" at all - they are the tools with which I travel my path toward wholeness.  Of course, from a yogic perspective the answer to the above question about loneliness is simple:  when we reconnect with the Divine, recognizing our true nature, there is no loneliness.  I have found, however, that as we work on establishing that connection, it is very helpful to be part of a community of like-minded people.  What better way to find those like-minded people than working side-by-side with them during yoga or meditation class?

As the studio grows, so does the possibility of more people coming to it - both teachers and students.  This is an exciting prospect, and one that offers me the opportunity to consider how I can nurture that growth while maintaining my integrity as a yoga practitioner.  How do I nurture the growth of this community/business and maintain its "we-ness", rather than slipping into the often self-centered perspective of modern business models?  What are the teachers' and the students' role and responsibility in this community?  How can we come together to support each other without feeling as if a burden has been placed upon us?

As I learn to see and honor myself as a community leader, my responsibilities become more and more clear.  And yet, I am learning, and growing, and asking questions...questions for which I don't have the answers but, hopefully - together with my community - we can start to understand the answers.

A Day at the Races

On Saturday of our sojourn to southern Indiana, my Dad took Rob and me to Ellis Park, a Thoroughbred Race Track in Henderson, KY.  He'd been given tickets from a friend, so we even got to go up to the fancy upper deck section of the stadium - "the box".  It was a blistering day, so we were thankful to be in the air conditioning, and the view!

We arrived about forty-five minutes before the first race, so we found our table and started looking around.  Rob and I are big people watchers, so we were quite fascinated by our company.  At first we felt like anthropologists who'd been plopped down in an alien landscape:

• The style (hair, clothes, general mannerisms, speech patterns) were definitely "foreign" to us.  In Seattle it is more common for women to have simple hairstyles (ponytails rule) and very little make-up (Chapstick counts as make-up here!  I love it!).  In the not-so-deep South, big hair rules, along with tanning-bed skin tones and gallons of make-up.  I guess when you don't have to plan on rain 300 days of the year, your style choices are gonna be different.  :-)
• Half of the folks were splitting their attention between the miniature televisions on their tables and the big televisions mounted on the walls.  Since we don't have TV and rarely eat in restaurants that have it, we always notice when they're so prominently displayed.  We also can't help but notice the zombie-like expressions of the people who are so tuned-in to the programming...
• Seattle is often ranked high in best/healthiest places to live.  In our three short years living here, we've become accustomed to being surrounded by generally fit and healthy people.  Seattites are, as a whole, an active bunch - hiking, kayaking, tri-athleting, soccering, yogaing, jogging, walking, you name it - and it shows!  In Kentucky and southern Indiana, it is too hot to do much outdoors, and you have to drive to get anywhere - and it shows.  Suffice it to say, this was the kind of place that made us understand why the media is so worked up about the "obesity epidemic".
• Within an hour of our arrival, my eyes started watering and my nose felt prickly as the tell-tale smell of cigarette smoke began to fill the.  entire.  box.  That's when we decided to go outside and get some fresh air.  Seattle recently passed a law that not only is smoking prohibited in public venues, but smokers may not even light up within 20 feet of building doorways.  This ensures that the rest of us don't have to walk through a cloud of nasty just to get inside a pub, restaurant, library, what have you.  I'd forgotten that smoke-free facilities is far from the norm in other (most?) parts of the country.  Hack.  Cough.  Ugh.

So, we felt like the anthropologists until we realized that we were the "outsiders", and had not gone unnoticed!  Eyes were following us as we went through the buffet line, up to place bets, out to look at the horses.  In the "big city", folks see so many strangers one after the other that it isn't particularly note-worthy.  In small-town America, however, strangers stick out, and we were no exception to that rule!  After all, we were walking around gleefully watching the goings-on, enjoying the sunshine (but not too much!  Check out our Seattle skin.  Tee hee!), and talkin' funny so....we stuck out.

The big news of the day was Rob doubling his money!  Yay!  He placed a big ol' $2 bet, and won.  Repeat, lose.  Repeat win.  He started with $2 and ended up with $4, even after his sad loss.  I have to admit, even if our bets were small, it did increase the general excitement of watching those amazing creatures run around a track.  We decided to go outside for a race, to get closer to it and feel the horses running by.  The thumping of all those hooves going oh-so-fast was amazing!  You can feel the reverberation climb up into your bones!

The most exciting moment, though - the moment that caught even the double-TV watchers' eye, was when a horse threw his jockey.  They were just trotting over to the gate, it was before a race, and the horse spooked, reared, and bonk!  down went the teeny-tiny man on top of him as the horse ran off as fast as it could (which was really, really fast)!  Everybody in the box was on their feet, trying to see what had happened.  Thankfully the jockey wasn't injured, and the horse ran out of steam after his little freak out, so that was that.  It was scary and fascinating and surreal.  I was glad that no one was hurt.

P.s.  I was born and raised for the first few years of my life in southern Indiana.  I went back there for college, and all my extended family live there.  While I don't choose to live there myself, I enjoy going back to visit and hold a soft spot for it in my heart.  I am fascinated by the variety of people and ways of being in all cultures - particularly the numerous sub-cultures within the American culture.  Hence the numerous observations made during this event.  While there are many things that differentiate "them" from "us", I believe that at our core we are all the same, and want the same things - good health, to love and be loved, the best for our children, etc.  Some of the everyday differences in our ways of doin' things, though, really make me go "hmmmm".  Thank goodness for variety!

OK, Where Was I?

Right here, all along!  I'm on hiatus, you see, so my schedule has been even more "go with the flow" than usual for me.  August is the month of vacations, family visits, etc., etc., which also makes it one of the slower months for a yoga studio.  I decided to take a break from (most of my) teaching so that I could replenish myself and better serve throughout the rest of the year.

So, what have I been doing?  In addition to going to Indiana to visit my family (I know I still owe a few posts about the fun things we did there), we had east coast family visit two weekends in a row.  We've been getting settled into our new kitchen (there are still a few finishing touches to be done, but it's mostly complete).  I've been knitting a lot and planning some holiday gifts.  I finished my Walk-away dress, and am in the germinating phase of plans for my Duro.

We had planned to Bumbershoot yesterday, but the dog had the runs Sunday night, which meant that Rob and I were up throughout the night rushing downstairs to let our very uncomfortable buddy out back.  In addition, Rob felt like he had a migraine, so, sadly, no Bumbershoot for us.  Today we got to sleep in a bit, then go for Rob's eye exam.  We go to Market Optical, which is located in Pike Place Market.  So we planned the morning around his appointment.  Lunch downtown, a quick perusal of Sur La Table, etc.  Then, without warning, I crashed.  It must be Murphy's Law of time off - I'm just settling into this "vacation" thing, and I start to feel like I'm fighting a cold.  Sigh.

So now we're back home.  We rented three movies, put on our cozy clothes, and I have a wee learning sock underway from Cat Bordhi's New Pahtways for Sock Knitters.  Chances are, a long soak in a hot bath will be had by the end of the afternoon.  :-)

I'll resume regular posting when my schedule returns to normal next week.  We'll pick up with the Indiana trip recap - a day at the races!  Save your quarters!