Yoga Rocks the Park! OM~aha! wk #6,7,8

I’m playing catch up on YRP after going to the beach for 11 days so I’m combining week #6 & #8, as well as my version of Yoga Rocks the Beach for week #7.

What’s interesting is that we went to week #6 on our way to  Beaver Lake & we arrived at week #8 on our way home from Lake McConaughy. Both times we had our dog Luna with us. We thought she could just hang out next to us while we yoga’d, but she was not up for any 'doga’. She was way too excited & was making all kinds of doggie noises, so Fletch decided to spare all of you yogis & chose to just walk around Midtown Crossing w/ her while I enjoyed YRP.

 
I showed up dressed in my usual 4th of July outfit, which included my vintage american flag bell bottoms that Fletch gave me when we first met 19 years ago(I’m glad to say they still fit), my blue w/ white stars vintage vest given to me shortly after that by my friend Lara, the sister of our very own yogi, Alex Jochim, and my big american flag hat that I got in the parking lot of the ’94 Soldier Field Grateful Dead show. Half way thru yoga I stripped down to my yoga gear that was underneath; as it was getting a little too hot for all that fabric.

      

YRP was led by R.R. Shakti of Yoga World Reach. She has such a beautiful spirit & led a very different type of yoga w/ lots of interesting chants. It was very enjoyable & it went well with the sounds of multi-talented & long time friend Jason Horacek of African Culture Connection. It also brought back memories of days gone by; specifically the years I spent gathering my outfit.

In between week #6 & 8, we spent 11 days on the beach at Big Mac. We tried to keep up on morning yoga in the sand & even did our version of Yoga Rocks the Beach on that Sunday, which consisted mostly of a whole lot of Savasana.

Fletch promised me he would get me back in time for the 8th week of YRP, and we made it just in the nick of time. On our way home from the lake, I kept checking the map on my phone. At one point it showed we wouldn’t arrive until 4:20, another time it said 4:11, then it said 10 minutes early & then miraculously at 3:50 it said 10 miles & 10 minutes till arrival. Right on time!!

We had crazy Luna, my little lululemondrop, with us again so Fletch stayed in the cool comforts of our truck w/ her while; once again, I enjoyed YRP. I was so looking forward to this week w/ Carole Westerman, who's smile & aura I just love, which was why I insisted Fletch get me back in time.

About 45 minutes before arrival, I had started to breathe & focus. In fact my intention was to “not focus” on the 100 degree temperature. Also on my way, John Lennon was mentioned on the radio & then Carole mentioned him as well. I can’t recall what either one said about him as I truly feel my brain melted that day.

Carole started us out w/ some calm poses that didn’t take too much exertion. It reminded me of her Monday night Yin class at Lotus House of Yoga. It’s a very relaxing experience (unless the tornado sirens sound) with some deep stretching. It’s described as “great antidote to an active day”, and on this Sunday in July underneath this heat dome, it was exactly what was needed. I tried really hard to just imagine I was back on the beach I just came from & that the slight breeze was cooler than it actually was. And when they came around w/ water, I poured it over myself imagining I just stepped into the lake to cool off. This all worked until about the second OM. After that I had to excuse myself, leaving all of my belongings, to seek some relief under a shade tree. I seriously thought I was going to pass out.
After maybe 15 minutes, I felt I needed get back to my phone & have Fletch come get me, yet I was so affected by the heat that I could barely text. Carole then asked us to get in groups of 8 & form a circle. I was still attempting to text when I heard Mary Clare’s sweet voice say “Are ya in Vic?” I uttered a no, but after my unsuccessful attempts to text Fletch, I crawled over to the circle & was welcomed by my fellow yogi’s w/ cheers. It miraculously gave me the strength to carry on. We did some synchronized clapping, an 8-way patty-cake if you will, in conjunction w/ the Omaha Drummers, which also brought back some hippie memories. It was fun & nice to laugh & smile. After that I was able to carry on & enjoy savasana.

Normally I hang out & socialize afterwards, but I had to go. I was overwhelmed from the heat & I couldn’t even roll up my mat. I just grabbed it & dragged it to the car w/o getting a chance to say good-bye to anyone. No Cantina Laredo either, as I hadn’t been home in 11 days.

Next week is the last week for YRP in OM~aha, which reminds me, I still need to get myself a Spiritual Gangster tee. If you have one, you are asked to wear it! It will be led by Libba Harmon & Tres will be djing once again. Unless there is a major break in the heat I really don’t think I can put my body through that again. I will still be there; I just don’t know if I will be hanging out under a tree, dancing under the tent next to Tres or sipping on a margarita at Cantina Laredo. But I will definitely be a butterfly!

Peace & Love & Sandy Beaches!
~Namaste

Yoga Rocks the Park! OM~aha! wk #5

 

 Everything was perfect about Yoga Rocks the Park last Sunday, from the weather to the after yoga margaritas. From the moment Fletch & I pulled into the circle at Midtown Crossing I could feel a vibe in the air, which was already filling the entire park. Not only could I feel the vibe, I could also hear the vibes that our good friend, DJ Tres of lowercase sounds, was putting out and as soon as I stepped out of the car, it was like surround sound. I was so anxious to get to the green & be in this vibe that I could barely wait for Fletch. I’m so glad Tres started early because it just gave the whole event a ‘festival-Iike feel’, building the music slowly & grabbing everyone’s attention and setting the mood.

We found a spot up front & laid out our mats. But I couldn’t sit still just yet; the social butterfly in me had to go greet all the usual yogi’s. I love Sundays! Several friends showed up & laid their mats next to ours & I began to focus.

I was so looking forward to today’s yoga for many reasons, and the instructor, Jenn Chiarelli, was one of them. Earlier this week, I saw an amazing video of her Vinyasa Vibes that you really must check out. It was peaceful, beautiful & graceful and it gave me hope that one day, I too, can be graceful. It inspired me to focus & keep at it. Jenn was just as amazing as I thought she would be. And just like I thought, Jenn’s style flowed perfectly with the musical stylings of DJ Tres. When yoga started, he took it down a bit and it flowed much like a vinyasa, and in & out with our breathing. At one point, Jenn urged us all to just take a break & dance it out & have fun. And we definitely did!

The weather may have played a role in my experience as well. It was perfectly overcast allowing the clouds to shade us from the heat of the sun. And for most of yoga, there was a very light sprinkle that kept us cool as well. The sun started to peak out just as yoga was ending. And we finished by forming a circle of 123 yogi’s. We all held hands & chanted OM together & raised the vibrations along w/ DJ Tres. It brought back memories of the circle we formed at the end of our wedding ceremony in the park 16 years ago! Back then we chanted “We…….Love…….You……”

Hooray!!! I did it! I was so excited that I actually made it all the way through yoga, w/ithout having to take a break, that I was jumping up & down hugging everyone in sight. I had my best Yoga Rocks the Park experience so far! I didn’t have the trouble I usually have holding a pose & I didn’t need to look around to see what the poses were....... I just knew!! I AM getting stronger and I AM learning! I really needed this experience after my weekend. I felt all rejuvenated. In fact, I felt just like I did after my weekend at Love Fest! And I couldn’t stop smiling!

After yoga, a group of us went to Cantina Laredo again where once again we enjoyed some Queso Laredo, fresh Guacamole and Chips & Salsa’s. We all had a few drinks, 1 Pomegranate Margarita & 1 Mango Margarita for me, & we all got a bit silly. And this is what we came up with and would like to share with all of you:

"On The Afternoon of June 26th I ran over a Cold Stone while I was driving my Blanc Element to Yoga Rocks the Park where I saw Marcus, Three Dogs & 1 Grey Plume. We tried to get the Republic to give us a Couture of one of the condos at Midtown Crossing. At 6:10 our Parliament began to Crave some Ingredients at Cantina Laredo where the margaritas were Delice & made me Glo. This is a Tru story!"

Peace & Love, Dancing & Laughing!
~Namaste

Peace & Love, Sorrow & Regret

And this is why I was dreading the wedding reception this last wknd. Because no matter what I do, I do it wrong, at least in my Mom & brothers eyes. It’s weird, because my Dad & Caroline don’t seem to share their view. And amazingly, we never fight. With my brothers, I can't keep track of when they are talking to me & when they're not. It's all so confusing & I'm not clear on the rules. Apparently though, as much as I struggled with how to do it correctly, I still didn't get it right.

When I saw my Mom, just like usual, she acted like nothing ever happened. But fights w/ her are always so big & dramatic w/ nasty e-mails, texts, phone calls, screaming, yelling, anger, hurt, blame, and so on, until finally we just stop communicating, sometimes for years. So it’s confusing for me to just act like that never happened. I felt awkward; not knowing quite how to react to her, but I did my best. And I thought I did rather well.

Apparently though, my Mom didn't feel the same way. She sent me a disappointing text saying that my reaction was a shame.

I just responded with: “It was nice to see you. I’m sorry you felt differently”

She then goes from disgusted to "Call when you’re ready. Love you..” in just 7 minutes! That’s how fast things can change with her. I don't know if she gets it but I may not be ready to call for quite awhile, I have some very important things that I have to focus on & I have no room for negative situations.

This reaction too only lasted 17 hours before she sent me a 650 word e-mail informing me that I did everything wrong & how I can never let things go.

That’s a little ironic since she’s the one that keeps telling me I did things wrong, and she can’t seem to make up her mind if she loves me, or if she’s mad at me.

I don’t think she gets the level of destruction that the fighting has had on our relationship. No matter how hard I try, I always do or say something wrong. I get that this is who she is, but I just can’t do that anymore. I know she doesn’t understand & I can’t help but feel sorry for her inability to recognize what she does.

It’s too exhausting & stressful to be on guard all the time. I’m definitely not as strong as my mother because I just don’t have it in me to fight anymore. It would be great to have real communication w/o all the fighting & the drama. It would be great to be able to talk & resolve things. But she’s never wanted to do that. She just wants to let things go & pretend like they never happened. I don’t even know if it is possible to talk about it anymore. I’ve wanted to for so many years, but at this point, I just don’t know if I can go backwards & forwards at the same time. And you gotta go back if you wanna move forward in a relationship.

I just need to eliminate stress for my health & peace of mind, my body, mind & spirit. I need peace & love and I wish she could understand that. But I accept that she can't. I love her, she’s part of me & I hope that she finds peace as well.

It is what it is.

Peace & Love, Sorrow & Regret