Ashtanga Not for Me?

I attended an interesting yoga workshop yesterday on something called Mysore Yoga.  Based on Ashtanga (more about that later), Mysore classes are not instructor-led.  Instead, the student arrives any time during the hours the practice is available, and does his or her yoga.  A lead instructor and some assistants are available to guide students individually.

This practice just became available in the studio where I take yoga classes (and where I received my 200-hour yoga teacher training).  I've been wondering if it's something that would work for me, with its flexible arrangement (it's open from 5:30-8am M-F, and a little later on Sunday.  You pay by the month, rather than by the class,  so if you go several times a week you get the most for your money.

But I'd been reluctant to go, not knowing how it operated.  The instructor asks that new students contact her first, so she can guide them when they get there.  But I still wanted to know more in advance--how do students know what to do?

Some of my takeaways from yesterday's workshop:

- You do the yoga in a prescribed sequence, which builds up over time.  But it always starts with 10 Sun Salutations--5 A, 5 B.  Right there, that's a problem for someone with low bone density--that means you're doing 20 deep forward folds just to start, putting pressure on the spinal discs.  I can do this, I say to myself.  But should I.  And every day?  What if I don't want to start that way?

- The room is heated to between 78 and 80 degrees, and they don't want you to drink water during the practice.  There's a philosophy behind this, and it's also a tenet of Bikram and other types of hot yoga.  The idea being that you want to build up your body heat, and water will dissipate that.  Is this really medically sound?  Add in the ups and downs of Sun Salutation, and I may end up getting dizzy.  I've found that water helps keep me from getting nauseous.  They say they will let you drink water (as in "leave the room to get water") if you have a medical reason for doing so.  But I'm still skeptical of this whole approach.  Why do they want me to work up a sweat?  How is this supposed to help with Enlightenment?

- YOU DO THE SAME THING EVERY DAY.  I know the practitioners would chafe at that description, but it's so different from the classes I teach and take, where the idea is to be creative and come up with new movements and combinations.  To keep things interesting, and so you're not working the exact same muscles in the exact same sequence every time.  What if I don't want to do revolved triangle?  Ever, as a matter of fact, since I heard that someone dislocated her hip trying to do the prescribed Iyengar alignment.  Is it medically sound to do the same sequence every day?

So while there is flexibility in terms of when you do your practice (within the prescribed morning hours), and you go at your own pace--appealing to those of us who are tired of the same class times and instructors--the practice itself is prescribed.  An alternative is the open session, where everyone shows up and does whatever they want.  But then why pay for that?

So there are some good reasons why I shouldn't do this sort of practice, but it still has an appeal--because I like to think I COULD do it.  Even though it's probably not a good idea.  I'll do some research ("google") to see what I can find out from relatively objective sources.

Get Up Off Your Butt...

That's what I said to myself during a flute duet last night.  I wasn't playing well, and had to tough my way through it.

My performance image is of the figure skater who falls, then gets back up and continues her routine.  Especially the skater who nails a difficult jump after the fall.  Not the skater who doesn't fall.  Because much as I would like to be, I'm not someone who performs flawlessly.  Do any of those skaters just want to stay seated on the ice, call it quits while they're behind (literally as well as figuratively)?  I came close to doing that last night.  But I finished, not without more mistakes, though.  Hopefully my next performance will be better.  I'd like just once not to have to get up off my butt.
.
 

The Latest Gadget (Conair Infiniti Pro heated hairbrush)

Who says I don't buy things?  I'm always looking for products to deal with my aging hair--and I'm sure I'm not alone.  I'm trying to keep it medium length (as opposed to really short the way a lot of older women have their hair), but my hair texture is much different than it was.  With the wrong (as in most) hair products, my hair will be coarse and frizzy.  I learned some time ago that the best way to dry my hair is with a heated brush--that way I can style it while it's drying.  As recommended, I use a regular blow dryer to dry my hair about 80 percent, then use the heated brush to dry the ends and style them in the process.  I was using a John Frieda brush, which works well.

If you look at how hair stylists dry hair, they have a blow dryer in one hand and a round brush in the other, and control the hair with the brush as they dry it.  But I find that too difficult to do; hence the heated round brush.

I read about the Infiniti in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago; an article about some of the latest hair stying gadgets, and what was popular in different parts of the country.  What caught my attention about the Infiniti is that you can press a lever that makes the brush spin as you're using it to dry and style your hair.  I don't know of another heated brush that does that (my John Frieda doesn't).  Without a spinner, you have to try to spin the brush yourself, which I can't do very well.  The WSJ article said the Infiniti is popular among Hispanic women in Miami--to deal with thick wavy hair.  Sounds like my hair, I thought.

So of course I had to get myself an Infiniti, even though I have a perfectly fine brush now.  I planned to order it from Amazon, but they happened to have it at CVS, and I had a 20 percent off coupon, so I bought it there the same day I read about it.

I've used the brush once--the spinner is cool, but takes some getting used to.  Depending on how you're holding your hair in the brush, you have to spin it either clockwise or counterclockwise.  If you pick the wrong direction the hair flies away from the brush.  I had a little trouble picking the correct spin, but did it correctly most of the time.  The spinner (and fairly large brush) make the hair puffier, but also easier to keep straight.  My hand did get tired from holding the spinner lever, though.  The brush doesn't really work unless it's spinning.

It's been 2 days since I used the brush; my hair isn't as full, but does still look straight--the waviness hasn't reemerged, as it usually does.  So I will definitely continue to use this product.  Until a newer gadget comes along...

They Deserted Me

The conventional wisdom is that clothing retailers target people 25-45 years old (or so) because they're the spenders.  But I (barely into my 60s) would spend more on clothes if I could find ones I like.  But over the years, almost as soon as I find a brand, or a store, or an item of clothing, that I really like, the item or brand disappear, and the store changes its fashion line and moves away from styles I like.

Take Episode, for example.  I loved their clothes--very plush silks, long flowing designs.  I still wear items I bought at their DC store about 25 years ago.  Around the same time, stores like Saks Fifth Avenue also carried the Episode brand.  But then Episode disappeared--the brand as well as the store--and I had to regroup.  For a while I really liked Talbots--well made, reasonably priced clothes--but I won't shop there any more.  The styles look like they're trying to compete with ATL, but not at ATL prices.  If you're going for trendy, then price the clothes at a point where a customer won't get upset if it only lasts a year or two.

I really liked Sigrid Olsen clothes--one of her sweaters is still my favorite.  A small boutique near my house used to sell her clothes; so did Nordstrom.  Then the clothes started to disappear.  She was bought out by Liz Claiborne and then at some point dumped.  (I once bought a pair of Liz Claiborne pants; the button fell off as I put them on.  I never bought another Liz Claiborne item--I figured they had poor quality control.)

I've already mentioned that the pair of Cambio jeans I bought at Nordstrom some years ago is (are) the best pair I've ever had.  But Nordstrom no longer carries the Cambio brand.   NYDJ jeans are good, but more iffy in terms of fit (there are so many options--some are much longer than others).

And a few days ago I tried to buy some more fleece turtleneck pullovers from L.L. Bean, only to find that LLB no longer sells them.

I'm the same size I was 25 years ago--actually, I'm the same, but the clothing sizes keep getting larger, so I wear a smaller and smaller size.   In some cases I'm down to a size 0; maybe in a few years I'll be in negative numbers.  The first and only time I tried Chico's, I was told I'd be a size 0 in their store, and they didn't have many of those--I'd have to look around.   Apparently "mature" in retail clothing lingo means "fat".

So clothing retailers have created a self-fulfilling prophecy--designing trendy (short, tight, low-cut, often flimsy) clothes that someone like me finds less appealing.   And assuming that everyone over 50 is overweight and will enjoy wearing large colorful tent-like outfits.   Thus I spend less than I otherwise might if I could find more that I liked.  Clothing makers and retailers they were right not to target me as a customer.  And instead I divert my dollars into yoga clothes, yoga workshops, spa treatments, travel, music lessons.  Well, maybe I'd still do those things, too.

One Month Later

I think my facial scar looks a little less raised after using ScarAway for 1 month; it's hard to tell from the photos.  The one on the left is from a month ago; the one on the right is from today.  OK, so they're blurry and I look yellow, but when I looked at the two photos on my phone, I thought to scar in today's photo look slightly less pronounced.  Of course, we don't know what the scar would look like if I weren't using the silicone strips--one assumes there would be some healing, but maybe more of a ridge. Good thing I decided to only take photos once a month.

I'm Thankful I Decided not to Baste the Turkey

Searching the Internet can be helpful, but you have to know when to stop.  Because if you keep searching, you will find information and advice that contradicts everything you researched previously.  So it is with advice on cooking a turkey.  And I had already narrowed it down to:  roast in an oven, no brining.  Brining probably is good, but I'm supposed to be on a low-sodium diet, and brine would infuse the turkey with a salty solution--that's what brine is.  And I'm not going to deep-fry; I don't deep-fry anything.

I searched recipes on a couple of sites (allrecipes.com and delish.com) and found one on allrecipes.com that got a high rating.  It called for pouring turkey broth in the bottom of the pan and basting the turkey ever 1/2 hour.  I started having second thoughts after I found out I was supposed to take it easy after yesterday's surgery.  And when I googled "should I baste or not," the sources seemed to agree that basting does nothing for the turkey meat, only the skin.  And opening the oven door every 1/2 hour wreaks havoc on the roasting, they said.  So scratch that recipe.  This was yesterday, so I had to find an alternative recipe quickly.

The next area with a range of opinions is:  "at what temperature should I roast the turkey".   Some sources say 350 degrees; some say 325.  The recipe that came with my locally-bred turkey calls for roasting it at 400 for the first 1/2 hour, then 350 for 2 hours, then 225 for the last 1 1/2 hours.  Too complicated, I thought.  And those times are for a 15-lb turkey; mine is 11 pounds.  And I never know how long anything will cook in my oven--it seems to cook fast.  So if you're off with the times, the turkey will be overcooked.  So I'm going with 325 the whole time.  I'm tenting, and hopefully will make a good decision on when to take off the aluminum.

I don't hesitate about the debate over whether to stuff the turkey or not--I stuff.  The stuffing doesn't taste nearly as good if you bake it outside the turkey.  People are too finicky about bacteria, anyway.  You need some germs to build up your resistance.

I went with very basic stuffing--bread, onions, celery, sage and pepper.  One year I tried chestnut stuffing, and I tore up my fingers trying to work with the chestnuts.  Back to simplicity--similar to the stuffing my Mom made.  It's one of the dishes she made that I really liked.

I have no idea whether this turkey will be any good.  But once I got it in the oven, all I have to worry about is whether it will cook faster than it's supposed to and throw off the rest of the schedule (mashed potatoes and green bean casserole).

Pin Cushion

I went to the dermatologist today to have the remainder of my precancerous mole removed.  I assumed she would freeze the area and take whatever she didn't get when took a sample for the biopsy.  I didn't think anything of the fact that they had me lie down; I figured it made it easier for her to zap the area (left chest area).  I realize now the assistant said the doctor would do surgery, but it didn't register--that's what they do at the surgery center I went to; I didn't think my dermatologist did that kind of surgery.

The first steps were the same as with freezing--clean with alcohol, and then inject a local anesthesia (or whatever they use).  But in the course of the procedure, I could feel tugging--I realized she was sewing stitches.  So I mentioned she was doing more than I expected--she said the mole went beneath the skin, which is why she did surgery.  I now have two layers of stitches--one internal, one external--just like I did for the surgery on my face.  (She mentioned that she "doesn't do faces"--so it's not that she doesn't do surgery.)   And I'm supposed to take it easy for 48 hours.  Which seems to mean no heavy lifting--but they did say I should get help with the Thanksgiving cooking.  I figure I'll get the guys to do the mashed potatoes; the turkey's too complicated to explain--I'm still trying to figure out which tips to follow.

The external stitches don't dissolve; I have to go back in next Wed. to have them removed.  The internal stitches dissolve.  In the meantime, I have to clean the would every day and keep it covered.  So now I have my second set of stitches in 3 months.  I'm starting to feel like a pin cushion.