1. Eating: Ayurvedic 2-weeks begins today. That’s shaping up to mean eliminating wheat and probably eating more lentils than usual. Turns out I’m Kapha-Pitta, which seem to be total opposites (one says eat breakfast, the other skip breakfast; one says eat moist foods, the other says dry; and on and on), so I’m finding the whole endeavor very confusing.
2. Exercise: Pilates is torture. I tried it again yesterday at a spa. Maybe I would feel differently if I did it for three months (like I always tell people they need to do to give yoga a fair shake), but it’s so mechanized, it’s hard to imagine enjoying it for its own sake. Has anyone out there learned to love pilates, for a reason other than results?
3. Soul Food: Into the Wild is outstanding visual poetry. Sean Penn’s telling of Chris McCandless journey is warm, gentle, and hopeful — yet heartbreaking.
4. Mental health: This fascinating account of a woman’s battle with depression and psychosis sheds light on a little-known physical cause for mental illness. It’s also a potent reminder that we’re not either sane or insane; normal or bonkers. Many perfectly “together” people face mental health issues, even serious ones.
Welcome to a site offering tools and support to help you cultivate and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. The flying trapeze stands for strength, equanimity, focus — the tools that allow us to do the seemingly impossible with graceful ease.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Amanda // Nov 5, 2007 at 5:22 pm
oo pilates is killer! I’ve tried to get into the habit of doing it and taking classes, but honestly, after it’s done, I am sweating like a pig! so now I just incorporate some pilates moves into my stretching and weight-lifting.
2 JavaChick // Nov 5, 2007 at 6:35 pm
I like fairly strenuous yoga, so I don’t mind working hard, but Pilates is much less graceful than yoga and does not quite leave me with that recharged feeling.
That being said, I have found that I really love Ellen Barrett’s Pilates DVDs. My favourites are not pure Pilates, but they have had the same effect on my core. If you are intetested in checking out any DVDs, perhaps look into her Crunch Super Slimdown Pilates-Yoga blend. It has much more flow to it.
3 Sara // Nov 5, 2007 at 8:42 pm
i like getting sweaty with exercise! :-) but i felt like i didn’t sweat enough when i did it - because i was only willing to commit to the torture about half the time. i felt less inclined to “push” myself than with yoga.
javachick, thanks for the tip - amazon has it available for streaming so i’ll try it, maybe even today! could be a good one for days when i want a little more cardio than my avg yoga program, but don’t feel like running.
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