Midweek Sweat Check

Here’s my midweek sweat check:

Monday morning I did a home yoga practice and threw in a few extra Sun Salute S’s and rounds of agni sara (a yogic practice that creates heat like crazy) to get my heart rate up and create a few tiny little drops of perspiration. Then in the evening I met some friends for a Barre-dio class, which is basically an aerobic style workout mixed in with barre moves for toning. It was…interesting, but hey, I definitely burned some calories and learned some really cheesy dance moves so at least there’s that.

Yesterday…well, I hate to say it but I skipped out on my sweat sesh. I worked all day, had a few things to take care of when I got home, and then Dan and I had tickets to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (remember July’s lent?) and I just didn’t have time to do something sweaty and take a shower before the show. I know, I get an F, but does my cheat get cancelled out if Monday and Wednesday are both double sweat days? I’m going with yes…

And today, I started my morning with a chilly 2 mile run in the 20˚ Michigan weather and am planning on doing a little yoga before work once my breakfast has a chance to digest (yoga on a full stomach is never a good idea).

I’m sticking to my original plan for the rest of the week, but if you’re local and want to do something sweaty with me, lemme know!

Highlights of the show: When they covered Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols and Song 2 by Blur.

 

 

September’s Half-Lent: The Intention Journal

Greetings from Ann Arbor, Michigan! My new home away from home, where the people are friendlier and the lakes are bigger—like, way bigger (and also where they call liquor stores “Party Stores”, which is kind of awesome, right?). Before I get down to lent business though, I just wanted to extend a quick “thank you” to everyone for bearing with me during this move. Having time off from blogging was 100% necessary for me to wind down my time in Boston and to settle into my new life in the midwest, and I’m grateful for your patience with my infrequent posting. That being said, I think I’m ready to get back at it. Ready…set…lent!

My goal was to do a full challenge for September, but um, yeah…moving was moving (ie. it sucked all the life out of me), I dove full-force into work (I’ve only had one real day off since we rolled into town), and oh yeah, I started a 200-hour yoga teacher training yesterday at Sangha Yoga in Kalamazoo, MI. Woah, slow down Dzenawagis…aren’t you taking on a little too much?

Probably, but hey, at least I’m busy with practicing yoga and meditation all day, right? Could be worse. Besides being a little tired, I’m feeling good, so I’m going with it for the time being. Things will slow down again soon enough, it’s all part of the ebb and flow.

But I digress…

So, I was at the Paper Source the other day and stumbled on this little gem which totally sparked my lent-brain: an intention journal.

Basically, it’s a cute little 388 page book full of blank pages prompting you to fill in the date and continue the sentence: “Starting today, I will…” Here’s what the description on the back of the book says:

“Whether you’d like to focus on the present, be a better listener, or give people the benefit of the doubt, writing down your daily intentions allows you to live each day a little bit better. Filled with a year’s worth of insightful prompts and inspiring quotes, this keepsake journal provides a space for you to discover your true intentions and become the person you want to be—starting today”.

SOLD.

So, for what’s left of this month I’m doing a sort-of “half-lent” and recording a personal daily intention each morning. I’ll be sharing them here on the blog, but be warned—yoga school might take over this week, so check Instagram and Twitter if I go missing again.

Does anyone want to share a daily intention of their own? I’d love to see some of yours too.