The Schtick of Spinning & Yoga

While I find myself back in LA for the next couple of months I am trying to make the most of it. Though I am not 'home' I am in a familiar place and spending time with friends. The discomfort of not being in my home every night is made easier by the comfort of doing the things I used to do when I lived in this city - things I did to occupy my time until I could escape to my next adventure in wilder terrain.

One of the activities I became quite fond of was spinning. When I couldn't join my friend Marci for a ride through Topanga Canyon or Malibu, I made sure to make it to the gym for a spin. Though I consider myself a rider first, I see the value in spinning. It's quite zen - that repetitive motion - and engages my creative side. Three weeks ago I joined TriFitLA for two months. It caters to triathletes, has a pool, spinning and yoga: The perfect combination.

What's even cooler - I have become addicted, once again, to the act of spinning. More appropriately, I have become addicted to Merle's class. He's a rider and brings that to his class. Lately we have been watching stage footage from The Tour; it rolls on the the big screen behind him at the front of the room. It's makes it easy to stay motivated during a seven minute hill climb when you are watching Lance and Levi power up a section too: Smooth pedal strokes, centered positioning and consistent cadence. What I also like is Merle brings a certain yogic technique to his class - we do sun salutations at the beginning and end, focusing on deep, effective breaths and relaxing the shoulders and toes. Drawing in our energy and lifting through the length of our spine. Staying light on the pedals - centered and balanced. His schtick is always the same and he ends his class with the phrase - "And make sure to nurture your joy." Our arms are raised, palms facing the heavens. I don't tire of his routine, though it's always the same, I find motivation in it every time he says it.

Which brings me to my own schtick when I teach yoga. After savasana I always end practice the same way - "Thank your body for moving the way it has; thank yourself for coming to practice today; and bring this sense of peace and wellness into your communities - your work, your home, whereever you may travel; Namaste." It is something I always say and always wonder if people tire of it. But I do believe we should be thankful for the way our body moves - that we are able to move at all because that may not always be the case. I do believe we should honor ourselves for attending yoga practice or working out. And I know that if we choose to bring our own peace into our daily lives we can make this world a better place.

Merle's schtick works because it comes from an authentic place. I know mine does too and, I can only hope it rings true for others the way Merle's does with me.

Second is Better than Last

Although last is a place too.

Once again the dynamic duo Scott and Matt teamed up to compete in a random race they had neither trained, prepared for or performed. This time: A 10K Canoe race at the 2nd Annual Big Bear Paddlefest.

Including their entry there only two others in the category and the competition was tough. A world class paddler in a Outrigger Canoe and a team of three using kayak paddles. Scott and Matt held to the tradition, borrowed a fiber-glass boat, a set of paddles and 10 minutes before the race made a few laps around the bay. That ten minutes was enough for them to decide Scott goes up front and Matt stays in the stern.

An exciting race - I watched from behind (I competed in the solo 10 kayak race) - they battled it out; half way the kayaking canoers were hot on their tail. An open Lake crossing gave our boys the strategy they needed to stay in the lead: Paddle in a straight line.

From there, they set their sights on the Outrigger. When she dodged right, they paddled left. But ended up with a nose full of weeds, bogging them down and ensuring their second place finish. But hey, it's second and they got to stand on stage and took home a cool plaque. It was good to see them in the spotlight again even if there were no TV cameramen on hand asking them why they were in Big Bear for the race. Perhaps next time.

Paddlers Wanted

Big Bear Paddlefest is this weekend - July 11 and 12 - at Captain John's Marina on the north shore of Big Bear Lake. Expo and clinics take place on Saturday and all races are Sunday. Beginning with a 10k Canoe and Kayak, 5k canoe and kayak, Kids Fun Paddle and a sprint Stand Up Paddle Board race. Prizes galore, vendors galore!

For more information, visit the official site online. Big Bear Paddlefest is part of Open Air Big Bear.

A Man, a Snake, a Stick and a Spade

Every evening at 5:00 McGyver, our golden retriever, nudges his nose under an elbow or begins a low growl. Somehow he knows it’s time for his walk and he won’t take no for an answer. And every evening at ten past five we set out on a loop trail that begins in the National Forest two houses down from ours. In less than 100 yards our neighborhood fades and the pines take over.

It’s a forest full of life. Coyotes howl every other night and two weeks ago Scott saw a mountain lion basking in the sun not more than a mile from our house. We also have bears, deer, bobcats and rattlesnakes. Of all the creatures, it’s the snakes that get me. Three years ago, after a particularly wet spring, we found two in our yard. One we captured and released in the forest a quarter mile away; the other, a larger, older snake, slithered from our yard and into our neighbors. Neither of us saw it again. But I remember it was thick – over an inch in diameter.

That same summer, the people that own the property bordering our Forest, captured and killed four snakes. They cut their rattles off and nailed them to a post at the trailhead. A brief warning to 'Beware' was stapled next to the rattles. It was hand-written on a piece of lined paper that quickly faded to a sun-bleached white. We didn’t have a dog then but I ran the trail almost every morning and took heed.

Since that summer we haven’t seen any rattlesnakes in our yard or on our trail. But tonight, as I started my walk with McGyver, I came across a man with a stick and spade. He was crouched low, methodically poking at an overgrown sage with the stick. He moved deliberately, occasionally standing tall to peer down into the bush. I said ‘Hello’ and he motioned me to stop. He had been walking his dog Tilly when they came across the largest rattlesnake he had ever seen – an inch and half in diameter – sunning itself in the middle of our trail. He witnessed it move into the sage, quickly took Tilly home and returned with his weaponry. As he continued to poke at the bush I told him I was going to pass. He called over his shoulder, “Keep your ears open.” I nodded and suggested perhaps the snake had moved on, pointing to a pile of aging limbs.

As McGyver and I continued on our walk, I secretly hoped the man didn’t find the snake. I knew he would kill it. What if it was the same snake we had seen three years earlier? An old guy passing his time, enjoying the forest? While snakes give me the willies, I don’t wish them harm. I figure if I give them a wide berth, they will do the same. It’s a silent agreement I make every time I walk the trail and it seems to work. But, for now, I'll keep my ears open - though I'm not fond of snakes, I’m less inclined to carry a stick and a spade.