SimplyComplexJen

My basil, rosemary, and tomatoes all doubled in size while I was on holiday.  The broccoli is showing signs of edible parts, and so are my pepper plants. 

My strawberries did not survive (it appears), nor did my arugula. 

My inbox is overflowing and if you don't hear from me in 20 min, you might check out my office.

I have over 300 unread emails in my box because I refused to be a slave to the blackberry while I was gone, and I'm not sure I'll go read them all.

My knee doesn't hurt anymore, so will also resume training today.... although does it count if all I want to do is 90min of yoga?  What if I do 90 min of yoga, and a quick 1.5 mi jog?  After all, I should probably ease back into it after 10 days off... (or so I'll say).

All in all..... the dog missed me, the kiddo missed me, and my routine is back.  Bonnaroo is checked off my bucket list.

Yes, it's good to be home.

Now, what trip do I plan next.....?

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I realize this may not be the most fun topic to tackle, but it's worth a post in my opinion.

About a year ago, I bookmarked an article so wittily called "Cycle Training".  (insert groans here).  There is no earth shattering news in this article, but gives a good breakdown of what your body may need during each phase of your cycle.

A few days ago, I was reading in Yoga Journal about inversion poses and menstruation, which I thought gave good balance to the argument of doing (or not doing) inversion poses during that "time of the month" (hereby known in this post as TOTM).

That got me thinking about in all of my preparing for a triathlon last year, and my years attempting yoga ..... surprisingly this topic rarely comes up.  So I thought about it and of course Googled.

In short, there is lots of advice out there, and more information than I care to think about.  Most of these studies and "rules" were done by men (who probably didn't bother to ask their wives for input).  What it boils down to is that, as with most things, you need to exercise your individual choice for what works best for you.  Listen to your body, maybe write down changes in your workout log, and go with whatever you decide.

From my experience, Western (or at least American) culture has deemed our period as "dirty" or almost like a disease to be cured (take this pill and skip your period, which I'll admit to have doing in the past).  But the reality of it is, it is a natural process and we should embrace it and try to understand how it affects us.  That includes our workouts.

I found this article to be interesting regarding TOTM and Yoga: http://yogapilates.suite101.com/article.cfm/practicing_yoga_on_your_period

TOTM and Triathlon Training and Racing: http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/triathlon-training/the-challenging-periods-for-women-in-training-001342.php


Iron Deficiency and Nutrition: http://www.trifuel.com/training/health-nutrition/triathletes-and-iron

And on a lighter side, of course I run across a similar musing by a triathlete who wonders if you have a greater risk of being bit by a shark during TOTM and open water ocean swims.  http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/post/for-females-do-you-swim-in-the-ocean-while-mentruating/

Be sure when you (if you're a woman!) line up at the start of  Tri, or in a room full of women waiting to do Downward Dog or Warrior, be assured you're not alone when it's TOTM.  As with anything, be sure to listen carefully to what your own body is telling you and work with your body, not fight it. 

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I read the book, HAPPY BACK, based on a recommendation. I loved it's simplicity and real life applications of simple exercises. In fact, I recognize a lot of the daily stretches from my yoga classes. The product summary from Amazon summarizes it best:

Happy Back is a self-help, how to book about caring for your neck and back on your own. Neck and back pain books typically focus only on exercises and stretches. Happy Back not only demonstrates effective spinal stretches, but also focuses on the ergonomics of daily living to avoid the accumulation of spinal stresses which may lead to pain. Over 140 pictures show readers do's and don'ts of standing, sitting, driving, working out, computer postures, bending and lifting, and even golf. Happy Back teaches you the simple stretches and exercises which are taught to each patient in Dr. Fuller's chiropractic office. These effective stretches only take a couple minutes a day.

It also helps that I know Dr Fuller personally and can vouch for not only him as a Doctor, but also his advice in the book. If you're dealing with the "normal" and everyday aches and pains of sitting in front of a computer 8-10 hours a day (pretty sure humans weren't designed for this type of activity), then this book will be a blessing to you. At least it has been for me.

I had no specific injury to set my general discomfort in motion but have a stockpile of reasons for stress and anxiety in my life, not to mention sitting at a desk in front of a computer for 8-9 hours a day. If you add on the high impact of running 20-30 miles a week, back discomfort was not a stranger to me. After I implemented many of the exercises in the book, I find my back hurts less, I have more energy, and feel more relaxed.

It only takes a few minutes a day, and is cheaper than bottle after bottle of Advil to relieve the back pain and aches ;)

Happy Friday!

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originally posted on myspace.com on April 27, 2006

Oh for pete's sake..... are you serious? (for the record, I am not making fun of fundamentalists, everyone has a right to their beliefs, I just find this a silly thing to split hairs over. that's all.... my opinion, nothing more, nothing less.).

Here's a link to the article (article in full below): Yoga with a Christian Bent

Because something is steeped in a religious tradition other than your own, you stand a chance of committing a crime against God and your values? Is this what they are really suggesting?

Could these close-minded group consider for a moment that Learning from other traditions while staying within your own is totally possible?

Contrary to what they might fear about the perils of integrating Eastern disciplines and attitudes, within another tradition, they might discover what they are seeking - - centeredness (is that a word?). The various Hindu and Buddhist practices give very basic and effective ways to quiet agitation in his body and mind. In turn, that tranquility allows a deeper kind of awareness to surface and awakened a natural sense of love and compassion. Stilling the mind will never drew you away from Jesus Christ; it draws you closer.

After all, the body itself is neither Hindu nor Baptist nor Catholic nor Muslim.

Most of us don't realize that the various religions we engage in have been influenced and enlivened in some way by different beliefs and practices around them. None of them has existed in a vacuum. In a similar way, what we learn as individuals from a spiritual tradition other than our own can infuse vitality into our path. Do you think these Christians realize that many of our traditions coincide with pagan festivals?

Coming from a fundamentalist upbringing (and I am now considered a "bad" Christian by many family members due to my open-mindedness on many subjects), I know this attitude expressed in this article is not held only by a select few.

Honestly, if these people were secure in their faith, they would not worry about something like meditation interfering.

Ok, this rant is done....

Article in Full :

April 25, 2006 The poses may be the same as in the Hindu version of yoga, but the philosophy associated with the practice has been reinvented by those of a different faith.
"I approach each class as a way to share with people something great about their faith," said Christian yoga instructor Susan Bordenkircher.

Her class, "Outstretched in Faith," is a switch from traditional yoga, which has its roots in the Hindu religion and predates Christianity.

The original goal of Yoga was to develop self-awareness and help individuals find divinity within themselves.

But those Hindu ideals offend some Christians. Bordenkircher said that as a devout Methodist, when she first tried yoga she loved the exercise but not the Hindu-based chanting.

"It made me feel uncomfortable. It made me feel as if those were elements that I certainly did not want to participate in," Bordenkircher said.

So she joined a growing trend of modifying traditional yoga by replacing many of the chants with biblical phrases or Christian themes. While breathing in, she speaks of inhaling the holy spirit.

Still Yoga? Purists Disagree

There are clear physical benefits to this activity regardless of the philosophy, as it stretches the muscles and relaxes the body.

But yoga purists say that without Hinduism this simply isn't yoga.

"If you take a tree and chop off its roots, then you don't have a tree, do you?" said Subhas Tiwaris, a professor of yoga philosophy.

"Yoga is mind, body, spirit. You want to make those separations," he said.

But Bordenkircher bristles at this charge and defends her practice.

"There is no way that you can take a posture that is from a body that God created and say this can only be used for the Hindu faith," Bordenkircher said