Friday, September 28, 2007

Class #25 & #26: Just Let It Go.

If your keys fall into molten lava, just let them go.
I believe Jack Handy said this, or at least something to that effect.

Three days ago I celebrated the start of my forth set of sevens. For those unwilling to do the math, that's 28. Seven has always been a pretty good number for me, most odd numbers actually, have been good numbers for me. I think it's because a natural balance point is created. That's why with reluctance, I recently let my Banana Republic sandals go to that great shoe tree in the sky. I am now down one pair of shoes.

Purchased for $82 back in April 2002, Lady Apollo and I bought the same pair - opening a BR credit card so that we both could get a deal on our shoes. These shoes have taken me from the Boston Spring though the DC Indian Summer. The midfoot support structure has long snapped from the rigors of running for the Metro or balancing on my heels while impatiently waiting for the fore mentioned Metro. The leather on the sole has certainly been worn thin and is flirting with a developing a hole. Not even Geroge Clooney's Dr. Ross character on ER could have saved these shoes.

You know, he probably couldn't have helped either CoffeeShop Girl or myself in class last night. We both battled through Ardha Chandrasana, half-moon pose. Neither one of us could find our balance on our left, we both tried resetting multiple times. It just wasn't there for either of us. This morning while drying my hair, I thought, why not, give it a shot. The pose was there.

One of the recurring processes of yoga is letting go. It's easy to see the letting go of toxins that have accumulated from being bombarded on a daily basis with sorbitan monostearates, polysorbate 60s and their evil brethren. Yoga is about the deeper shift and letting go of the emotion we store and bottle up. The stresses that accumulate over the course of the day somehow massage themselves out while moving through the postures. In some instances the postures become a metaphor for our lives or current situation, revealing another path or opportunity or gently reminding us to slow down.

Maybe this coming spring I'll find another pair of sandals to replace my dearly beloved BR sandals.
But, come to think of it, isn't 42 the answer to Life, The Universe and Everything?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Class #24: Mind, Body, Sole

Try as I might I cannot walk in ballet flats to save my life. I stumble, I trip, I stub my toes – all in all it’s not a pretty sight. Give me a pair of 4” heeled shoes with beautiful leather soles, I can polka all night long. Trust me. CoffeeShop Girl, VespaBoy, Sophisticate, & Mr. Trivia can all attest to the polka statement from Friday night’s celebration of CoffeeShop Girl’s birthday.

In our lives we all look for a way to balance. Pondering this, I’ve come to realize that a lot of this balance comes in threes, implying a triangle. Think about it:

Green Pepper, Celery, Onion
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Work, Family, & Friends
Mind, Body, Soul

Our triangles are always in flux, ever evolving and shifting. Sure, it would be great if our lives were a perfect equilateral triangle.

I wonder then, would life be stagnant?

* * *

During my brief hiatus from writing I’ve been pondering a way to give structure to this blog while examining my own various triangles.

Please bear with me through this process.

I welcome any comments or questions you might have about shoes, yoga, or life in general and will address them in due course.