Breath of Life

So my friend texted me earlier this evening...

"Do you wanna go to yoga at 9?"

I contemplated just what else I would be doing at 9 (sadly, the plan was to be laying on my couch reading my current book Peter and the Secret of Rundoon) and so I figured- what the hay, I'll give it a try. Especially considering that we have been trying to go to the gym together for the past 2 weeks. That is ever since we discovered that we are members of the same gym. So I texted back telling her that contrary to popular belief, I had yet to try this activity.

Would I need to bring anything special?

Thinking yoga mat...some flexibility genes...that sort of thing. Well guess what my gym offers? Besides 9 pm yoga classes- yup flexibility genes :) or yoga mats to be more accurate. So an hour later I found myself sitting on a squishy, purple yoga mat, in the middle of a fairly empty aerobics classroom, gazing through a set of windows out at the rest of the gym members working it out on treadmills, stationary bikes, and stair steppers. Seeing the worried expression on my face, my friend reassured me that they dimmed the lights at the beginning of class, making it difficult to see into the room. That and the fact that she just about picked the most perfect spots in the entire room helped to ease my pre-yoga jitters. You know the spot- those special spots where you are A) Not right up front breathing all over the instructor, or B) Not in direct eye line with ANY of the humongous wall mirrors- so that you do not have to watch yourself workout.

I will admit a few things about the whole experience. It was a relaxing way to let the day's worries go and I wasn't too concerned about trying to keep up with the rest of the class, experienced or not.

That is, until I am standing up, bent forward at the waist, feet as far away from each other as possible, hands grasped behind my back...leaning as far forward as possible while stretching my hands as far up behind my head as they will go. Awkward- no? Not awkward by half until the instructor comes up behind me (yeah, great view I am sure) takes my hands and helps to push them even farther forward. And nothing in yoga goes tremendously fast, so he is there for at least a full minute before offering the praise "great release" and moving on.

I spent the rest of the class trying to forget that if I wasn't pushing myself hard enough I would be "treated" to more one-on-one help. I sure hope I didn't stink! Rather I tried my hardest to just follow his instructions to keep breathing loud enough to be heard by your neighbor.

Overall I was invigorated by the experience, and would be apt to try it again. Maybe I will be able to stretch a little bit further next time and save myself the up close and personal experience. That, and I would definitely remember to bring a water bottle- who knew one could get so thirsty doing the Warrior Pose?

For those unfamiliar - this is the Warrior Pose. Very exciting stuff.

Long Awaited

I pride myself on the discovery of this charming and enchanting book series. I participate in the Scholastic Book Clubs with my students each month, and like a kid in a candy shop, I always order a few books to add to my classroom library. A year ago last October, I found this book for a very reasonable price:

"In Book One of the series, we meet two sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, who have been sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. From their first day in Ferryport Landing, the sisters begin to unravel a mystery that reveals a family secret. Sabrina and Daphne learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous book of fairy tales is actually a history book. Snow White, the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf—they're all alive and now neighbors of Granny Relda in this community of Everafters, as magical folks like to be called.

But life is not a fairy tale in Ferryport Landing. Someone has set a giant loose on the town, and it's up to the sisters Grimm to stop the giant and find the Everafter behind its murderous rampage. Is it Mayor Charming, formerly Prince Charming, who may have plans to get his kingdom back? Or Jack, the erstwhile giant killer, now working at the Big & Tall store?"

I had been on the lookout for a new book, as I had recently learned that summer the fate of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger and needed a new storyline to be hooked into. Well folks, this was it. I read the first one to my class, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be honest in saying that I did not rush out to the bookstore to pursue the next books in the series. That is until Yanaj began into the series, and became my accomplice in the All Over The Countryside search to find and read the next 5 books. I have been patiently waiting for the 7th installment, and found out that my wait now has an end in sight. As of May 1, 2009 I will be able to find out what happens next to the descendants of the Brothers Grimm- Sabrina and Daphne.

"Picking up after the dramatic cliffhanger that ended Book Six, Sabrina and Daphne’s prayers are finally answered when their parents awake from their sleeping spell. But their happy reunion is short-lived, as they are caught in the middle of a war between the Scarlet Hand and Prince Charming’s Everafter army. As the family works to help the prince’s ragtag group of rebels and protect their friends, Sabrina comes face-to-face with the family’s deadliest enemy—the mysterious Master—who reveals a secret so shocking it will rock the entire family to its core."

And the mind boggles that there could be even more- and yet there is! There is an excerpt from this soon to be released book on the official Michael Buckley The Sisters Grimm website: http://sistersgrimm.com/index.html

I recommend checking this website out.

Thus I leave you with one more noteworthy nugget ... or three:
Note Worthy 1
Note Worthy 2
and just in case...
Note Worthy 3

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