Why yoga is like reading

Stay with me on this one. As I branched out with a different yoga opportunity today, I started comparing how two of my favorite hobbies are related, other than comfy clothes being involved. I've been reading since before kindergarten, but have only practiced yoga for the last year and a half. Why do I crave both of these activities? With how busy life can get, why do I always feel so much better after reading or practicing? Here is my countdown of how these activities are similar, with a focus on their benefits.

5) You get to branch out and try new things

Books: When you discover a new book series, you can rest assured that you won't have to search out new reading material until close to the series end. This is comforting until the "to read" pile starts to dwindle. Then what? How do you move on? It is time for something new. You are forced to head to the library, the bookstore or to new recommendations from friends for fresh ideas.

Yoga: With the right instructor, a yogi will always be challenged with new and more advanced poses. One of the first ones for me to conquer was Tree Pose, or Vrksasana. It literally forces you to "branch out" with your arms as you move on in difficulty with this pose. The instructor will offer words of encouragement, much like a friend with a great book recommendation, "grow your branches, move out of your comfort zone."

4) Improve upon your abilities

Books: Have you ever gone back to read a childhood or adolescent-hood favorite? Was it as exciting later on in life? With a few of my favorites of younger days, I've been disappointed or bored re-reading them as an adult. Now I think hard about re-reading books because my tastes have changed and my ability to tackle tougher books has improved. And anyhow, there are so many good books that I haven't read!

Yoga: After the first few yoga sessions, you start to listen to the instructor and move into poses without looking up or thinking too hard about the posture. I have a beginners DVD that I can proudly say is "too easy" for me. I have moved on from supporting my Side Plank Pose, or Vasisthasana, to being able to prop myself up on two feet.

3) Mental benefits

Books: This one is obvious for books. From continuous reading we learn new vocabulary, learn about new cultures in non-fiction, discover entirely new worlds in fiction. Then we take lessons from these sources to apply in every day life.

Yoga: There's no doubt about it, you can get a great physical workout from yoga. For me, the mental benefits are even more significant. The instructor is always gently or enthusiastically encouraging you one to higher levels. I swear their motto in school must be "you won't know if it's possible unless you try." So today I tried Wild Thing Pose, or Camatkarasana. There's nothing like challenging yourself mentally to move into one of these contortions with an audience of other yoginis around you. Maybe one day I will be able to move from Three Legged Dog with a Yogi Toe hold into Side Plank Pose. Until then, the calming breathing techniques will carry me through stressful situation with more calm and poise.

2) There are favorites that you can return to time and again

Books: A great book can be counted to to deliver a fantastic story again and again. You grow to care for the characters even more. There is comfort to know what is going to happen, and you may discover things you did not see in a previous reading. Even a familiar author can offer the promise of more great books to come.

Yoga: In yoga there is also comfort in returning to a familiar pose after trying something new and challenging. Say your calf cramps up in the middle of Scorpion pose, you can move on into Cow Face Pose, or Gomukhasana, for a calming stretch of the arms and legs. Nothing lasts forever, yet it is worth finding a few favorite instructors that you know will be an inspiration in your practice.

1) They clear your mind

The number one reason that I enjoy books and yoga SO much is that they can completely clear my mind of all other worries, to-do items and anxieties. For years I have read before falling asleep to ease that transition. Now I use yoga in a similar way to wake up in the morning and prepare for the day, as well as at the end of the week to transition from work to the weekend. And no matter who the instructor is, I can rest assured that the practice will include Corpse Pose, or Savasana to end the practice.

After reading this, do you want to give yoga a try? From the comfort of your own home, you can view the Yoga Journal 21-Day Challenge to see how you like it.

The Wind in the Willows

In June I stopped by Midway Used and Rare Books on University and Snelling amidst all the light rail construction (which really is a mess right now). I wanted to find a lovely used copy of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and I found exactly what I was looking for. The Wind in the Willows was originally published in 1908 and the copy I picked up was published in 1960, so quite a few decades later. However, this copy can hardly have been read since it was published. It is in perfect condition, has the original dust jacket, and a lovely dedication handwritten on the title page:

Peter & Betty

May your friendship together be as strong as say, Rat's with Badger.

Much Love,

The Harts

Sunday April 17

Which Sunday, April 17 between 1960 and now is left to the imagination. Another appealing aspect of this particular copy is that the illustrations were all done by Ernest H. Shepard of the original “Winnie-the-Pooh” illustrations. And some are in color. Bonus!

So I followed the “Harry Potter” series with The Wind in the Willows and, actually, it was a bad choice in the end. It’s hard to go from the spectacular magic and drama of “Harry Potter” into ambling stories about Mole, the Water Rat, and Mr. Toad’s instabilities. It just wasn’t that interesting and there were no female characters which I let irritate me.

However, the descriptions of the scenery were just beautiful, and I especially enjoyed the “Wayfarers All” chapter. Also “Dulce Domum” would be a nice read at Christmastime. I recommend the book, but it should be read when you’re in a quiet place and don’t need to be impressed by a lot of action, maybe up at the cabin or (better yet) on the banks of a river in summertime. Also, though it is a child’s book, parents should be aware that apparently “ass” wasn’t a curse word in the early twentieth century, as it is used a couple times in the book and not in reference to a donkey but similarly to the way we might use the word “idiot” which also isn’t a particularly nice thing to say.

One thing that I found fun was that reading The Wind in the Willows made me want to go back and read all the Beatrix Potter books because the characteristics that Grahame inhibits his animals with seem similar to the ways Benjamin Bunny, Jeremy Fisher, and Jemima Puddleduck wore clothes, kept houses, and interacted with perfect diction and English grammar. Potter’s works were published in 1902-1930 so I can’t imagine they weren’t aware of one another and the work other was doing. I can appreciate any text that makes me feel encouraged to explore another topic or author.

Harry Potter

I am an unabashedly enthusiastic Harry Potter fan. In May I decided to read the series for a third time in anticipation of the final film, coming out July 15^th. I figured I should give myself seven weeks to complete the task: one week for each book, knowing some I would finish sooner and others would take a bit more time. I underestimated myself though, and finished the seventh book a mere 29 days after having begun the first. This is a pretty clear indication of their engrossing nature.

I did not jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon right away. I am wary of bandwagons in general and tend to reject anything associated with a particular following to avoid unwanted judgment. However, there comes a point when one has avoided something long enough. I gradually came to the understanding that anything with a bandwagon and groupies must be at least somewhat entertaining if it has so many dedicated followers. I decided to give these movements a try before I get the reputation for being a trend-aversive hater.

Thus began the love affair. I can’t imagine why anyone would reject the opportunity to fall into a deep state of joyful glee when faced with books about a fantastic world of wizards, witches, centaurs, elves, and mail delivered by snowy owls. This is a place full of people just like us who experience the same emotions and challenges, but exist in a world where gardens have to be de-gnomed, dishes will do themselves with enough coaxing, goblins run the economy, sports are played on brooms…in the air, and when you turn eleven, you go to Ollivander’s to get your first wand.

What further compels me to go back and re-read the stories are their universal age-appeal. While they are written at progressively higher levels (an eleven-year-old who begins the series may get quite bored as the themes intensify and the characters progress through adolescence), each age group will find something to appreciate. Older children will enjoy the first couple books, as the themes are serious but not overwhelming. However, as the story progresses, the themes intensify and it becomes clear that childhood has been left behind. How often can a young person grow up with a set of classmates in a book from age 10 through high school? I’m so excited to read the series again with nieces, nephews, and my own children. Think of the new perspectives! The renewed delight!

Furthermore, the virtues of loyalty, deep love, and honoring the value in all creatures that the series is built around are universally appreciated. The moral of the broader story is that with enough courage, love can best evil. This is a tall order; I’ve seen love fail. But if we compel ourselves to focus our energies on respecting the value in all things, then I imagine many troubles could be remedied without anger, hurtful words, or unpardonable shaming.

If you haven’t given the books a try, please give yourself the opportunity. Don’t reject fantasy outright and don’t hate on people who find pleasure in something as innocent and positive as a set of lovely books. Get over your fear of nonsense and understand that there is so much about our lives on this planet that already doesn’t make sense. Miscarriage, for instance, doesn’t make sense. Just because we’re used to it doesn’t mean it is logical. Magic, therefore, isn’t so absurd: even before I read the books, I longed for an accio charm to telekinetically summon things to me; in my laziness it just made sense.

Harry Potter haters can file their emotions under “Unappreciative Cynic,” “Imagination Deficiency,” or “Bezoar-Hearted Nincompoop.” This is one bandwagon worth joining.

Why friends help strengthen a marriage

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304490004576422323560214658.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Three and a half million words later...

Last night I finished book 10 of 10 in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Have you ever had a friend recommend a great book, only to learn that it is part of a larger series? It's nice to be hooked on a series, but I didn't realize the three year ride I was in for with this one. It is best described as an epic science fiction/fantasy series spun out of a role playing game.

Three years ago, I started "Gardens of the Moon." It was a paperback, and only a few hundred pages. Not too intimidating. The first five books each focus on a single conflict that is resolved by the end of the book. In the last five, the story is leading up to a final conflict in book 10 "The Crippled God". The author also increases the length of the books to roughly 1000 pages each. I read the first seven one right after another. The next three were published one year at a time. If I were to read these again, it would be all 10 in a row to keep up with the most complex plot and set of characters I've ever seen in a book series. Take a look at this list of Dramatis Personae to see what I mean.

It wasn't part of an official book club, but I read the first seven books at the same time as two friends. This kept me on my toes since they had read it previously and would quiz me on things from the books. One of my main questions throughout was why the author called the series "A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen." The Malazan army is one of the main sets of characters, but not the only one of importance. Finally, in book 10 I found a passage with an explanation. "In that Malazan Book of the Fallen, the historians will write of our suffering, and they will speak of it as the suffering of those who served the Crippled God. As something...fitting. And for our seeming fanaticism they will dismiss all that we were, and thing only of what we achieved. Or failed to achieve. And in so doing, they will miss the whole point." Later on in the book, the Adjunct (leader) of the army talks about being "unwitnessed." Her point was that for the most part, individuals of an army aren't called out in the history books, just the final win or loss outcome. In this series, we see the detailed lives of many soldiers and citizens during their military conflicts.

The overall tone of the series is very serious, and can be a downer with so much of the focus on war and death. However, the author let's his sense of humor through in several ways. One way is in the character names and how they reflect the nature of the character. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Lady Envy and her sister Lady Spite
• Mudslinger
• Sweetest Sufferance
• Rumjugs and Sweetlard
• Vastly Blank

As the last point I want to make, the author is very descriptive and I learned a few new words along the way. Here are several that kept coming up during the series:

• Gelid - very cold, icy.
• Lambent - glowing, gleaming, flickering. As in "the lambent eyes of the tiger god of war"
• Hoary - gray or white as with old age. One of the favorite curses in the book was "Hood's hoary balls." Hood was the god of death.

Go the F*ck to Sleep

A fun bedtime story for parents

The joys of garage sales

One of the best parts of summer is garage sales. It's like a treasure hunt for books! A city wide garage sale took place in my neighborhood last week. Here's a snapshot of my finds:

• The "501 Cocktail" book is for a friend.
• The "Poisonwood Bible" comes highly recommended from Angela. I enjoyed "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by the same author, so it will be great to read more of her work.
• The soup book will come in handy as the farmer's markets kick off this summer.
• "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" will be useful at work as we review training and technical content for grammar.
• The Garage Sale and Flea Market handbook is for my mom. Turns out she has a cookie jar worth $200 - $275!
• The Cupcake book is for myself, and has already yielded this fun treat:

What's your zombie plan?

Do you have a zombie plan? Do you need one? Look no further than this post for some fresh ideas. In honor of our book club's one year anniversary, we chose to read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (PPZ for short for the rest of this post; thanks Linz). The plot is still based on Jane Austen's original, with the twist of a strange plague that grips England and spawns the unmentionables (aka zombies). The Bennett sisters have now been trained in the deadly arts. Our first book was Pride & Prejudice, so why not?

Here are my favorite passages from PPZ, including one of the several illustrations. Be sure to take notes for your zombie plan :)

"Elizabeth accepted their company, and they set off together, armed only with their ankle daggers. Muskets and Katana swords were a more effective means of protecting one's self, but they were considered unladylike; and, having no saddle in which to conceal them, the three sisters yielded to modesty." p 27

In regards to a marriage proposal from Mr. Collins, Lizzy sets out to be clear in her refusal: "You forget, sir, that I am a student of Shaolin! Master of the seven-starred fist! I am perfectly serious in my refusal. You could not make me happy and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world how could make you so. Nay, were your friend Lady Catherine to know me, I am persuaded she would find me in every respect ill qualified for the situation, for I am a warrior, sir, and shall be until my last breath is offered to God." p86.

Later in the book, Lizzy is preparing to leave Rosings, and Lady Catherine insists on an escort: "You must send one of my ninjas with them. You know I always speak my mind, and I cannot bear the idea of two young women travelling by themselves. Young women should always be properly guarded and attended, unless they are that rare sort of lady, like myself, who has been trained by the most respected masters in Japan - not by those appalling Chinese peasants." p168

Lizzy and Mr. Darcy still overcome their pride and prejudice and find love. The following passage and illustration describe the scene. "As they made for the house, Elizabeth and Darcy happened upon a herd of unmentionables which had quartered itself in a garden not ten yards from the road. The creatures were biting into ripe heads of cauliflower, which they had mistaken for stray brains. Elizabeth and Darcy laughed at the sight, and for a moment, resolved to keep walking - as the zombies had failed to take notice of them. But, sharing a glance and a smile, the pair realized they had stumbled onto their first opportunity to fight side by side. And so they did." p 302



Perhaps my favorite line is when Lizzy explains to Jane when she first fell in love with Darcy. The new Lizzy seems a little more human to me. "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing the way his trousers clung to those most English parts." p 305


If Pride and Prejudice and Zombies didn't give you enough ideas for your zombie plan, rest assured, here are some more resources:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an extensive list.

In addition to a list for zombie planning, they give ideas for more common disaster preparedness plans. Sorry, the safety and health professional in me couldn't resist giving some common sense tips.

One other resource for zombie planning comes from the Rooster Teeth clan. This group takes live game play from the Halo video game and makes cartoons. In one episode, the Red and Blue teams are at another round of capture the flag and zombie planning is part of the theme. It's only 3 minutes long, but worth the time for more priceless zombie planning tips.

Portland Oregon's Local Bookstore: Powell's

I recently spent several days in Portland, Oregon for a work conference. I had the opportunity to explore the downtown area between classes and activities.

The lobby of the Hotel Monaco where I stayed had a lovely seating area where I was able to spend time reading the local newspaper and getting ready for the day. The area reminded me of the inside of Jeannie's bottle in "I Dream of Jeannie."


Hotel Monaco lobby

I had two sightseeing goals while visiting Portland. The first was to visit Powell's bookstore. Powell's City of Books is the largest of its kind in the world. The original store is around 68,000 square feet. It takes up several adjacent buildings in downtown Portland. I spent a few hours getting lost in the nine color-coded rooms, which contained 3,500 sections of books.




My second goal was to visit Voodoo Donuts. This really has nothing to do with reading, but who could pass up a Triple Chocolate Penetration donut? It was well worth the one hour walk and one must have goals in life.

The Bible in 90 Days

My pastor is doing a Bible challenge this summer: 12 pages a day for 90 days. He is going to use his blog to process and share his experience. I think, whether one is religious or not, it would be a neat thing to do: to explore the culture, history, and spiritual significance this one set of books carries for so many people globally.

I think I'll try to squeeze it in between my Harry Potter Challenge: 7 books in 45 days in anticipation of the last film. That's not a conflict of interest when one studies the Bible is it?