more yoga for cyclists (coming soon)

yoga for cyclists coming soon!

Finally! After researching some options for location, location, location I’m happy to say regular weekly Yoga for Cyclists classes are right around the corner. I’ll be offering a Monday night recovery day workout and two hour-long lunchtime at a convenient downtown location, starting mid-November

Oh yeah, and I have a message for those of you reading and saying “I’d like to do yoga, but I’m not very flexible”. Yeah, you. You don’t do yoga because you’re already flexible. You do yoga to become more flexible. It takes time and perseverance, but trust me on this one. If you do it, you feel better. It’s that simple. And if you feel better in your body, and in your life, your time on the bike will be that much better too. Monday night is a perfect time, as it’s post-race efforts for many people on a “rest day”. Yoga makes a perfect active recovery day workout. And often people are surprised how HARD even basic yoga can be. I spend quite a bit of time working core muscles as well as working on flexibility. The practice is incredibly simple (not to be confused with easy). But I do know it works. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Plenty of people have confirmed it through direct experience. You will work hard, but you’ll feel great, and you’ll sleep like a baby afterwards.

I don’t want to play favorites, so no guarantees, but a certain Executive Director of OBRA has been bugging me to show him how to do THAT pose. Now’s your chance to not only see how it’s done, but to do it yourself. I figure: Hey. If I can pick up mountain biking after an 8 year hiatus, anyone can learn to do THAT pose.

Tentative schedule will be Monday nights 6:30-8pm. Tues & Thurs nooner (60 minutes). Classes will be held downtown, right next door to Bike Central. Class size will be limited, ensuring personal attention for maximum benefit. Classes will be sold as series or drop-in rates. Because class size is limited, classes are expected to fill up in advance, so advance registration is recommended. More details as I iron them out next week. Anticipated start date is Mon, Nov 17

In the meantime, there’s Barton Park. Egads. Like I have any business racing when I’ve been managing 2 rides a week on average. What a clown. Don’t worry. I am way more serious about my yoga training

And THIS my friends, is what PsychoCross is all about. Costumes, beer, oh yeah… bike racing too.

Video poached from Dan at crankmychain.com

Astoria CX Race: Hott Janky Halloween Fun

Drove out Saturday with Bill and Cody from Cyclepath to stay at Cody’s grandma’s place in Mazanita, about a block from the beach. Had dinner, couple of beers, then strolled to the beach and watched shooting stars by the fire. Got about 4 hours of sleep. Big breakfast the next day, and rush off to get Bill and Steve to their race by noon. I got to preride most of a lap before my race but really didn’t warm up much. S’alright. I’m not out there to “race”, remember? I’m just out there to ride. I suppose admitting that might be annoying to the women who actually DO race and would just as soon I stay home than get in their way, but so what. *shrug* That’s how it goes. Lemonade from lemons and all…

My costume? I was hott. No seriously. People asked me: So what are you? To which I replied: “I’m hott. The first ‘T’ is silent.”

Hott Janky

My race? Not so hott, but very, very hot! I had to peel off the jacket after the first lap because I thought I was going to have a heart attack from overheating. Emily Moon had to yank it off me, as I was so sweaty after lap 1 it sort of glued itself to my body. Janky was alright on the first lap but then started being argumentative on lap two. Our conversation went something like this:

Janky: Oh sh*t! The six pack again. They’re too tall. It hurts to run them. I can’t ride up the hill afterward! It’s too much!

Me: Okay, we’ll walk it. (Insert clumsy running over barriers, ignoring people cheering to go faster)

Janky: Ow, f*ck. B*tch! You said we’d walk…

Me: OKAY OKAY walking (insert clumsy lame-ass walking up the hill)

Janky: THANK you. I’m fragile, you know. Be NICE or I’m leaving.

Me: (insert slow-motion walking remount) There. Smooth. Nice. Okay? Can we hammer now?

Janky: HELLYEAH. (insert passing everyone on bumpy descent, inside stables, and barn)

(approaching the second jump ramp on the long downhill)

Janky: Can we take the ramp and catch some air?

ME: HELLYEAH. (insert ramp jump, followed by sweet tuck all the way down into the grassy marsh)

Repeat thrice more, with increasingly vigorous discussions, me begging Janky not to quit, her begging me not to run or press too hard, eventually we finish the race, together. Didn’t crash, didn’t quit. Success!

. . . . .

My cyclocross goal: To get to the point where Janky is the one asking ME to ride harder, dig deeper, and move it up.

As happy as I was to be racing, I was even happier that I got to receive an amazing massage today. It was sublime. One of the best ever, and I get A LOT of bodywork with my line of work. Janky was very, very pleased.

Pics of the CP posse and a few friends can be found here. Good times.

the mystical messenger and the unexpected wobble

Still sick. Fine one day, back in Sudafed Bed the next. One ride a week ain’t cutting it. Forced myself out on the bike yesterday. Just my usual NoPo loop through NW Portland, across St John’s Bridge which loomed large over the most wondrous fall color (see above) and I had to force myself to ride home… I didn’t want to stop. I love those moments. All the same, I’m glad I stopped when I did because today I’m in the slump again. Sinuses, achy, blaergh…

In my Sudafed bed head I have lots of time to work on my future yoga trainings, and collect material to inspire. I found this taped to a street post as I was walking my dog through the neighborhood a few years ago, and fell in love with the author a little bit, whomever they might be.

The track of our orbit is elliptical
But not of geometric precision.
There are dips and rises
And an angular tilt inward
That gives our arc
The slightest flair.

At those times
When a touch
Makes a heart skip a beat
Some distant astronomer
Detects an unexplained wobble
In our celestial path.

Though perplexed,
He will sleep that night
Holding one more thing of wonder.

. . . . .

It strikes me now, that this unknown author might appreciate or even have been inspired by the Chandogya Upanishad. My favorite translation is thus:

Within the city of Brahman (which is the body) there is the heart, and within the heart there is a little room. This room has the shape of a lotus, and within it dwells that which is to be sought after, inquired about, and realized. What then is that which–dwelling within this little house, this lotus of the heart–is to be sought after, inquired about, and realized? As large as the universe outside, even so large is the universe within the lotus of the heart. Within it are heaven and earth, the sun, the moon, the lightning, and all the stars. What is in the macrocosm is in this microcosm.

I love these words. I wish they were mine. Instead, I am only a messenger. A mystical messenger. I like that. It fits. Still, I don’t think I’ll put it on my new business cards. “Yoga teacher” is much more palatable (and marketable), I know.

…and now for something completely different

and how sweet is this?

Candy-Dates

And why am I so damn hungry when I take cold medicine? I could eat a cow. Just not an Inbred Mountain Cow…

to blog or to blargh? that is the question.

In a true mind-over matter exercise I managed to convince my body to keep the mancold at bay long enough to get through the Breitenbush retreat last weekend, and then through the Mantra workshop I taught yesterday. I could feel the illness arriving Friday night as Erik W. and I approached the Butler’s house up in Cooper Spur near Mt Hood. Our ride on Saturday–Knebal Springs and 8 Mile–was pretty uninspired for my part. Slower-than-slow crawl uphill, and moderate descending. I just didn’t have full strength. Still, I was grateful to be riding, in such fine weather, and generous views. Some pics can be seen here.

About an hour after the mantra workshop I crashed and the thing took hold. Now I have a head full of wooziness from various cold medications, Chinese Herbs, and just plain feeling crappy. I’ve got no costume for this weekend, and no hope for creating one, and honestly… Not much energy for it either. I just want to take another nap, then have someone bring me Tom Kha soup, and a cupcake (you heard me) and rub my sore shoulders and let me be a big baby. Waaaah.

My sense of amusement seems intact however…

And here are some lovely pics from the ride on Saturday.

I’m hoping to recover enough to ride the next Crusade race this weekend. The whole weekend is a ginormous party. But I dunno… I am not riding much this week from the looks of it. Maybe I will go dressed as Captain Lame. Wearing Pearl Izumi shorts and a t-shirt with LAME written across it. People will think I’m riding for TEAM LAME, which would be kinda appropriate since the running joke is “What team am I riding for THIS week?” But I think if I add a blingie cape it’ll all work out.

Of course, this is all dependent up on me feeling a whole lot less blargh over the next few days.

it’s just like riding a bike (but not really)

Kenji-San posted a great video of the women’s race from the first Cross Crusade race at Alpenrose. The hi res version of the video can be viewed here. I was dragging ass the first lap of the race so you get to see my draggin’ ass from about 1:25-2:09, Super Relaxin’ at the back of the field. Actually I was draggin’ most of that race, on most (okay, okay, all) of the laps. But so what. It’s cross. 200+ women riders there, over 100 of whom were novice racers. That is just unbelievably awesome. This sport IS about it’s amateur racers. The elite riders are few and far between. This sport is all about everyone else. I am starting to think about a meet the dirty girls ride to try to get MTB chicas together for fun and racing in 2009. On the other hand, I have an avalanche safety course, backcountry medicine training, and backcountry training to get started on. Alaska and Banff wont wait forever and I ain’t getting any younger… One sport at a time. (To the ones who ask if I’m having a midlife crisis, I say “What’s the crisis in enjoying life?”)

Spent much of the day yesterday pretending to ride my bikes out in Hood River. Got hired as a model for a photo shoot for an industry gear catalog and website. The road ride was easy, riding up Rowena curves. We only road a few hundred meters at a time, then turned went back, and repeated. Not really hill repeats–too short for that–more like 400-800 meter repetitions. And I wish I’d thought to record how much riding we were actually doing, but I was focused on getting the job done. After Rowena, we headed to Syncline to shoot the mountain biking segment. I’ve never actually ridden Syncline. The amount of poison oak up there right now is over the top! I’d been scared to ride there after a few people died riding the trails a few years ago along the ridgeline. But now that I’ve seen the trails and actually ridden some, I feel less intimidated and looking forward to riding there. There is a lot of gravel and loose rock along the ridgeline which is a little nerve wracking, but I will just take it easy where it gets a little tight, and most of it should be fine. The scenery is simply amazing. To be there at sunset was spellbinding–watching the sky glow red as the sun set behind smoky hills, the Columbia River winding through them, a silvery snake carving the earth in two.

I’ve modeled off and on my entire adult life, starting as an anorexic fashion model in NYC the 80s, then a “fitness” model in California in the 90s, now, apparently a yoga and cycling model. I will say this: pretending to ride a bike back and forth and back and forth for hours on end is way more tiring than it sounds. More so than just actually riding a bike. Granted the day started at 4am and we shot until sunset, and I wasn’t home until 9:30pm. By the time I loaded my bikes and gear in, I was completely drained. I feel a bit under the weather today as a result–exhausted and achy all over. But you know… I’d probably do it again. After all, getting paid to ride bikes is… well… good work if you can get it.

. . . . . . . . . .

After watching tonight’s debate I found myself somewhat horrified by the potential reality of Sarah Palin becoming President. McCain virtually teetered off the stage after the debate and I had a sudden flash of her in office. While I am the first to insist that religion and politics should never mix, I have begun my prayers for this election in earnest.

Svasti prajabhyaha paripala yantam
Nyayena margena mahimahishaha
Go brahmanebhyaha shubamastu nityam
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
Om shanti shanti shanti

Loose contemporary translation of the mangala mantra:
Please, dear sweet benevolent universe, for the love of all that is holy and righteous… NO MAVERICKS DOING MAVERICKY THINGS IN OFFICE, WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE LET THEM RESPECT THIS EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS, GOVERN WISELY AND MAY ALL BEINGS BE FREE FROM SUFFERING. PEACE OUT.

I teach a workshop on Sanskrit mantras this Sunday, so no race for Uma until the costumes come out. I think I’m gonna dress up as a “Maverick”.

manifest … awesomeness… like this

While all of the People’s Republic of Bike was going gaga over Oregon Manifest, I was busy manifesting peace and harmony in the world at my annual Dharma Yoga Retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs.

It was cooler than in years past… the cabins were cozy and warm enough but the yoga room in the North Wing of the lodge was decidedly chilly in the mornings. The hot springs were luscious, the steam room–a cedar shack built right over one of the steam vents in the meadow–is magical. Despite teaching three yoga sessions a day, and starting each day with a meditation session at 6:15am, I still managed to soak in the hot springs on average three times a day. Rough life, I know. If you’ve never done this sort of thing, the schedule is rigorous!

Imagine: 6am wake, silent group meditation, soak, breakfast, soak, teach for 2.5 hours, lunch, soak, read/prep evening lesson, teach afternoon yoga, dinner, soak, teach evening yoga, read, sleep, repeat…

I did manage a bike ride on Saturday in lieu of a soak.

Next month I return to Breitenbush to lead a weeklong immersion/teacher training. There could be snow… Not alot, but enough to make it seem even more magical, and make any off-road cycling super fun! I (heart) snow riding.

. . . . . . . . . . .

As for Oregon Manifest, Weiden + Kennedy kicked off the weekend’s festivities with a party, but perhaps the crowning glory of the show was the Rapha Roller Races. Not your average Goldsprint style roller race, this event required first sprinting on the bike until you puke (of finish, whichever comes first) and then dismounting, grabbing a minibike and running around the venue, cross style, down and up ramps, etc. SuperGründel Geoffrey-with-two-effs posted some fine photos here. JMaus’ full set of photos can be seen here and the full write up, here.

. . . . . . . . . . .

I missed Cross Crusade #2 (but pdxcross did not–check these awesome photos), which bums me out for numerous reasons, not least of which was the debut of the SUPER GRUNDEL UBER FRIENDSHIP RELAXATION LOUNGE! And next weekend I have to teach a yoga ANOTHER yoga workshop! It’s probably just as well. Janky is none too pleased with me. I think it’s the running. I am going to play it cool/smart for the next couple weeks so I can come out stronger for the Astoria Halloween races.

Until then, I continue my mission to (attempt to) manifest awesomeness by resisting pigeon holing and stereotyping… like this is the poem that kept speaking to me most this weekend. It’s dense, and yet it flows, like warm water–soothing and stirring all at the same time. When I read it I know what he is speaking of and I ache with that knowledge. I wish I could write about it… like that.

If anyone asks you
how the perfect satisfaction
of all our sexual wanting
will look, lift your face
and say,
Like this.

When someone mentions the gracefulness
of the nightsky, climb up on the roof
and dance and say,
Like this.

If anyone wants to know what “spirit” is,
or what “God’s fragrance” means,
lean your head toward him or her.
Keep your face there close.
Like this.

When someone quotes the old poetic image
about clouds gradually uncovering the moon,
slowly loosen knot by knot the strings of your robe.
Like this.

If anyone wonders how Jesus raised the dead,
don’t try to explain the miracle.
Kiss me on the lips.
Like this. Like this.

When someone asks what it means
to “die for love,” point
here.

If someone asks how tall I am, frown
and measure with your fingers the space
between the creases on your forehead.
This tall.

The soul sometimes leaves the body, the returns.
When someone doesn’t believe that,
walk back into my house.
Like this.

When lovers moan,
they’re telling our story.
Like this.

I am a sky where spirits live.
Stare into this deepening blue,
while the breeze says a secret.
Like this.

When someone asks what there is to do,
light the candle in his hand.
Like this.

How did Joseph’s scent come to Jacob?
Huuuuu.
How did Jacob’s sight return?
Huuuu.

A little wind cleans the eyes.
Like this.

When Shams comes back from Tabriz,
he’ll put just his head around the edge
of the door to surprise us
Like this.

From ‘The Essential Rumi’, Translations
by Coleman Barks with John Moyne