Breath and balance

[clevermanka]

I forgot to mention: Add to the list of Things That Were Weird About KCRF This Year? No cinnamon almond booth. WTF. renniemom sent me a recipe for cinnamon almonds that uses a slow cooker and I'll be trying it out at some point. Since I'm not actually allergic to sugar, I allow myself to indulge in it once in a while and this sounds like a great treat. Especially for holiday stuff.

So, Tai Chi. We...actually didn't do any forms. Lots of breathing and balance exercises, though, so that was fun. The breathing is unlike any other breathing practice I've used before and it's tricky. Bracing my lower abdomen and using only the diaphragm to pull in and push out? Not easy for me. The balance stuff was easy, though. I can rock a balance exercise like nobody's business. Aw yeah. My thoughts on how I feel about it as a practice are going to have to wait a few weeks, though. I get the impression that this instructor moves really slow. And that's fine.

I'm thinking about signing up for yoga classes at Westside again.

Comments

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

YES. FionaPie was deeply disappointed that she couldn't find cinnamon-roasted almonds at faire this year, and we have our eyes on that slow-cooker recipe too. On the plus side, there were way more foodstuffs out there that the GF kiddo can eat...and many of them actually labeled in the program. And it was super that they had mead.

[ceanncait.livejournal.com]

IIRC, when I took Tai Chi, it started off slow. So slow, that I got bored and quit. But that's my MO...lol

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I'll have to take a better look at the program when I got out there for Round 2.

[seascribe.livejournal.com]

It makes me feel short of breath just contemplating that breathing with just your diaphragm exercise. Yikes. I hope the class brings you good things though.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It wasn't dissimilar to the way my voice teacher drilled me on breath, where I stood with my back against a wall and she pressed into my diaphragm with the spine of a dictionary and I had to push it out when I inhaled before a phrase. I actually still breathe that way. But I don't usually have to keep my lower abdomen from expanding. That's the kicker for me.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

No Cinny Almonds?!! That ain't right.
Sometimes there's a seller downtown on the weekends. :) We picked some up at the Fall Craft Fair from them.. plus.. pecans!

That breath exercise is challenging, I'm sitting here trying it.

[splix.livejournal.com]

I'm incredibly intolerant to cinnamon, which vexes me like nobody's business. >:( I hope your almonds turn out lovely.

I got the second $, by the way - you didn't have to do that! Thank you, though. Hope you get lots of use out of it. :)

[pointoforigin.livejournal.com]

Wut no cinnamon almonds?? HERESY!!!!!

[sherwood21.livejournal.com]

Another cinnamon sufferer! Although it doesn't make me particularly sad, because cinnamon just tastes like burning to me.

I did find Ceylon Cinnamon at Penzey's though, and that does not affect me. That's what I use in all my baking now. That might not be the case for you, I'm not deathly allergic, but it might be something to try if you're interested.

[philrancid.livejournal.com]

No one's made a bad joke about Tai Chi and slow, yet? that's okay; me neither then.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

That breath exercise is challenging, I'm sitting here trying it.

SO MUCH HARDER THAN IT SOUNDS.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm supposed to avoid cinnamon for the time being, because it's a common (well, common enough) irritant and my system is so inflamed but right now I really can't be bothered to give a fuck what I am and am not eating.

Basically, if it doesn't kill me, I'm eating it.

Also you're welcome! =D

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Seriously. At least there was kettle corn.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Uuuuuuugh I hate it when I don't pick up on a joke. ENLIGHTEN ME. I can't figure it out.

[philrancid.livejournal.com]

It's wouldn't that good or funny of a joke, really. I would've answered before today to try and avoid any build-up, but I couldn't get LJ to open on my phone with anything approaching alacrity, and I had to spend the bulk of my Awake Time after work laying down tracks while Shri was working late. But in my life experience everyone describes Tai Chi as slow, languid, etc., so it just sort of struck me as a good place for a wise-crack about the instructor starting slow. Plus I was/am too sleepy to work up one myself.

[splix.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Thank you very much for the tip. I didn't even know that it was a not-too-uncommon thing, being intolerant.

[sherwood21.livejournal.com]

Would you like to try the ceylon cinnamon & see if that's easier on you? I've got some you can use.