Happy august heartbreakers! can you believe summer is almost over? i had another humid class today. wow, it’s incredible how much one little boy can sweat! I’m so lucky that i’ve finally hipped up to eating right. Fresh fruit and homegrown vegetables do a body good. Even on days like today, when i leave huge sweat puddles on the both sides of my mat, after class i feel so good, energized! i might be a little lagging on my walk home but after some r&r in the birdhouse, it’s like the walk never happened. i attribute this to my incredibly long eating sessions of late where i am constantly eating an enormous amount of fruit and a big salad with beans. This isn’t to say that i still don’t get wiped out sometimes. i don’t eat like that every day, but when i do, it shows up in my practise. Like today, when i shoulda been a puddle on my mat! see you tomorrow, ~m

I had a strange practise today. I woke up super early to do the 6 this morning. I got out of bed, checked my e-mails and started getting ready. It was so dark out and my oldest cat was being so cute, that i decided to go back to bed and sleep some more. When i woke up, i kinda lollygagged my morning routine and had a nice walk to morning yoga. For the second time since i started practising, i had to leave the room. the last time i left the room it was to blow my nose. i was sick then and the amount of snot that was pouring out of my nose was gross, unbelievable and unending—no way was i gonna blow my nose in the studio! This time i had to leave the room and run for my bag so i could grab a t-shirt. What? Despite the opening warm-up, my spine felt so cold in my body! i was a little scared of what was in store for me. After garurasana, during “party time,” i ran out, threw my shirt on and got back on my mat just in time for dandayamana-janushirasana! It’s rare for me to take water during that break anyway. As it turned out, i din’t even take water when the class was finished. That’s how cool i was running today, kinda strange, for sure. We’ll see how i am tomorrow! ~m

In response to my homesickness, i got an e-mail this morning letting me know that one of the few remaining cultural icons in long beach will soon be gone. After more than several decades in the same spot, Acres of Books is closing. Another book store bites the dust and the over-gentrification of long beach continues. It makes me sad to think of that beautiful art deco building being torn down to make way for condominiums. I guess those rich folks from the O.C. can’t fit in the O.C. anymore, so they gotta move north to the lbc. that’s the corner of one of my old bus stops too, so believe me when i say i am super glad to not be a witness to any of this. i’ll admit, i’m just as much to blame as anyone else. 15 years in that town and i think i only bought 2 books there. not much support, huh? ray bradbury even spoke highly of acres of books once! his endorsement, i’m sure, must have helped sell some books at one time, but when i saw it last, it was another dusty book store. oh sad, but it’s the 21st century, right? internet, blogs—who needs books? that’s the cool thing about yoga, these poses are centuries old—they were around before the internet, before books, before yoga props even. You don’t need *anything* to do them, you just have to be on your mat. Oh, I had a great class today, thanks for asking! ~m

I thought i was feeling homesick this afternoon because i heard a tweeker doing a miserable double-time rendition of “what i got” by my hometown band, sublime. whenever i hear their songs, i always get sad that i’m not in long beach. but no, that wasn’t it—there was an earthquake in so cal! i musta felt it in my body somehow, like sympathy pains. When i moved into the birdhouse, there was a similar size earthquake pretty close to here. Earthquakes used to scare me, but now i think they’re kinda fun. The way the ground moves is incredible, it’s either a really weird rolling motion or that awful stutter shake that makes you think it’s the big one. earhtquakes never last as long as they feel and sometimes you have to ask yourself if it really was an earthquake. kinda like when you’re done with practise and you’re like “that’s it?” does that mean i should start doing more doubles? i was surrounded by great energy today, practise was all good mood nice and peaceful. after it was done, i wanted to do it again! i guess on days like today, i should remember that Ghandi quote about having a lot to do so i’ll meditate twice as much as normal. did i think about it at the studio? no, i was all, “gotta go home and work on sweat,” what a waste of good energy now that i think about it! okay you guys, see you tomorrow! ~m

Oh my gosh, you guys. yesterday i had the nicest day. After i finished writing to you i walked to the beach. On the boardwalk they had a free show featuring chinese acrobats. It was so nice being on the beach and watching the show that i decided to go again today. It was a fun yoga class today, our teacher can say the funniest things, it often eases the tension of the bending. i got some good instructions for sasangasana too! after our final savasana though, i was all hustle and bustle, out the door, rushing for the beach, so i could see the show again. i got there a little late, but wow! the amazing strength and grace that these men and women have! it was so amazing to see them. this one guy climbed up a pole upside down with his hands, it was like what?! during the same part of the show, another guy had his body perpendicular to the pole he was holding onto with only his hands, then, using only his hand strength, pushed off the pole onto another 5 feet away and held onto that with his hands! oh man, it was incredible! like real life action hero moves, it was cool. there was this beautiful girl who did the most amazing back bends and spinal twists! oh my god, she was so limber. she opened with natarajasana, except her body was so straight, it was unbelievable. I think she was the same one that did a balancing chair routine that featured some pretty great handstands really high in the air—at least 30 feet high, i swear! she put on a wire for part of the act, but i don’t even think it was drawing tension during any part of her performance. even when she did, like, a sideways mayurasana, i think the wire was slack. which was the only slack thing about the show. every move these performers made was purposeful, everything they did had a bit of grace. Watching them today was just as fun as the first time yesterday. Plus, ya’ll know i love the boardwalk more than any other place in this town, so how could it not be great? ~m
these photos are from the boardwalk website, the costumes are better and the chair act is higher this year.

What a beautiful sunday! There was a run in town so there were lots of people out and about today. Not just out and about, but on foot! It always makes me happy to see people walking around. The run managed to keep people out of yoga too. Our sunday class, which is usually 40+, din’t even make it to 20 people. Oh boy, a smaller class meant we got to turn our mats and face the mirror for the seperate leg part of the standing series! I wish we could do that more often, i know it only helps two poses, but those are those are the ones i prolly need the most help with! Sometimes i feel like i can see myself even if there isn’t a mirror, but actually having one can be an eye-opener. Although for some people, i don’t think the mirror helps at all—i hope i remember to delete that later, ha ha! anyway, yeah, the smaller class today was cool and i still got to see my weekend peeps who din’t let a little run get in the way of bending. see you tomorrow! ~m

My practise was going pretty smoothly today until we got to ardha-kurmasana. Somewhere in my set-up i whacked my knee into the pole that i was practising next to! Oh my gosh, it hurt so bad! i was shocked that i din’t even let out a little whimper, but inside i was almost in tears. I guess it din’t really hurt that bad, but it was right on the edge of my knee cap and i’m a baby. during savasanas i was even putting my cold water bottle on my knee! then i thought of my friend who i was practising behind. She has real knee problems and has even had knee surgeries, which makes my small bruise seem insignificant. i made it through the remaining poses and hobbled home under the beautiful sun. Here’s something for you to chew on since I’m still thinking about it a few days later. My teacher gave us a Ghandi quote the other day, “i have a lot i need to do today so instead of meditating for one hour, i’m going to meditate for two.” namaste ~m

happy friday heartbreakers! in our little yoga community, so many people have been sharing their summer’s harvest, i couldn’t resist contributing. I brought in several pounds of the small plums growing here at the birdhouse. i don’t know what variety they are, but they are very tasty. To be honest with you, i din’t even know there were different kinds of plums until just recently. Right now it's plum paradise at the birdhouse—i’m making my third pie today! You have no idea how much i love sour candy, it’s right behind chocolate and salt for me. The plum trees here are like a sour candy factory, it’s so rad! Some of them are small enough that i’ll eat a whole one like a cherry! Yummmm. When one of our regulars took a pee break, i wanted to say, “bring me back a plum!” I was hungry during practise today, of course. No matter how much i eat, it’s never enough and my hunger pangs almost toppled me over in trikanasana. Once i got my bearings, i was back into it, but for a second there i looked pretty woozy. alright, 3 hours since then and i still haven’t eaten so i need to go friends. see you tomorrow! ~m

It was an interesting practise today. i was next to a woman with the most negative energy. She was snorting and tsst’ing at almost everything our teacher said during the standing series. I was trying to stay in my body, but it was hard to ignore her! i’m sorry you’re having a rough time today, but i don’t want to know about it. When you put negative thoughts out there like “yeah, right,” they stay in the air and linger, just like the smog in Los Angeles. it was so gross, you guys, like practising next to a dark cloud. I was having a really good practise too—i got a ton of corrections today! Some people might not like that in their practise, but i do. I’m grateful for any chance to improve on my form. A correction is really an invitation to improve yourself, that’s the way you need to look at it. okay heartbreakers, i gotta look for food now if i wanna have another good practise tomorrow! ~m

Hoo hoo, you guys, i feel like i was on vacation today! It’s my market day, which usually means two trips into town, one for bikram and one for food. Today i decided to play it lazy. I din’t take any of my stuff to yoga, instead i rented my mat and towels. It was a humid one today and it took a lot out of me. What a day to not have my wet yogitoes to lug back home! And instead of rushing home then rushing back, I stayed in town and treated myself to a nice lunch. Oh man, i forgot what gourmet was! Then i dilly-dallied around, waiting for the market to start. Such a lazy way to spend my day, but the Lord works in mysterious ways and his plan for me today was special. Friends, i love it here! the market was such a treat (although my romaine lettuce coulda been leafier)! two words for you. blue. berries. okay ramblers, time to enjoy the rest of my vacation day. see you tomorrow! ~m

Lately, my teacher has been talking up the benefits of sea salt versus regular table salt. When i first started practising, this was recommended to me and you din’t need to tell me twice! I’ve been kinda anti-salt since the ’80s, but i’ve always missed it. With all the sweating i do, being able to add extra salt to my food is a nice pat on the back as it were. Of course, not all salt is the same. Table salt has been stripped of all the minerals that are found in natural sea salt. Those minerals help hydrate your body and are the same things being added to beverages like smart water. So adding extra (sea) salt to your food is like natural rehydration. What you put into your body is so important. The last two days I’ve been on a health food eating spree of sorts and it’s shown in my practise. Like today, i guess people were having a rough time with the humidity but i din’t notice anything at all. It’s the fruit, vegetables and beans that i’ve been eating nonstop lately, i swear! How else could a scrawny little guy like me be able to sweat so much? Alright, that’s my cheer for sea salt, now it’s time to cook. ~m

Good morning heartbreakers! How was your day today? I had a much better practise today than the last couple of days. Of course, i had a monumental pig-out session yesterday. Oh my gosh! Tons of fruit, plus some cravings like eggs and bacon. What’s that? Well, i had a craving and when that happens, i respond, even if it is dead animal. I could talk about food all day or eat food all day, which is what i did yesterday. I think it helped get me through practise today. I’m cursed with a high metabolism, if i don’t eat enough i won’t be able to finish all 26 poses. I was thoroughly prepared today and it helped me stay in my practise and body so much! I noticed a lot of places where my form needs improvement, tweeks here and there that will really help if i can remember them tomorrow, the next day.... ~m

No one told me it was “sleep-in sunday,” so i made it to yoga this morning! I liked the way class started too, with a reminder that when we’re practising, we’re either in a pose or still. Even i've needed that reminder lately! The last couple of classes (today’s included) have been so humid, it’s hard to not wipe the sweat off my face or take water in between the standing and floor series. Today i even needed that 2-paddles-on-the-chest-okay-clear shock of my cold water bottle on my legs just to keep going. I really thought i brought it today too. well, i practised stillness as much as i could, but today wasn’t my day. tomorrow will be another day and i’ll be hydrating plenty today. okay heartbreakers, i hope you enjoy the start of the revamped site, let me know what you think! ~m

Oh boy, you guys, the best thing happened on my way home from yoga today. It was a pretty humid class and i prolly sweated a little more than i was prepared to. Walking back to the birdhouse, there wasn’t a lot of skip in my step, if you know what i mean. luckily, one of the farmers down the street was selling fruit. In my case though, he was giving away fruit! I had to leave a dollar for all the wonderful mariposa plums he gave me. These plums are so good, they’re like nature’s version of a giant sweet-tart, yum. It was pretty nice to be able to enjoy a roadside plum. Living here has exposed me to so many of the nice things in life. Earlier this week, a fellow practiser brought in a bunch of yellow zucchini from her garden! I threw that in the easy-bake oven and it roasted nicely!

I’ve been struggling with the new website all week. Designing for yourself can be the most difficult task in the world, hence the slow website makeover. maybe spoiling kitties will provide some guidance, i dunno. enjoy your saturday! ~m

happy friday heartbreakers! I had the best revelation during savasana today! “Success isn’t judged by financial gain, but by how good a person you are.” Or something like that. anyway, my little lightbulb from yoga class today is now yours. Enjoy! ~m

I’ve been so excited about all the sweat work that needs to be done lately. It’s been keeping me up late and waking me up all through the night. So, yesterday, even though i’d already walked into town twice, I made a third trip down the hill so i could do the 7:45 pm class. It was a different kind of class last night, lots of beginners in the room. Honestly, it was a nice change of pace from the morning classes with so many professionals and enthusiasts. I had never done a double that wasn’t back-to-back before. I din’t feel any more limber last night, but i sure did this morning! Actually, i only felt more bendy in ardha-chandrasana and the paschimottanasana at the very end. The rest of the class, i din’t really notice any big differences. Okay heartbreakers, I’ve got new stuff to offer you, so expect big changes in the website very soon! namaste ~m

Hmmm, I guess my secret obsession with the 10 o’clock class isn’t such a secret. When I walked into the studio to put my mat down for this morning’s 8 am class, i was greeted with a chorus of “you know it’s 8, right?” har har, you guys, funny. I guess my yoga friends know me pretty well. If every class has its own unique personality, today’s class was the little class that could. it was a small group with a pretty good balance of experience levels from teacher to first-timers. everyone was trying so hard, it was a slow class, but the energy level was very positive! I took water after garurasana today and after the standing series! It’s been a long time since i’ve done that, very unlike me! i was running so late this morning trying to make the class that i din’t have time for my morning hydration, so i allowed myself. Alright heartbreakers, It’s farmers market wednesday, see you tomorrow! ~m

We had one new person in class today and, of course, she was right behind me. I don’t know how this always happens, but it happens a lot. I guess being there everyday increases my chances. And there’s only 3 rows too. i always think it happens on some cosmic level because I always try and go slow, so the person can follow along if they’re watching. When i was learning the poses, it all seemed so whirlwind! Everyone bent into incredible poses so quickly, it was hard to follow along. Today’s new person was doing good throughout class. I couldn’t hear her breathing at all. That’s my barometer of how you’re doing in class. Anyway, it’s hard to tell how someone is doing in the floor series, so I wish i coulda seen her face when my teacher said, late in the floor series, that she was doing a great job and we only had another 40 minutes to go! it was so hard to control my laughter! She’s not even the funny one. Today’s class was so humid today too. ha ha. that was a good one. namaste, m

“never want to be like papa
working for the boss every night and day”
That’s been one of my mantras for 20 years now. My dad was the type who was never home, he was always out working. Well, last week, he finally retired! I’ve been trying to get my head around this for awhile. he’s always been my example of how hard you have to work if you want to succeed. So, the thought of him not working is kinda foreign to me. Before i expand any further on his retirement, I’ve since been told that he’s got some options open for a new job. Hmmm, maybe the wal-mart is hiring, i dunno, i know he’d like discount! So, it looks like my dad is pulling an old favre on the family. he’s still got it in the tank, so i can’t blame him for wanting to keep it on the track a little longer. I had plenty in the tank after my class this morning, i think i might have to start doing more doubles! i have so much energy lately, it’s unbelievable! luckily, there’s lots to do around here, so with that, i’ll see you tomorrow! ~m

Happy sunday friends! It’s been a fun day already, only because yoga was so much fun. I like the weekend classes because i get to practise with people that i ordinarily wouldn’t. Today the energy of the class was so good it made it way easy to hold every pose to perfection. Well, maybe not, but what is a perfect pose? Is a perfect pose what works for you? My first reaction would be yes, but the answer is prolly no. Here's why, you might think your back bend is working for you, but if you’re bending at the wrong place, it might be hurting you more than helping you. i think a perfect pose is when your form is perfect, regardless of depth. it’s part of doing things the right way, right? well, it’s sunday and too nice to be indoors when i could be out ogling an apricot tree! let’s continue this discussion some other time! see you tomorrow. ~m

wow, you guys, there’s fresh fruit everywhere here. i was walking through the graveyard today and saw a heavy producing apple tree! There was an apple on the ground, small and early, of course, but it tasted pretty good. I remember my granma had a good apple tree, these were the same kinda apples. There’s a couple apple trees on the grounds here and i can honestly say i won’t be making any apple pies! Oh, It was so cute today, i have to tell you! i guess we practised with a japanese tourist who, after class, had her picture taken in the studio! And then she took a picture of two of the teachers at the front desk! I wanted to offer to take her picture with them, but i hate taking pictures of people. There’s so much pressure and you have to work with the people involved. I think that’s why i enjoy photographing graffiti so much—it’s easy to work with! that’s enough from me for today, see you tomorrow. ~m

absence does make the heart grow fonder but it does something for the body too! I had the best class today—my body felt so good that i couldn’t help but smile! I don’t know what it was, but my insides felt so good today. was it the pace? the heat? the teacher? i dunno, i just felt really good. i coulda definitely done a double no problem, but i was anxious to get home. Why would i want to go home so quickly after such an amazing class? Well, the other day I found out about a plum tree on the property that i live on! Oh my gosh, I couldn’t believe how many plums were underneath what was really a small tree! And the tree still has tons of fruit on it! There were so many plums on the ground that i actually picked one up, held it over my mouth and squeezed it! The juice dripped slowly into my mouth and tasted so good! Wow, it was tart, warm from the sun, it tasted like pie, the best pie i’d never tasted. Now, mind you, i’ve never actually had plum pie, but as i sat there in plum wonderland, enjoying my warm plum juice, i decided that i had to make a plum pie! So, after my dream class, I picked up everything i need to make a pie. it’s gonna be my first ever and i’m using an easy-bake oven with an old lightbulb, so i’m not expecting much, but i’m happy to make use of all this fruit that would have rotted otherwise! i’ll let you know how it came out tomorrow. namaste, m

Wow! It is so cool to hear such great feedback about my art! Oh my gosh, what a feeling. Well, I’m working on getting the new tank top ready for the website. You’re really gonna like it, you guys! Then I’ll start dropping some of my other designs on you. I think you’re gonna like the stuff i’ve got lined up! It was another great class today. I’ve had so much energy, despite the fact that “i’m working harder than ever.” I guess when you’re doing things the right way, your energy level is gonna be up all the time. Right? Or something like that but prolly not as simple as i tried to say. Alright friends, i got lots to do today to make those tanks become an online reality, so hasta mañana! ~m

I know most studios were participating in the Ghosh Yoga College fundraiser today. Staying open and holding classes and donating the proceeds to the school in India. That’s so cool, i’m so happy for all of you! Our school followed tradition and closed in honor of Bishnu Ghosh. A friend of mine talked about driving to San Jose to practise, but nothing ever came of it. Knowing I would have an easy day today, I partied it up last night! I snuck down to the donut shop and got a cinammon twist and a dozen donut holes and stayed up late watching seinfeld. this morning i slept in and did a little work before breakfast. i got an e-mail from sweat’s favorite model who has been practising on her sundeck. I was all set to practise inside the birdhouse. i purposely slept with the windows closed so it would be warm in the morning for my practise. But the sun was shining so nicely on my deck, that i couldn’t resist inspiration. Sadly, there’s a lot of warpage on my deck, so the standing series in general was a little difficult. i miss not having a mirror, but, i swear, sometimes i felt like i could see my reflection anyway. i like practising to the CD, it’s like taking class with Bikram himself! I like practising outside too. There’s something really great about being out there under the sun! perfect way to start the day. luv, m

I had a really good class today. The pace and the voice were perfect, it was a little humid, to say the least. That just makes the class more interesting. i was in front of a first-timer today. whenever that happens i take my time getting into each pose, just in case they’re looking to see what to do. Maybe that’s why i have such good classes sometimes! i take my time getting into each pose and do nothing but that. I don’t fix my hair, drink water or anything else, just wait to go into the pose. That’s gotta help when the classes are rough, right? I would *like* to fix my hair, it usually looks pretty bad but i’m kinda over it at this point. Alright friends, I’m anxious to check out the new tank tops i just got. see you tomorrow, or will i? hmmmmm. luv, m

How to Get the Most for Your Dollar Part Two
There is a small farm down the street. They don’t grow that much fruit so it’s a lucky day when you’re walking by and there’s a cart with a sign that says “.50¢ pound”! Bear in mind that i still have plenty of fruit at home. Some of it is even starting to get a little over-ripe, but i still can’t resist a 50 cent cart of organic peaches, plums and apricots! Here i am bragging again, i just had the best lunch and all the fruit was grown down the street. the peach was soft and juicy, nice and sweet. the plum was really juicy too! i like gnawing on the pit for that sour candy taste, yum! The apricot was a tiny little guy, but sweet and soft, melt in your mouth kinda velvet taste. Mmmm. You can get a lot of small fruit in a 2 pound dollar bag! I’m getting spoiled with all the delicious fruit in the area, but what a great lunch to have after a sweaty bikram class. I think i’m gonna go have seconds! see you tomorrow! ~m

I know some people get annoyed with heavy breathers. I just try and focus harder in hopes my energy will help theirs. Today when we turned to the side for the seperate leg portion of the standing series and I saw who was doing the heavy breathing, I mean, oh man. How do you get to be so frail? I dunno, i guess a lifetime of neglect does add up and show. My heart just goes out to people like that. And it was such a good class today too. The pace and rhythm of the poses and savasanas was great. The energy of the class seemed real good too. But now that i think about what was really going on in the room, we din't finish with as many as we started with, so i guess it may have been too much for some. In fact, a couple of people left the room for extended breaks. Hmmm, it may not have been paradise city for all, but i had a good time anyway! And you wanna know what else was cool? I think i found a tank top that i’ll be able to offer at a pretty good deal. i saw it for the first time on someone today and it looked so cute, it was pretty exciting! i think the consensus is a thumbs up, so i might have to get them photographed to offer to the rest of you. okay, friends, time to get cookin’! ~m

Perfect class today, guys. No, I din’t hold every pose perfectly, not even close. It was just one of those really good classes. The kind of class that makes you happy to be there. The instructions and the words were great. Our teacher was on a roll with the comedy, it was hard to stop laughing. She is so crazy sometimes. The temperature and humidity of the room was perfect, it was easy to breathe. like i said, it was a perfect class today. can’t wait to see you tomorrow! ~m

If you think you have a really good practise, you should try practising behind someone who does. Today I got to practise behind one of my teachers today. It was nice to be able to practiseand maintain my focus while still being aware of her movements. The opening breathing exercise still doesn’t feel very smooth for me, my arms and head move with the grace of a drunken spicolli! It was nice today to try and get into the right rhythm and movement for a change. That’s the way the rest of practise was, noticing where i tend to move before the instructions, that kind of thing. There is one time in class when I almost have no qualms about moving before the instructions and that’s when we go into supta-vajrasana. I don’t know how it is where you practise, but at the studio here everybody takes that moment to chug water. It’s like a second party time or happy hour or whatever you wanna call it. Today it was so loud with all the bottles being opened, you could barely hear the instructions anyway. I love that pose. I’ve been doing it ever since i was a little kid and i saw it demo’ed on daytime t.v. once while at my granma’s house. I love supta-vajrasana! Now that i know how to do it right, i love it even more. It feels like it’s really helping me with my hunched shoulder too. Plus it feels so good in my lower back. Oh! today we got an awesome demo of ustrasana by another one of our teachers! This past december, the teacher in front of me had demo’ed purna-ustrasana, which was amazing. Today we got a demo of a perfect ustrasana! It was nice to see how the back was bending, the timing of the movements, wow. very inspiring of what we all should try and achieve. With at least 6 teachers practising with us, it was bound to be a good class and it was! Very enjoyable class. that’s it. enjoy your american holiday! luv, m

Alright, I know it isn’t in the nature of yoga to brag about things, but i have to take a minute to brag about where i live. being surrounded by so many farms means the farmers market rocks with great fruit and produce every week! i guess california and florida grow most of the fruit for the entire country, so i don’t know what your farmers market is like, but the one i go to is amazing. This summer, every week has been an exciting adventure in the world of fruit. The farm that roasts my morning almonds has been bringing all kinds of great plums, white & yellow peaches & nectarines and several varieties of pluots. This week there were three different kinds of pluots to choose from! Each with a unique, sweet taste distinct from the other, all of them tasty and all of them super juicy. Mmmmmm. Last week they had a really amazing peach-apricot hybrid that was so great! It had the texture of an apricot, but the taste was more peachy, oh man, it was so good. But they only grew enough for one week at the market! Luckily, I bought 7 of them last week, so at least i got to enjoy one a day for a week! All of that variety is at one booth, there’s a lot more farms with just as much variety and choice! This week I also loaded up on strawberries, raspberries and marianberries. Besides fruit, I also get my produce here too, so I got my tomatoes and onions for the week from one farm. From the farm across the street, i buy the best romaine lettuce ever & the best cilantro ever. You shoulda seen the head of lettuce I got yesterday! It could be the biggest head of lettuce i’ve ever seen, it was (is) so beautiful. No wonder they got best farm in town in the local fishwrap. Okay, I guess that’s enough bragging for now! I can’t believe how excited i get about this stuff. I din’t used to enjoy food this way, so now i’m telling everyone how great this stuff is! You definitely need this kind of food when you’re doing bikram consistently. i am so lucky to have access to such a great variety of it, you better believe i appreciate it! oh boy, i’ve talked your ear off and i din’t even get to tell you about my humid practise—sweat-y! we’ll talk yoga tomorrow, okay? ~m

Ever since elementary school, I’ve been getting attitude and grief from the kids in the hall. Even the freaks and geeks still see me as someone to make fun of and deride. One place I always thought i’d be safe from attitude was the yoga studio, but you should have seen the act this woman gave me today! I asked her to move her mat up so I could be in the second row. She was about 2 feet from the mirror, so i thought it was a pretty fair request. You would have thought i had just asked if i could piss in her drinking water—she was so rude. I couldn’t believe it when she said “you don’t need a second row!” My grandmother totally lost it and snapped, “you don’t have the form to practise in the front row,” but my yogic patience saved me and all i said was “yeah, i kinda do” and left it at that. To move her mat, every move she made was accompanied with a huge huff and puff, like she was moving mount everest. This woman was so 12, you guys, during the floor series, whenever we would lay in savasana, she would slam her feet down, one at a time—thud! thud! I was laughing to myself, it was such comedy. Today’s class was a nice chance to practise my patience. Honestly, I felt sorry for her, yoga is not helping that woman at all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s off to the farmers market, where i can only hope for more abuse. See you tomorrow! ~m

I had a really nice practise today. The voice, the pace, pretty much everything, even the temperature of the room, was just about perfect. With a wide stance, I can finally touch my forehead to the ground during dandayamana-bibhaktapada-paschimottananasana, but my torso is nowhere near my legs. In any case, I’m shortening my stance to make it harder. Even with a wide stance, it’s still difficult to touch my forehead to the ground. i can do it pretty consistently though, so i figure, i should go for more stretch. Out of some sense of pride, i will not be videoing that for you ever. Yuck! Okay friends, it’s been a long day and I’ve got to make black beans tonight. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! ~m