Category > The Yoga Experiment
Recently, a lot of people have been asking me what happened with The Yoga Experiment. For those of you just tuning in, the plan was this: In January of 2010, I made a resolution to give yoga a fair chance. I had tried it before and disliked it, but I was sure that if I put an honest effort into it, I would grow to love yoga, and become bendier and healthier. I started attending yoga classes at the Living …
Since I have started the Yoga Experiment, one of the things I have been most conscious of is my mood, and especially how it effects my body. If I come to class in a bad mood, my muscles are much, much less pliable than if I come to class and I'm already happy. It was hard for me to believe this when I first started realizing what was happening, that what I was thinking as I was doing yoga was …
When sharing my journey of The Yoga Experiment, I had to have known that there would be a time where I wasn't going to be one hundred percent excited about it. But everyone has those things that they continue to do, to make sacrifices for, no matter what the challenge, just because they believe in them. My husband, Joel, rides his bike to work and around town through the rain and snow. My friend, Lisa, volunteers for the rape crisis …
OK, people. I have been skipping yoga class. I'm not proud of it. I wish I didn't have to tell you, but at the beginning of this, I made a commitment to honesty. Something else I'd rather not admit: I haven't been treating my body like the temple it is, and therefore, I have gained (back) about five-ish pounds. Aside from all of that, though, I've been feeling fidgety and restless and GROSS. Yoga, I miss you! It has been …
So, spring is officially in full swing, and I admit that I have been slacking, dear reader. I've been having a great time traveling around the country, and taking time off to visit my peeps and just relax. While I have been practicing yoga when in town, I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with it when I am elsewhere. Such is life. In a couple of weeks, most of the fun will be over, and …
So, after many discussions about the prospect of going on tour with my friends, Nic and Heather (of You and Yourn) I have finally assumed my title of Director of Nomadic Operations and hit the road with them. Why? I have gypsy blood and crave the vagabond lifestyle. This is also a test run; in the near future, they might be requiring some extra assistance on their tours. After the spring training debacle, I wanted to make sure that I …
So, week eleven of The Yoga Experiment was tough. I was really grumpy and eating crap food all week, and I was beginning to see how heavily the mind and body influenced each other. I was achy and sore, and it seemed like the grouchier I got, the more my body rebelled against yoga. At the beginning of week twelve, I started to feel as thought I was getting sick. I had a headache and low energy for the first …
I could not have estimated the difficulty of getting back into my regular yoga routine after skipping a week; if I could have, I never would have broken my perfect nine week stretch. Week eleven of The Yoga Experiment felt like an epic battle. The newness of the project has worn off, and all that is left is the hard work. For the first time, getting to class every morning was a struggle. Several of the days, I considered skipping …
So far, this has been a great trip, The Yoga Experiment. I've been loving every minute of it. However, for the last two months, I have been sore and hurty pretty much every day, especially in my legs/hips/butt area. Monday is usually at a low level, maybe a one or two on a scale of ten. By Friday, though, I have worked up to about a 4 or 5. Then when I take the weekends off to regroup, my body …
As I write this, I am sitting in a Travelodge in Ft. Myers, Florida. We're down here for a little spring break vay-cay and to watch a few Minnesota Twins games at their training camp. Technically, week nine of The Yoga Experiment was last week, but it wasn't really too eventful, and it is hard to think back to that mind frame when I am sitting here in this completely different world.
Most Recent Culture Comments
@Jason: You’re right about that. I get groceries at Schnucks (they carry what I buy, which I can’t say of any other single grocery store in town), and if they have a beer I’m in the market for it’s usually a quarter or two cheaper per 6-…
Best Neighborhood Bar (& Grill) : Urbana - My ‘hood- the ‘Boom! http://www.boomerangbarandgrill.com Go on a Wing Wednesday or Fish Friday, or see a band play some night. Local blue-collar Urbana terroir galore. My only beer snobbish gripe is lack of a pale hopped ale, but you…
The one thing that’s bothered me for a while about the Friar is that, for most commonly purchased adult beverages, you can actually walk down the strip mall to Schnucks and get them cheaper. It makes no sense, but there it is. I suspect it’s because Schnucks…
Maybe I complained enough in person. One time I even explained to the (wholly uninterested) clerk how to navigate the Illinois Statutes web page, and Savoy’s Municipal Code database I wouldn’t know because I only go there when I want to pay 30% more for anything, which is never.
@Rob: You seem to have the weirdest experiences. I’m in Friar Tuck every other week (don’t tell my mom that I’m a lush). They never fail to ask for my birth date but never my age, they never card afterwards, and they often allow me to use…
This column affords me a long-awaited opportunity. I’ve wanted to write my own column called Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors. but I always thought it’d be too pithy. Here, I can say Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors and not feel bothered to stretch it out to 750…
Ha! Exactly. You, sir, are welcome at the bar in My House.
Why wait ‘til 3 pm?
I’m excited to go tonight- should be very fun!
Most Recent Comments
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
*slow. clap.* Still offering no threat of intelligence…. I know I said I thought you should just write this whole column yourself next year, Isaac, but now that you’ve gone and taken a “part deux” run at it, I’d like to modify my request: Best Music 2013,…
Actually, it’s kind of nice, the quiet. John Heoffleur’s engaging commentary/dialogue is sorely missed, however. In lieu of someone intelligent saying something, I’ve compiled a list of Honourable Mentions: BEST ROCK BAND: Take Care ::these gentlemen have four completely different sets at their disposal right now (which…
Facebook
Twitter
Full Site
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!