yoga & hiking

Today I had the very special opportunity to lead a group hike in the Jura to a beautiful overlook to picnic and practice yoga. It was hot, but maybe the least hot day this week, and the trails I chose were mostly shaded, so we all survived. We made a 12 kilometer loop with a 45 minute section of silent meditation along single track trail the is surely inhabited by fairies. At the end of the meditation, we arrived at the midway point, a high clearing where we could salute the sun and the Alps across the valley. Nadine led us through some balancing poses, we chatted, and ate our lunches, and then continued along the loop. It was a beautiful day in the mountains with a fun bunch, and I really enjoyed everyone's positivity and enthusiasm on this adventure together!

jura scout

I needed one more chance to finalize the rout for tomorrow's yoga/hiking outing, so Derek agreed to run my proposed route with me. I wanted to make our trip a loop rather than an out and back and needed to make sure this would still fit all my trail requirements. Yeah, the loop worked, but it will be better counterclockwise to maximize our groups time in the shade. A productive run to finalize my loop and fun looking for stable posing places.

forearm scorpion

Last week in yoga, our awesome instructor, who week after week has found ways to challenge us with something new, flipped us up into a forearm stand. I truly expected to face plant, but to my surprise, my nose didn't hit the ground. This was such a strange new position and I felt pretty stable, so I wanted to take it a bit further. I saw a picture of scorpion pose, and didn't really give it a second thought until I was upside down on my forearms for the first time. I explained to Derek my intention to get my feet as close to my head as I could without smacking my face against the floor and asked him to be ready to catch me.  I really didn't know what to expect. We taped it so I could see if the pose looked and felt close to the same. I want to improve upper body strength and balance so this pushes my limits of both. Plus it's a cool rainy day off from running, so why not try it at home.