The Healing Power of Live Music

Yesterday afternoon I noticed a flyer on social media advertising  a concert in Wrightwood by some local musicians.  It started in ten minutes!  I hurriedly counted out twenty-five dollars from my wallet and jumped into my car.

I arrived in plenty of time, said hello to a few people I recognized, and found a seat on the aisle.  The band was seasoned and well rehearsed.  I knew some of artists from previous performances that I had attended.  It was exciting to see them onstage playing with such ease and enjoyment.  All the years of training, practice, and persistence were evident.  I love being in the presence of master energy.

I stayed afterward and chatted with each of the men from the cast,  complimenting them on their performances.  It was still light outside when I arrived back at the cabin. Inspired, I sang through my songs and worked on some choreography in the living room.  I was so jazzed from the music!  I couldn’t sleep.  Normally I wind down slowly before bed with yoga.  It is getting to the point that when I am at a concert, I feel like I AM the music.  It is an amazing and spiritual sensation.

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Baking Apple Crisp and Doing Yoga at Home

Today I decided to use up the bag of Granny Smith apples that I bought a couple of weeks ago, and to make an apple crisp.  It's a delicious dessert that I bake a few times a year.  I peeled and sliced the apples, added the water, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and then mixed the sugar and flour with a cube of butter for the topping.

The aroma of it baking in my vintage oven reminded me of Mrs. Hutchinson.  She was my favorite neighbor when I was a little girl.  She used to make apple crisp  and she topped it with frozen Cool Whip. Her husband and I loved it!  We would sit at the table by the window and enjoy it together.  She always sent me home with a bag of Pippin apples, already sliced, and instructed me to keep them in the freezer.  I would make the recipe for my family, and bring some to her.  She was a wonderful and patient teacher.

I have been doing yoga each evening, and it's really helping me to calm down during this pandemic and to get centered.  Lula loves it, too.  She wants to lay all over me when I'm practicing.  I am so glad that I studied and taught yoga for so many years.  I started when I was very little, following Lillias, Yoga, and You on the black and white television that my family had in Seattle.  I would put on my black leotard, grab a chair, and follow her class.  I absolutely loved it.  Still do...it seems to induce a deep, comforting, sleep.

What are you doing for exercise while we are all staying at home? 

Keeping Up An Exercise Routine As You Age

When we exercise,  we are not just working our muscles, we are working our systems.  We have many of them: the cardiovascular system,  nervous system,  circulatory system,  reproductive system, and our lymphatic system.

One feeds the other. Just walking regularly makes a huge difference in how you age. We have become a very sedentary culture.  With all of the time people spend behind a computer screen and on their phones, they are losing the habit of being in the body.  Many no longer experience  the pleasure of being in excellent physical shape.

I enjoy walking barefoot on the beach.  The effort and energy it takes to walk on dry sand  really works the leg muscles. Riding a bike in the fresh air and sunshine is something that is carefree, exciting, and it gets the endorphins going.

Practicing yoga and the breathing exercises really helps one to feel calm, centered, and in tune with the truth.  Dedicated practice also keeps the body youthful.  It takes discipline to exercise each day, but it's totally worth it.  Your skin, body, and hair will reflect your health.

I rode the bus with a friend yesterday and he commented, "You and Carmela just don't age." It was so sweet of him.  Carmela, (another bus regular,) is in her eighties, is very disciplined, and she walks miles each day.  She used to be a hula dancer.  People that stay physical as they get older feel better, and they have an easier time maintaining emotional balance.  Among other benefits, exercise discharges negative energy.

What kind of workout do you do?  How does it help you?

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Staying Healthy and Fit

I've been reading a very interesting book called  Ten Reasons You Feel Old and Get Fat...and How You Can Stay Young, Slim, and Happy. It's by Frank Lipman, M.D. So far it's been a fascinating read. Since I taught yoga for so many years, I can relate to his observations about his patients. A lot of what he recommends is old fashioned common sense. Much of it coincides with ideas that I have felt intuitively, over the years.

With the exception of when I had osteoarthritis in my hips, I have always been a very healthy and fit person. As a child, I would routinely win the perfect attendance awards. My brothers and I were very active. We were constantly outside playing, riding our bikes, and participating in sports. It was so healthy and invigorating. Because we grew up in California, we could be outdoors all year long.

During recess at school, my classmates and I would run around on the playground. I loved practicing gymnastics on the monkey bars with my schoolmates. I was constantly making up dances and teaching them to my friends.

I am seeing, at age 53, that adding movement is really the key to my well being. When I get a good cardio workout on my bicycle, I notice that I sleep better, feel happier, and am tired and relaxed at night.

Today I went to the gym and tried a yoga class. I was pleased that I was able to do everything. It's been two and a half years since I had my hips replaced. I have been doing yoga at home, regularly. Taking a class is another story. You are following someone else's lead, and they have a different rhythm and routine.

I'm realizing that I feel at my optimum when I exert my body for about two hours per day. This seems like a lot, but it's the ideal amount for me. When I was younger, I worked out for several hours per day.  I suspect that the reason that so many women feel sluggish, depressed, and negative is because they need more exercise. For me, it really is the key to feeling upbeat, happy, and healthy. It feels good to have the body humming with a sense of well being again. How do you feel? Would you describe your fitness routine as ideal, or does it need tweaking?

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Practicing Yoga Before You Go to Sleep Part Two

I take a deep relaxation in the middle of my evening yoga practice. I lay on my back and pay attention to the subtle  changes that I feel in my body from the standing poses. Sometimes I will do a simple meditation, like inhaling healing golden light energy, and exhaling out any pain or fear. The more you can expand on the inhale, the better the effects. You really want to fill your body with oxygen.

Remaining on my back, I usually pull my knees into my chest, one at a time. I have never been able to get my knees completely into my chest. I don't worry about it. I just allow the hips to stretch into a natural position. I also lengthen the hamstrings by extending the leg and gently pulling it towards me. Since having my hips replaced, I barely pull. I'm always conscious of working gradually, which is what Dr. Matta told me to do.

From there I roll on to my stomach and do cobra, half locust, full locust, and bow. I have always loved this series of four poses. I relax again on my back, breathing fully and deeply. I rock back and forth on my spine once again, and then rest in child's pose.

I conclude with a very careful wheel pose or a simpler backbend, and then a seated forward fold. I move into shoulder stand, plough, and headstand. Although all of this is done in a relaxed and non forceful way, it really gets the circulation flowing, and it keeps my body feeling alive and youthful.

Each time we practice yoga, it's like we are depositing money into a savings account. I never got into the competitive yoga movement that made it intense, hard core, or aggressive. I feel the same way about physical therapy. I just find that if you work in a quiet, calm, meditative fashion, you reap the benefits in a subtle way.

When I shot these photographs, I was 47 years old. I am now 52. The makeup artist on set said to me, "You are not going to be cast as a grandma. You look like a girl." That's what 30 years of practicing yoga does, it shapes the muscles and preserves them. The poses are familiar and comfortable. Yoga also helps you to gravitate towards food choices that are healthy and nutritious. It's a lifestyle.