Yoga is our word for Wednesday

Grover Yoga ~ by Debbie DeFord-Minerva, illustrated by Steph Lew, 2024, children's board book, 16 pages, 10/10

Learn fun yoga moves with lovable, flexible, furry old Grover and his Sesame Street friends.  Fans of Sesame Street will love learning kid-friendly yoga moves from Grover, including the mountain, tree, downward facing dog, and child's poses.  Yoga is a great activity for preschoolers.  It helps with their coordination and balance and improves their emotional well-being by relieving stress.  This board book with illustrations of Grover, Elmo, and other favorite characters is just right for pre-school children (ages 2 to 5).

Chair Yoga ~ Thursdays in April

This is one way I can be more active in April, as this month's calendar suggests.

Chair Yoga

Chair Yoga: Sit, Stretch, and Strengthen Your Way to a Happier, Healthier You ~ by Kristin McGee, 2017, exercise

Chair yoga is exactly what it sounds like:  exercises you can do sitting down.  In Chair Yoga, celebrity yoga instructor Kristin McGee takes you through 100 yoga poses and exercises that are easy enough for all levels and will help readers stay active, alert, and healthy.  Divided into chapters organized by body part (say goodbye to back pain and hello to better posture), each exercise includes step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow photos.  Plus, bonus chapters on 5-, 10-, and 15-minute routines help readers put it all together and find the time to perform these exercises.

Sheila G. called me Wednesday evening and, among other things, we talked about our Gentle Chair Yoga class that morning.  I thought maybe we could incorporate some of that into our group exercise on Friday afternoons and found this book online.  It was only $1.99 for Kindle, so I downloaded it.  I was surprised to see that it cost me $0.00 because I have a gift card there that I won a few weeks ago.  Yay!  And another "yay!" because illustrations I had already found to use here actually show the author of this book.  These back exercises are in chapter 8, so now I have the pictures handy to help me when I'm trying them myself.

Sunday Salon ~ demolishing the past

CHURCH

This building being demolished was the first church I served after graduating from seminary.

Even this second photo of Forrest Avenue United Methodist Church seems barren to me.  When I was there from 1987 to 1991, green bushes grew along this street side of the building, and we regularly put something new on the sign.  The elderly people died, and the younger people mostly moved on as the neighborhood changed.  When the church closed, the homeless ministry moved a block or so away, first under the bridge (yes, ministry by the Rev. Barry Kidwell — not just the homeless people themselves) and later to First-Centenary UMC across the river.  One friend of a friend who commented on Facebook said, "The other day I looked as they were bulldozing part of it and the pulpit was still there.  They didn't even have the respect to remove it."  That's so sad.

YOGA

I started a yoga class this week with Katelyn of Plum Padma Yoga.  My new yoga mat shows the tree of life, as I move my stiff body to regain some of the flexibility I used to have.

BOOKS

I'm reading three (or four) books at once:
The Dalai Lama's Cat ~ by David Michie, 2012, fiction (India)
The South Beach Diet ~ by Arthur Agatston, 2003
Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back ~ by Brooks Palmer, 2009
The Cove ~ by Ron Rash, 2012, fiction (North Carolina)

The Sunday Salon's Facebook page has links to other blogs.

Wednesday Workout ~ yoga

My doctor said, "Exercise."  Walking is good, and I can swim in the pool (now open for the summer).  But when the office sent out a notice that yoga will be offered at the clubhouse every Thursday, I signed up.  I took yoga classes when I was younger, so I know it can be adapted to what each person can accomplish.  I envision doing poses like the one in this photo, though realistically I don't know if I'll ever do it — because I broke my shoulder six months ago and may never be able to get my arm that perfectly straight up again.  Wish me luck — or better, wish me perseverance.  The more I do, the better off I'll be.