Monday, June 2
Deep breath. Om. Stretch. Breathe. I was a little congested this morning. So I had to make an effort to take in deeper, clearer, meditative breaths.
After I got out of bed, I got online for work. I checked my emails, responded to different requests, edited some copy for our brochure, then got ready to leave for an appointment and also to drop off wine downtown. On my way out, I had to take a Claritan-D. I was very congested and my eyes were itchy and watering up. I kept sneezing. Must be allergies. Or…the non-allergic rhinitis condition I supposedly had. I’m still not convinced it’s not just plain allergies.
First, I drove up to Killingsworth to meet with the Chef at Autentica. It was an engaging meeting about an event we’re going to do at the winery. After, I dropped off wine with the Oregon Wine Board for media and event samples.
I had a late lunch with a colleague at Andina. I love Andina because they have amazing, unique cuisine and they have a gluten-free menu. I had a glass of the sweet lime juice, instead of bread they gave me fried yuca with spicy verde sauce, and then I had the small plate of mixed greens with fresh vegetables (which included hearts of palm and asparagus with a zingy lime dressing), and then the rich avocado stuffed with crab and shrimp.
After lunch I checked my work emails and worked on our wine club logo. And then I found out my cousin gave birth to a baby girl, Natalie Hope, weighing in at 8 pounds even. This was my cousin’s first daugther after two sons. I was so excited! I called her in the afternoon, thinking I’d get her voice mail, but was delighted she picked up. It was so good to hear her voice. I felt so happy for this wonderful blessing.
I then headed over to Yoga Pearl. I was going to do it. I was going to drop in on a yoga class! This would be my first class since this fall (I think!). I was going to the Vinyassa class, which was really hard! It’s a 90 minute class, and when it started I was feeling pretty good. I got there early and unrolled my mat and stretched out and started working on my breathing. The initial positions were slow movements, the usual positions. But half way through the class I was sweating as if it were the Power Vinyassa class with the room temperature heated at 95 degrees. But, no, I was just getting a hard workout. I kept pushing myself, even though my weak ankles sometimes wobbled (I had chronic ankle sprains from previous sports injuries). At one point I wondered if I would make it all the way through the class. I didn’t realize how out of shape I was. But I persevered. And I made it through the challenging class. I was so proud of myself!
When it was over, I was soaked with sweat, exhausted and my throat was pretty sore. I felt like I had unleashed so many toxins in this deep, intense and balancing exercise that perhaps I got a cold? I drank a little water on my way home.
It had occurred to me that I wasn’t working myself hard enough in my gym workouts. It took me to be pushed hard as I was this evening to see just how much I had been coasting along with light bicycle workouts, walking or jogging on the treadmill, even if I was going for 40 minutes. After this great workout, I decided I would work out harder, all around. I had lost some muscle tone and wanted to get my strength and endurance back.
On my way home, I stopped by Crate & Barrel to pick up hurricane lamps that were on sale for work. When I left it started to rain. And by the time I drove the four miles home, my throat was killing me. I went upstairs and grabbed a Ricola throat losenge. And then I took a very relaxing, aromatherapy shower. For a moment, I felt better. I was clear. But it didn’t last for long.
About thirty minutes later, after I made myself vegetable soup for dinner, my throat was killing me again. I made a cup of Matcha green tea, which is loaded with antioxidants, with a teaspoon of orange honey. I had been downing large glasses of water to cleanse out all of the toxins I had loosened up from yoga. And I took a dose of Wellness herbal resistance drops as an additional safeguard.
It’s weird. I felt tremendous from my yoga workout and yet got home only to feel sick. The sore throat could easily have been a symptom of my allergy-like symptoms – from the post nasal drip and hard, dry breathing (without water intake) during the yoga class. Or, I was fighting a cold.
Irrespective, I had another throat losenge, continued to drink more water, and heated up my aromatherapy neck wrap to soothe and relax. I kept blowing my nose, which was in one part really congested, to the point I could feel clogging in my ears, and then getting runny. I felt crappy.
I worked on the haiku I wrote for my sister, putting it in a customized, pretty design that I planned to frame and mail out to her. This kept me relaxed while I tried to breathe and feel better.
