Monday, April 27, 2015

Cowgirl Yoga Moves

Turning work into play - here are a few exercises that surfaced as I was doing my daily chores:

Rolling the Barrel:  Wide legged squats with circular arm circles like you are trying to move a heavy barrel of diesel with your hands from point A to B.

Pumping Diesel:  Set up Warrior 1 legs and imagine taking hold of a pump with the opposite arm.  Make a pumping motion in and out with your elbow at shoulder height to work the bicep and rhomboid.  Switch legs and arms after 20 reps on one side.

Shoeing Horses:  Bend your knees deeply into chair pose.  Squeeze your thighs together with your feet hip distance apart and toes turned slightly inwards.  Either keep your arms at your sides or extend and reach upwards to lengthen your spine.

Kicking the Barrel:  Keep your feet hip distance apart and extend one leg.  Press out and up raising your foot from the ground for 10 reps per side.

Fast Saddle Horse, Slow Pack Horse:  Set up Warrior 2 legs and stretch out your arms in opposite directions.  Then draw the energy back in from the fingertips to the centre of your core.

Ropin' Steers:  Place your legs hip distance apart and circle one arm overhead with your palm turning up and down as your lasso swings overhead.  Step forward with the opposite foot and throw your imaginary rope extending the arm overhead and forward.

Relinquishing Expectations

Geeze!  Things change from minute to minute around here.  I get my heart set on heading out to a spike camp but then decisions from the higher ups revert back ... I am to stay put at base camp.  OK, just try to understand and be content cleaning out rat doins' in the barn, hauling moose quarters from here to there, sorting groceries and fiddling with a broken down tractor.  Your day will come to experience life in the real wild but in the meantime make the best of it and just go with the flow even though this is not what you had conjured up in your mind.  What to do?  The mundane chores drive me nuts!  How am I supposed to swallow my pride and make light of the situation?  I feel stuck and angry and disappointed.

The only thing I think will help to make things better is to just keep going to my mat.  Even though there are days that I am kicking and screaming and all the little demons in my head keep causing me angst.  I should be doing this or would be better off doing that!  Damn it, cut it out!  I am living in one of the most gorgeous settings in the world!

This is my work - letting go of expectations, disappointments, hurts and living a balanced, happy life with gratitude and love in my heart for such a beautiful, quiet period of solitude with good ol fashioned hard work.

It's so easy to get caught up in the negativity.  Gather yourself and count your blessings.  Here are some things to be thankful for:

  • an incredible view
  • a cozy cabin of my very own
  • a hot shower and laundry
  • sunshine everyday
  • a small herd of horses
  • me time
  • physical labour
  • amazing food
  • the smiles of others
  • an opportunity to learn and develop