Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
The wedding season is on its way. The soon-to -be June brides, or let's say their wedding planners, are putting the final touches on the $25,000 (average cost) wedding(1).
Weddings are different these days. It seems that just minutes after the wedding march, you look up and the rings are out. The 60 minute wedding with all the formality is now a 15 minute affair. Before you know it, the kiss is over and they've just introduced Mr. and Mrs. Smith, man-and-wife. Now let's go party! Does anyone do the full Catholic mass anymore?
If you're not invested in the outcome, weddings are a great place to people watch and not just at the nervous couple, but their friends and families on booze. Why is it that people find weddings a great place to get smashed? Maybe it's the open bar? There's a group shout-out with raised shots glasses from handsome young men with lavender shirts and fit young women with the shortest of dresses. As the night progresses, the dancing gets wilder as ex-cheerleaders re-enact their college cheers and an ex-ex-ex-cheerleader attempts the splits in a dress. There are always a few that came without dates who can't wait to leave and those who can't wait to leave with one of the might-be-available, tipsy bridesmaids.
One good note on some new-agey weddings is the minister. With the Universal Life Church offering ordinations online (including the freedom to "perform weddings, baptisms or funerals" almost anyone can officiate. No more boring church minister/priest. Ministers are jokey and informal, teasing the bride and groom and chiding the new bride about sprucing up her culinary skills. The couple laughs. The crowd joins in. That's more like it.
I don't remember weddings being an all-night affair. It used to be that after an appropriate amount of dancing, the cake was cut, the bride changed "outfits" and voila', off they went in someone's fancy car with cans a-dragging. Not now. At eleven, the In-N-Out Burger truck rolls up for more nourishment. The bride and groom have not left. They're partying with their friends.
Speaking of food trucks, there's a bit of a trend of catering your reception with these rolling restaurants. According to thedailymeal.com, "Food trucks are an ongoing wedding craze--they're a cheap and trendy alternative to a commonplace buffet or course by course sit-down dinner. They're a great way to get special, unique, fresh food, out to guests on the fly" and that "guests are excited to see trucks they know and love at your wedding."
Whether it's you, your child, a friend or a neighbor on a breezy cliff in Laguna Beach, a cold, Hyatt Hotel ballroom in Des Moine, or a soft, sandy beach in Lahaina, enjoy the show with your In-N-Out Number 3 with fries.
(1) Couples that live in or travel to San Francisco, CA (County) spend between $27,830 and $46,384 on average for their wedding. However, most couples spend between $10,000 - $19,999.
Want to read some of my past articles?. They're archived right here. Enjoy.
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Come and join me in Guerneville next Sunday evening at at Riverbed Yoga in Guerneville
on 3/29 at 6:00 p.m. I'll be offering Restorative Yoga for one hour. It's a sweet studio right downtown. Take a hike before or a meal after at the trendy Boon Eat + Drink.
Hey, Petalumans. . . Save the Carnitas Pork High Tech Burrito Bowl until after 1:00 on Tuesdays. Join me at the NoonTime All Levels Yoga class at Yoga One in Petaluma. One hour. Bring yourself, bring your friends. (Your burrito will be waiting.)
Devorah Blum of Yoga Studio Ganesha is hosting the highly respected and senior Iyengar instructor, Jaki Nett, on April 11, 2:30-5:30PM. Jaki will present Yoga Asana Related to the Pelvic Floor Through The Felt Sense Method®. The cost is $40. I'm signed up!
More Pelvic Floors! Devi Yoga Center is offering an important workshop on Stabilizing the Pelvis. It will be an interactive self-care workshop starting with the "floor" of the "core" - demonstrating the functional interrelationships to the hips, back, abdominals & thorax. More info here.
Retreat with Mirka Kraftsow right here in Sonoma County. She'll explore the ancient Chakra system and will include walking meditation, and the Labyrinth and trails of Bishops Ranch, pranayama and meditation. It happens 5/17-20. More info and register here. There are free download from YogaU: yogauonline.com. My weekly schedule is below (scroll down or click here!). Or, you can always go to my website and click on the always up-to-date calendar to find where I might be.
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World Famous "Chair Demo" Party Trick
When you have a single center of gravity your energy is more focused and efficient and you have much more power. An organized center of gravity is easier to move around in space than something that's disorganized and has multiple center of gravity. Example, try to lift a flailing, tantrum struck baby versus one that want to be lifted up.
Yoga Educator, Leslie Kaminoff illustrates this point via this crazy chair trick. It's a hoot. Are you ready to try it and impress your friends?
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 How Teas Work
I've been pigging out on podcasts, like Slate's Political Podcast, Dr. Drew, Invisibilia, and To the Best of our Knowledge and others, including, of course, Serial. I've recently come upon Stuff You Should Know. I love the commentators, especially Josh, whose speech patterns remind me of the comic, Mike Birbiglia, whom I love.
Check out the one on How Teas Work. They cover all the standard teas like black, green, oolong (pronounced woo-long), and the trendy macha. From the picking, drying, sorting, and brewing, it's all there. You'll be an expert, really. |
 Cushioning is In
I was an early adopter of the Five Finger shoes which have a slot for each toe. I'm of the belief that body is naturally built to walk/run and needs no extra "help" via cushions, "air" and arch supports. the minimalist shoe movement peaked at $400 million in 2012. The pendulum has swung. Now it's about the maximalist movement, especially like the Hoka One One, which has double the cushioning of standard running shoes. One runner offered: "But as a relatively older runner, staying injury-free is particularly important to me. I'm convinced that these are the shoes that will extend your running life." Read more here. I'm sticking with the low profile, "zero drop" (designed without a built-up heel) shoes. I've quit wearing my Five Finger in favor of the New Balance Minimus which have a very generous toe box that give my toes lots of freedom to move the spread. |
 Meditation and Weight Loss
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a type of meditation that has been proven to relieve stress and according to this study, "In overweight and obese women, stress may contribute to increased diabetes and cardiovascular disease," [Note: In any study, notice the words "may", "might", and "could".] The study goes on to report: "Given the increasing epidemics of obesity and diabetes, this study is particularly relevant to the general public, as it demonstrates that stress management, specifically with mindfulness-based interventions such as MBSR, may be beneficial for reducing perceived stress and blood glucose and improving quality of life in overweight or obese women," You can read it all here. |
 Tassajara Hot Springs I got a bit carried away in writing about my time at Tassajara Hot Springs Retreat Center last summer, writing 4 articles, which you can see here, here, here and here, (whew!). Many of you expressed interest in going to Tassajara. Well, here's your opportunity. I will be there again this summer for the Healing Power of Stillness assisting Britt Fohrmanfrom July 21 to 26. This would be a great time for you to come and you want to hang out with us!
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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Week of March 22, 2015
Tuesday
Noon - 1:00
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Yoga
1:15 - 2:15
Petaluma, Private
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Healdsburg, Private
Wednesday
4:00 - 5:00
Glen Ellen, Private
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Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club, Graton
Gentle Flow - All Levels 4:00 - 5:00 Healdsburg, Private Friday
4:00 - 5:00 Glen Ellen, Private
Saturday
9:00 - 10:30
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Flow
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Week of March 29, 2015
Sunday
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Riverbed Yoga, Guerneville
Restorative
Monday
8:30 - 9:30
Sebastopol, Private
3:00 - 4:00
Glen Ellen, Private
Tuesday
Noon - 1:00
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Yoga
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Healdsburg, Private
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Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club, Graton
Gentle Flow - All Levels 4:00 - 5:00 Healdsburg, Private Saturday
9:00 - 10:30
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Flow
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Graton Yogis Info:
Did you know your class pass (get these from your instructor) are accepted by all yoga teachers at Yoga in Graton?
We Gratonite Yogis have a place to call our own. It's www.
yogaingraton.com. There is information about current and new yoga classes offered in Graton.
Don't live in Graton? No problem. We want you to come anyway.
You cannot be lost if you don't care where you are.
Judith Lasater
When people ask me what equipment I use, I tell them my eyes.
Ansel Adams
"Not to have what we want is stressful; to have what we do not want is stressful." Buddha
Dalai Lama: "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
"Everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not alright, it's not yet the end!" The Magnolia Hotel movie
If your Food can go bad, it's good for you. If it can't go bad, it's bad for you. Originally pinned by Michael Leaming, Ed.D. onto Fitness, Nutrition & Wellness
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