Mellow on a Monday

I just returned from a really excellent restorative yoga class at Exhale yoga studio. http://www.exhalepdx.com/index.html. Actually it was 1/2 hatha (and it was definitely challenging, God help me if I take a vinyasa class here), and 1/2 restorative or very mellow yoga.

I've been trying out all the neighborhood yoga studios, seeing what the studio is like, the teachers, the vibe. This is a really great space....quiet street, nicely decorated, candles burning....The teacher was good. The one odd thing was that when I mentioned I had foot surgery she didn't seem very curious or ask lots of questions. Maybe that is her yogi attitude, but my other experiences is that yoga teachers perk right up and start asking questions about the surgery. My other wish is that she adjusted each person more and noticed if someone needed a bit of help with a pose (like me). There was one pose where you stand on one foot, stick out the other leg and straighten. As if. My super-tight hamstrings and impaired balance post-surgery made this near impossible on one leg and quite tough on the other. She didn't offer up any alternate pose. I figured it out on my own. She did do a lot of balance poses, which I really need post-surgery....even if they are tough.

She clearly knows a lot, has really good comments about poses and how to make them better....that all worked for me. Really liked that she covered each of us with a blankie and gave us lavender eye pillows during the restorative part.....Sweet. I was so so relaxed.

I will be back to try out their Community Yin class and other classes. They offer a discount for people who walk or bike, and since this is so close I can imagine that on sunny evenings or summer mornings I walk over for yoga.

My other highlight was planting up more cosmos seeds in the garden and weeding. The bed that planted with xeriscape seeds is germinating, and so I was over there checking out the tiny weeny seedlings peeking up. I think/hope this bed is going to be a lovely one full of flowers.