Hiking with Grandma

Right now we are all huddled inside because it is raining out!  WHOO HOO!!!  This week has been full of clouds and water and we are all elated.  It even snowed in the valley yesterday!  I know...crazy.  

Even with the week of rain it just cannot detract from the magic that is our Arizona winter.  A week ago we were all out on the trail enjoying 75 degree weather and sweating.  With Grandma in town, we have been trying to spend time doing all of the Arizona winter things and Grandma LOVES to hike.

A year ago we were introduced to the Hieroglyphics Trail out in Gold Canyon and the girls have been begging us to take Grandma to it.  The trail ends at a natural spring and last year the spring pools and waterfalls were overflowing.  Not so much this year.  In fact there was darn near no water anywhere to be seen up at the end.  It was disappointing for the girls, but with such poor rainfall this past year, it was really no surprise. Even so the carvings on the rock faces are well worth the trip and the rock climbing more than made up for the swimming.

We all really enjoy being out in the desert and love having Grandma here to get us out of the house and out on the trails.

We are looking forward to more hiking to enjoy this beautiful and amazing time in our state.  Summer is gonna come in hot like it always does, so we are looking forward to taking more time to explore.

The Sacred 108

Yoga has truly opened a door to something special.  For the first time in my life, I am not a part of a large gym and am instead a full on yogi at a yoga studio.  I won't lie, I honestly never thought I would give up the machines, treadmills, and weight options for a yoga studio that requires no shoes and doesn't have a weight or cardio machine in site.  Man its amazing! 

I think yoga really appeals to me for 2 big reasons.  Number one....see those abs?  But 2 because it is always different and challenging.  Yoga is  never boring, and if you have experienced yoga and feel bored......find a different studio!  Yoga challenges you to move and think and breathe in different ways.  It undoes all the sitting that we do and reintroduces your body as a jungle gym, and its really fun to play with.

There is a thing in yoga affectionately known to many as the Yoga Marathon.  In the yoga world it is more gracefully labeled the Sacred 108.  It is a deeply committed practice of performing 108 sun salutations in successive order.  Tiffany opened the opportunity to attempt this practice to her studio and me along with about 8 other women completed it.

It was truly an incredible, empowering, and deeply moving experience.  It took us about 2 hours and at the end of the practice I was shaking, but deeply peaceful.  My body is incredibly strong and getting more so every day.  

The Sacred 108 was a time to reflect on all that 2020 was and renew the hope for 2021.  There are great things in store for all of us and I am deeply grateful for the chance to Inhale and Exhale through it all.