Hey Dawn, on the yoga thing Even the term "yoga" actually refers to the yoking together--the balance between--mind, body, and spirit, and is designed to work with and harmonize all three aspects of the human being practicing yoga. At the same time, if you just want to use it to improve your flexibility, and want to avoid all of that foo-foo stuff, you can do that too. That's interesting to learn. I can imagine that really getting into yoga can be fulfilling. As a novice, first-timer, I didn't appreciate the depth of all that, but I do respoect the mind, body, spirit thing. Thinking about it now, that harmonization I think is a key aspect of anything I really enjoy, in different ways. Like running or cycling or paddling on a river or skiing - the physical part is obvious, but when I do those things it's a spiritual experience too. I don't like to run (or ride or paddle) in the city, I like to run where I can see trees and wildlife and rivers and so on. And that really stimulates my spirit. And then the mind stuff - running can be sort of mechanical, but for me cycling is very much a mental pursuit. Skiing or paddling - the same.
So I appreciate the harmonization part of the yoga philosophy. I didn't like my instructor so much, she was a little too serious. I would do it again, though, if I had a good yoga buddy.
