Portland Bike Beat and other random thoughts
A friend from AZ just brought the newest bicyclist's joy in Portland to my attention: they're putting big green areas on the pavement at some intersections so that bikes have a place where they are supposed to wait at intersections. Here's the link: http://bikeportland.org/2008/03/17/portlands-first-bike-box-is-now-complete/
Me, I haven't been riding my bike much lately. I decided that my bike ride to school is too short, and I needed more exercise, so I started walking. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk to school, after I get out the door. If I find myself behind schedule it is easy to hop a bus across the RI Bridge. Biking to school takes 10 minutes, not counting the time it takes to get my bike in and out of the bike cage and garage.
At the conference on Transforming the Mind, Dr SSL gave a talk about EFT, emotional freedom technique. He said that "cross crawl" movements of the body help the limbic system to process emotional inputs. Walking, swimming, running all qualify as "cross crawl" movements. Bicycling DOES NOT, which may explain why it is not as therapeutic for me as walking.
I rode to yoga class today--tried a new place, the Bikram place at SE 16th and Bybee. The teacher was good----she talked fast, and every word out of her mouth was an instruction. The asanas are challenging, some I can't do at all. My one issue with Bikram is that if you are unable or unwilling to do one of the asanas as they teach it, they absolutely refuse to allow you to practice something that is not on their list of 29 asanas. I dislike this rigidity. I have injuries to my body that I am unwilling to exacerbate by practicing the way that they want me to. But other than that, it is a fine practice. The heat is cleansing.
Me, I haven't been riding my bike much lately. I decided that my bike ride to school is too short, and I needed more exercise, so I started walking. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk to school, after I get out the door. If I find myself behind schedule it is easy to hop a bus across the RI Bridge. Biking to school takes 10 minutes, not counting the time it takes to get my bike in and out of the bike cage and garage.
At the conference on Transforming the Mind, Dr SSL gave a talk about EFT, emotional freedom technique. He said that "cross crawl" movements of the body help the limbic system to process emotional inputs. Walking, swimming, running all qualify as "cross crawl" movements. Bicycling DOES NOT, which may explain why it is not as therapeutic for me as walking.
I rode to yoga class today--tried a new place, the Bikram place at SE 16th and Bybee. The teacher was good----she talked fast, and every word out of her mouth was an instruction. The asanas are challenging, some I can't do at all. My one issue with Bikram is that if you are unable or unwilling to do one of the asanas as they teach it, they absolutely refuse to allow you to practice something that is not on their list of 29 asanas. I dislike this rigidity. I have injuries to my body that I am unwilling to exacerbate by practicing the way that they want me to. But other than that, it is a fine practice. The heat is cleansing.