MonDAZED but Motivated

We got back from an amazing, sweaty, restful, fun weekend feeling… exhausted!

Let’s first talk why I’m feeling exhausted.

We headed to Hood River for three days to teach at the OutFound Festival. It kicked off in true Flex & Flow fashion: with a dance party. What better way to celebrate the amazing view and sunset upon our arrival.

We led yoga classes that kicked off each day of the festival, getting to start the day with doing yoga in the grass next to the Columbia River with a great group of people.

Luckily the sun graced my class Friday morning, and we got to fly quite a bit in Acro with Ian and Paul before the wind and rain moved in.

Our crew came up on Saturday to yoga it up with us in the Gorge all weekend long! Flex & Flow squad rolls deep!

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A key phrase for the weekend was “be open.” Be open to experience, be open to rolling with it, be open to what comes. It was a great conversation starter and theme of the weekend.

For one, the beautiful grass where we were doing yoga was covered with a ridiculous amount of goose poop. Apparently the city mandates that it not be cleaned up as it’s considered fertilizer. Normally I love to practice outside without a mat, directly in the grass, sand, and dirt. In this case, though, I was especially grateful I had my Nomadix towel to practice on! It kept me mostly protected from the poo, until Jamie picked me up and threatened to dump me down into a fresh pile of it. Get your own and get 15% off with the code “SweatPink!”

On Sunday we were able to take advantage of the sunshine and go for a hike. Interestingly, something I didn’t know before I first came to Oregon, not all of the PNW is full of moss, ferns, and waterfalls. And there in the Hood River area we had passed the point in the Gorge where the foliage turns from lush to arid. We hiked through fields of flowers and brush to a beautiful 360-degree overlook at the top. I was extremely glad I was armed with my AfterShokz headphones and Wearsafe Tag because during the hike we saw a few snakes, including a baby rattlesnake at the top. Yeah, scary. Having headphones that rest outside of my ears and use bone conduction technology, and an easy-to-access button linked to an app on my smartphone for emergency situations helped keep me calm and aware in a moment of fear. They helped me feel safe.

This weekend we did it all! Yoga to hiking to the winery, all back to back. Handful kept us comfortable and ready for anything with their amazing bras, tops, and pants. It’s the best reason to always be in yoga clothes: ready for anything at any point in time. Always got to be prepared to bust a handstand at a moment’s notice.

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Even though we yoga’d and hiked all weekend long, it was actually a ridiculously relaxing weekend for us. Normally weekends are back-to-back sweat fests, from before sunup til last man standing (aka, Jamie). This weekend we slept until after 7am every day. We didn’t run. At all. We ate fries, chickpeas (oh em gee, crispy chickpeas!), and truffle pizza. We drank coffee, wine, beer, and then more coffee. And then more wine. We snuggled so many puppies. We sat in the sun at a winery amidst a garden celebrating National Rosé Day. We didn’t open our computers.

 

And yet we’re still exhausted. I have a few theories about why that is, but it is still a little surprising considering how rested I anticipated coming back after this weekend.

I know I’m not the only one feeling off my A-game today. Jamie talked about feeling MonDAZE like whoa, and how she’s battling it.

I know what always helps me: getting sweaty! Today is week 2 of the #ffyhiityoga challenge. Here is the ridiculous sequence that is guaranteed to make you sweat, your arms shake, and your muscles burn…

Oh and coffee. Coffee definitely helps me.

What are you doing  to counteract any weekend hangovers?

Wait, it’s Tuesday?!