SUP Yoga

In my continued effort to try new things, be more active, and be more independent (as in, being okay doing things on my own without Scot or a friend), I decided to try my hand at yoga.. on a stand-up paddle board (SUP).

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First off, you'd be amazed at all the nature that the DC area actually has around it - most notably Rock Creek Park and the Potomac River. And while the Potomac isn't exactly the most beautiful (or cleanest) in the world, it has a ton of canals and little tributaries throughout the area that are actually quite nice and peaceful. It's like a little getaway without getting away - the trails, the still water, the waterfalls and birds chirping - it's like a mini urban oasis, if you know where to go.

I knew that folks would kayak or fish (ew) on the water, but the concept of stand-up paddle boarding was a new one to me as of a couple months ago. It looked cool enough - just stand and paddle and not get wet - and my initial thought was to try it out in Maine a bit with the boy. But then the buzz about SUP yoga started to appear on my Facebook news feed, on Instagram, at my yoga studio.. and while the idea completely terrified me (um hi, YOGA on the WATER?!).. I also knew I had to do it. So I signed up on a whim for a morning class this past Tuesday.

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It turns out that not many folks like to go do yoga on the Potomac at 9:30am on a Tuesday.. which was fine with me, because I ended up getting a one-on-one session with Lisa, my instructor. It also made me feel much better when I completely wiped out and got a bit wet as a result of a shaky Warrior I and revolved triangle. It's a whole different ball game on a wobbly board than the ground, let me tell you! (It also didn't help that my board was missing a fin, making it a bit less stable as well.) You are forced to truly focus on the task at hand - great for those of us who find our minds wandering during a regular class sometimes - and you really have to tap into your core. I was sore like woah the next two days!!

All things told, I thought I did okay.. and the dip in the water was actually quite refreshing! I'd love to try the class with more people, and perhaps at night when you can watch the sunset happening right around savasana time. My yoga teacher this morning mentioned doing that exact thing last night, and it sounds purely magical. Now all we need are some unicorns.

I definitely plan on doing the class again before they close up for the fall/winter - maybe even make a regular routine next summer. Just you wait - this will be me in no time!

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..well you know. At least after I nail it on the floor first.

Have you tried SUP yoga, or anything fun and different lately? I'm always looking for more!

DC Delights

While I don't technically live in DC, pretty much everyone in my particular suburb of Maryland considers themselves a part of the DC metro area. (#wannabe's) I also have many a friend who actually does live within the city limits, and find myself trekking in there quite often despite our recent move a bit further north. I've definitely gotten to know certain parts of the city fairly well, but my general knowledge is extremely lacking - which I kind of hate! I love how much I can rattle off about Philly and NYC, how I know fun spots to go and don't look like a little lost puppy when walking around on my own. Not so much with DC. I mean.. have you seen their street system? It's obnoxious. All circles and diagonals and conspiracy theories of Illuminati and Freemasons (see: Dan Brown).

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All this is to say that I have fairly limited experiences with local DC culture. I know there's a ton of stuff that goes on, but it's not always feasible to explore everything I want to. While we are maybe a total of 15 miles from downtown, it will take a good hour or so to go anywhere of interest, especially depending on the time of day.

When we first moved into the area about six years ago, we did the whole touristy thing and walked around the Capitol, down Constitution Avenue, around the Smithsonian, etcetera. My favorite find that day - which I have since learned is a "thing" down here in the summers - was the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art. We meandered upon this randomly in the middle of the day, but apparently it's a fairly big  hotspot that hosts events such as live Jazz throughout the season. It's been on my list to go back for one of these events.. but have I? Of course not.

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A much more recent and local discovery I've made - that I have admittedly known about for the longest time, and even used to work a mere mile from - is the Sunday night drum circle at Meridian Hill (aka Malcom X) Park.

First off, the park itself is gorgeous. I totally want to have a photo shoot here.

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Second, the drum circle? It's magical. It's crazy, fun, invigorating, and a quintessential DC experience. The premise is that every Sunday, a bunch of people come together and bang on drums, shake tambourines, and dance their booties off. There's no particular "group" - it's open to anyone and everyone. Some people take part in the action, some play frisbee or do yoga.

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And others (me) sit back on the grass to just take in the scene with some noms and vino (it seems that the police often overlook the whole alcohol-in-public thing during the drum circle hours).

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I'm under the impression that this takes place mostly year round, and has actually been going on since the 1950's or so. It's definitely a local delight that I fully intend to enjoy more of this summer.. possibly tomorrow?!

Does your town have any local treasures that everyone else may or may not know about?