annanotbob2's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yin and things I'm watching the Britain' Got Talent final, mainly to make Bloke stay out the back rather than in my face like he is these days. I want to say to him, "Listen mate, we do OK by giving each other plenty of space, so shove off, for fuck's sake." But I don't say that, as he's not doing great at the moment. I'm sneakier and possibly that makes me meaner but I don't care. He has four more treatments then it's all done. Fingers crossed and all that. I've just had a flurry of messaging with J, the American member of our zoom writing group, who's coming to England next week and is popping down from London for the day to see me. I asked her what she'd like to do and the only thing she's dead set on is swimming in the North Atlantic. It's the English Channel here, but almost the Atlantic. I just checked the current temperatures - it's 54F here and 78F off Florida, where she lives, though she doesn't swim in the sea there. She'd like to sit in my garden but it's miles away from Brighton and my house is so dirty - can I manage that? We'll see. Also tea and scones, an Indian meal and a mooch round the lanes. Today's yin yoga was lovely. I do it on the floor in the art room, which used to be the big bedroom so there's plenty of space to spread out. On Sunday afternoons, the sun's at that side of the house and light floods in, warming my spot on the mat. There's not much traffic but loads of birdsong, the evening chattering. I lie there, with my eyes closed, trying to focus on my breath and not on the aroma of dinner wafting up the stairs, or planning how I'll organise all my stuff, eventually. I can see under the desk and under the sofa, lots of leaves have drifted under both of them which is strange. Of the yin yoga teachers I've had, all the others say, "And now I'll leave you for three minutes silence, to sink in to the pose and blah blah blah," on and on they go, reminding you to relax your jaw, and let your weight fall into the floor, and whatever. Charlie, the Sunday guy, doesn't say anything. He tells us what to do, "Take a long deep breath and as you exhale, move slowly into square pose, sitting forward fold. Cross your legs, and fold forward from the hips onto cushions or blocks to support you head. Let your arms relax, your shoulders, your jaw, you pelvis, let your whole body relax." Then he's silent. He doesn't say he will be then chat shit for three more minutes, he shuts up and leaves us for up to five minutes. That's yin - long poses, supported with blocks, cushions, bolsters, whatever, so you relax right into it and supposedly stretch out your ligaments, fascia, all that stuff. Sometimes it can be quite 'strong' - yoga speak for painful - but if you breathe into it, focus the inhale on the place that hurts, it really does relax and stop hurting. Quite extraordinary. And meditative - although I have to keep bringing myself back to my breath, and to relaxing, especially jaw, shoulders and buttocks, I do come back to them and by the end of the hour I'm well chilled out. Like a reset button. I love it. Uproar at Britain's Got Talent result - a mad Norwegian comic won. I voted for him, I laughed and laughed. Kind of similar to the show I saw last week, just mental, creating a mad world where you can only laugh. People very indignant as there were some very clearly talented singers and dancers, but fuck it, times are hard. We need to laugh. Also, a pigeon is building a nest in the wisteria, the non-flowering (so far) wisteria growing up the front of the house. I keep seeing it flying with a twig in its beak, diving into the thick of it, coming out twigless. Next to where we had a goldfinch nest in an echium a couple of years ago. Wildlife friendly or what?
11:30 p.m. - 04.06.23 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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