interior, santa cruz diner, pt. 2. let me take you to a place where the service is slow…. ha ha, seriously though, this is a good place to practise patience, but the food is worth the wait. plus it’s the only place open 24 hours, besides denny’s and you wouldn’t wanna eat there unless it was free.

speaking of free, we suspect a woman at the studio has been trying to scam free classes by not signing the sign-in sheet and then disputing the computer record later. after a couple of months of this, she finally settled her debt with the studio. she signed her check as if every pen stroke caused her pain and then casually tossed the check and pen in my direction with the slightest of disdain. in my sweetest of voices, i said, “thank you, bitch, you din’t have to toss the pen at me, you could have just left it right here” and placed it on the sign-in sheet she picked it up from. actually, i said her name, but i was thinking “bitch” ha ha. after she left, my teacher said, “that woman is not happy with us.” can you imagine leaving a yoga studio like that? it’s not the dmv, this is a place for gratitude and love. hope she learns to open her heart sooner than later. see you tomorrow ~m

shannon from another time. i recognize some of her songs as belonging to bob dylan, hank williams. i wish i had a better knowledge of american folk so i could recognize more of her covers, but i also wish i knew which of her songs were originals. i swear, i’m gonna get my guitar out of storage and start playing on the streets soon.

sunday morning bikram yoga. some people start their sunday at church. honestly, i try and think of god at the fullest expression of each pose. before final savasana, i say a prayer of thanks and gratitude. i know a lot of people think of bikram as a workout not as any sort of god thing, it’s both for me. i got into it for the workout factor, but as i got deeper into my practise, my mind and heart started opening. i read that we practise hatha yoga to prepare our mind for seated meditation. isn’t that curious? we work every muscle of the body, just to relax the mind for one thing—meditation, seated prayer. well, that’s why i never feel bad about not going to church on sunday. god knows i’m down with him, i’m not worried. xo,m

animals close-up with a wide-angle lens! the macro lens attachment for my iphone fits onto a bigger piece to make a wide-angle lens—cool, huh? click to see the larger version to see how cool it really is. i can’t remember this dog’s name, but her nickname is baby.

happy saturday, friends! did you practise or was it a day of rest for you? i spent the day remembering episodes of twilight zone, thanks to encouragement from newly published author @vegjolinda. all my early childhood memories revolve around tv, but twilight zone was cool. during the summer, my mom would be at work and my dad would take care of me. he’d make lunch and the two of us would eat, every day at noon, and watch back-to-back episodes of twilight zone. sometimes i wish we could still do things like that, someday i hope we have the time. see you tomorrow ~m

snake in the grass! this one’s for @jasonlparks, since i haven’t posted an iphoneography shot in a million years. i got a really sweet close-up, but you’ll have to wait for that until tomorrow.

oh my gosh, where did today go? bikram was awesome today—i always love classes led by my first teacher. i think you always place your first teacher on a higher pedestal than the others, no matter what. it was good that i can work the front desk because after class, as the noon was scheduled to start, she can slammed with questions and a newbie. while my teacher answered one student’s question about a pose, i jumped to the front desk and got the new student signed in and prepared for her first class. i’m super grateful for my work trade and always feel like i get the better end of the deal, so being able to help out like that always makes me feel like, “that’s why i’m here.” late night ramblings from an all day rambler xox,m

san lorenzo river. this is my new favorite spot to chillax before i go home. this is prolly a mile and a half past my place, but it’s kinda worth the distance to be able to sit here and enjoy this view.

wonderful silent practise tonight. the dialogue is such an awesome part of bikram yoga and some people would benefit from not taking a silent class. even though you know the sequence of poses, you may not be doing them correctly. still, the group energy, with the whole room moving as one, is pretty cool.

on friday, i got a correction to the second part of my awkward that has rocked my world. after class, my teacher got me into the pose and showed me my adjustment, it’s so minor, in my middle torso, i’m bending forward ever so slightly. now that she pointed it out, i’m feeling the need for this correction in other poses *and* in my regular posture. just now, as i typed, i had to correct myself! everyday is a chance for new growth, change and development in your body, i see it in mine. okay, that’s enough ~m

k-man and his pups! since mary liked the profiles, here’s another one of our greats, khalil and his dog, kona (i think that’s her name). khalil’s classes are usually a mix of very deep spiritually with a real push towards working a little harder than you would prolly like. my only complaint is that he doesn’t teach often enough. oh, and he was born in 1984. i don’t know about you, but that makes me feel kinda old.

today was my day off from bikram, so how did i rest and recover? i spent the day riding my bike and doing a little hiking in the woods. if you bike 10 minutes up the street, you get into a national forest and it’s pretty awesome. kind of weird to walk on ground that has never been developed. crazy to think that the scenery is the same as it was 100 years ago. hope you enjoyed your saturday, i know i loved mine. xo,m

courteney. another one of my favorite teachers that has been coerced into a quick portrait. don’t let looks deceive you, this woman is mean, but it’s part of her job. she has shaped and influenced my practise so much, it’s not an exaggeration to say i wouldn’t be the bender i am without her. she’s led me through class more than any other teacher and in that time i’ve developed discipline and patience that i never knew i had.

i talked to a bender today, who remembered when i first started practising. she complimented me on the growth my practise has had since i started and i told her, “aw, it’s mostly all her doing” referring to my teacher. i know i had something to do with it, but her guidance and leadership has made my practise what it is. thank you, court, it’s always a privelege to take your class. ~m