When my Mom was retired at sixty she started Tai Chi. She was a decidedly unathletic woman but she enjoyed the pace of it and eventually worked up to having her own sword  (that’s a Tai Chi thing). Later, in her eighties she recovered from an ugly operation unusually quickly because, the Doctor said, her legs were so strong from Tai Chi that they took over the hearts job when it was weak.

When E had his heart transplant, the Doctors suggested that what saved him (other than the gift of life) was that his legs were strong from playing hockey and were able to take over the hearts job of pumping blood when his heart was unable. I have a point to these anecdotes, stay with me.

Do you remember the movie from the sixties, Walk Don’t Run, with Carey Grant and Jim Hutton. No? that’s okay, here is a brief synopsis. Guy goes to the Tokyo Olympics as a competitor in the walking race… Hilarity ensues…

The women on the island walk most days around the island and they look a little like the race scene in Walk Don’t Run. They walk like Jim Hutton. I do not.

When I walk, the descriptive word is more likely ramble, mosey or wander. Walking the dogs, E patiently forces himself to impersonate a snail and we often look like a Japanese couple in the 1800’s with me always three steps behind. Although we make it work, I don’t think I can ever up the pace to participate with the WOW (woman who walk) speed..

The women here (they are a fit bunch) also do yoga and kayak and bike and well, as I’ve said before, can seemingly do anything. I am out of my league.. But after feeling like Sh*t for the last month I thought perhaps I could try the yoga with the women and see if I could work my way up to a downward dog or an upright cat while I strengthen my leg muscles.

The women who really know what they are doing with yoga met at the island yoga studio of one of our own on Tuesday. On Thursday, there was a restorative session held at another’s deck for a less strenuous class. Imagine if you will, a beautiful deck perched at the edge of a cliff on a calm warm morning. Seven women with their mats in front of our instructor who patiently brings us to our centre of calm.. I spent a relaxing rejuvenating stretching hour in my first attempt to get with the yoga program and try to take better care of myself and strengthen my legs. It was lovely, Patty (our leader) was patient and kind.

At the end, as we all lay motionless on the deck, a float plane flew closely overhead. I am sure they all thought we had “drunk the kool aid” as we all relaxed in the corpse position (my personal favorite).

The whole experience was lovely and I have every intention to practice at home and return to class next week. But considering my lack of water and limited sponge bath options at our house right now, I only wish they had told me that the common practice when doing yoga was to take your shoes off.. If I had known, I would have

washed my feet