Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Walking on air

From Astronomy Picture of the Day
Yesterday the Astronomy Picture of the Day put up this new view of our beautiful blue planet, taken about three months ago from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. It looks like the earth is setting (or rising), but it's because it was taken from an object that is orbiting the moon. That brown section in the upper right is the Sahara Desert, and on that gorgeous globe lies all our hopes and dreams, and for that matter, all of us. Sometimes I need to take a step back, or even a light second or two (it takes light 1.3 seconds to travel from the earth to the moon) to gain some perspective on my life.

Somehow things look different now that I've gazed at that picture, thinking of wars and rumors of wars, the news cycles as they flash across my television screen. Yes, perspective is everything, isn't it?

I just returned home from my new yoga class, and I'm pleased to think that I have three months of classes ahead before I will decide whether to keep taking the gentle yoga class or move up to the next level. All that lies ahead of me, but for now I feel like I'm walking on air, after an hour and a half with a wonderful instructor in a lovely setting at Yoga Northwest. I'm feeling uplifted and walking with a spring in my step. I've got some exercises to practice for balance and to lengthen the muscles in my back that tend to want to seize up. I'm not sure how long this feeling will last, but I sure feel pretty good right now!
:-)

20 comments:

  1. That is a glorious picture.
    Yay for walking, dancing, floating on air.
    Long may it continue.

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  2. Quite a photo! I'm thinking that good feeling will last a while.

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  3. Isn't yoga amazing? I need to be more disciplined about doing it, but it takes years off the old joints! It will keep you climbing those mountains many more years.

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  4. ah, i've always wanted to try yoga. good for you!!

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  5. Great photo. Thanks for the perspective.

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  6. You'll be a natural at yoga! Love that photo.

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  7. What a beautiful photo! And your comment about it reminds me of that Bette Midler song 'from a distance.' :)

    Glad you are enjoying the yoga class!

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  8. I've never done yoga, never really wanted to, but you make it sound wonderful.
    The world and its problems seem so big until you look at the Earth from that perspective.

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  9. I wonder what the earth's picture would look like 100 years ago? a 1000 years ago? Keep up with yoga. It keeps you stretched and as you say gives a good overall feeling.

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  10. Walking on air sounds good to me! I could use some of that! Stunning pocture!

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  11. Beautiful shot of the earth! Glad you found a yoga class you really like. I go to a yoga class every Saturday and I feel much more flexible.

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  12. Amazing perspective.
    We have a good friend (he was raised on the farm property next to us.. he is now a septuagenarian hopping around the country) who attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center this fall. He brought our kids a bounty of NASA goodies on his next trip to MN. It is so fascinating, and grounding, to step back and ponder the universe.
    His daughter works for Ball Aerospace and her husband teaches Astronomy at Boulder. They're all good at making us ponder such.
    I've wanted to try yoga for years. Thank you for reminding me of that. We have a yoga DVD provided as a course option for the boys' phy.ed. lessons at home. (They use a different fitness plan.) I'm going to find it and try it tomorrow! So glad you're feeling good, DJan!

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  13. It doesn't seem real let alone possible for someone to be up there.

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  14. Good. I am glad that gentle yoga is strengthening your body and improving your spirits. Keep it up.

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  15. Perspective. Yes. I remember when we got our first picture of the big blue marble. Too bad not enough people have kept that perspective in mind for these past decades. But there are a lot of them who have. Slow positive changes are being made. :)

    The yoga class sounds wonderful! Just wonderful! :)

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  16. Yes, that is the feeling I miss the most about not taking Yoga. Amazing isn't it?
    Ya know, hands down, we have the prettiest planet in the universe. Why can't the greedy and power hungry realize that and not try to destroy it? Maybe all world leaders should be required to spend time on the space station before taking office. Just a thought.

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  17. Great! I'm glad you are enjoying your yoga class.

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  18. I wish we had a yoga instructor round here. I sure would like to go. The photo is lovely. I was up early as usual and watched the last of the moon disappear. I love this part of the morning, when the sky awakens. Have a great day.

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  19. I've only had three yoga classes a long time ago, but it was too gentle and I didn't think I was getting enough out of it. I have a lot of friends who swear by it though. It sounds like it would really work for you. You always look so healthy and fit.

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  20. Yeah! Sounds like you liked the class! I am finally back home, Jen is getting a bit better, she has lots of pain but is a real trooper:)

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