Yoga, anyOne? 

Looking forward to introducing my newest whimsical, wonky birds – the Roadrunner family. In the pretty purple dress with the orange spots is Phoebe. She has been thinking about taking a yoga class but doesn’t know for sure if she’ll be able to accomplish the yoga poses. Phoebe’s niece, Penelope, in the blue and yellow dress, is pushing Phoebe to take a class. “You will love yoga! I just know you will.” Even though Penelope is telling Phoebe what a wonderful, peaceful experience yoga can be, Phoebe is dragging her feet. Phineas, the red-beaked character in the sky, is unaware of the role he is about to play in this scenario.

For Christmas, Penelope gave her Aunt Phoebe and her Uncle Phineas a gift certificate for a private couples’ yoga lesson. Phineas, Phoebe’s husband, has flown the coop on that one and is perched on the moon in a defiant staring contest with the yin-yang. He is relatively certain yoga is not for him.

There are two sources of inspiration for this painting. First, the person who bought the wonky painting of Ethel, Elmer, and Eloise under the bright sun with the cairns asked if I would paint a companion piece that she could display on the same wall. Because a roadrunner frequents her desert yard, she would like a cactus and roadrunners in the next painting. I thought that since the last painting had a wonky sun, this one should have a wonky moon. The second inspiration for the painting is a real-life story about yoga and gift certificates.

My husband and I received a gift certificate for a private couples’ yoga lesson from our niece, Darci, aka Penelope. I was excited, but my husband, Don, aka Phineas, was not so thrilled. He reluctantly agreed to go, but only because he thought it was so sweet of Penelope to do this for us, and because the lesson was to be private. I made an appointment, and we showed up at the yoga studio at our usual 10 minutes before the required time. We met the instructor who seemed very sweet. As we were introducing ourselves, a couple of women came through the door. I quietly told the instructor that I had been told that this would be a private lesson. She seemed quite surprised. She said that she had no knowledge of a private lesson, and that this was a group session. So, I quietly talked to Don and asked if he wanted to stay. He rolled his eyes, and, with an annoyed lets-get-this-over-with look, indicated that we should stay since we were already here. People continued to arrive, and the number swelled to 15! To the clear embarrassment of my poor husband, all others attending were female.

The instructor asked us to form a line and sit cross-legged on our mats, facing her. The class began with her saying “Namaste”. I am pretty sure Phineas rolled his eyes at that point. She said that, since we were all new, she’d like us to introduce ourselves and state if we had any problems with our bodies that might interfere with yoga poses. The first woman talked about how she had severe monthly cramps. I think, at this point, Don might have snorted. The second woman said that she had recently had a hysterectomy and had soreness in that area. The third woman said she got severe migraines before her monthlies. I’m certain Don was in a state of shock by this time. As various “female” issues continued to be recited, I admit I was concerned about what I’d say and what my poor husband would manage to divulge. I do believe his face was quite red at this point. When it was his turn, he simply said, “I’m just an old, fat guy.” There was a rather pregnant pause which I attempted to fill by uttering, “I’m with him.” I just wanted the moment to pass, and, at this point, I already knew more about these women than I would have gleaned in any circumstance outside the gynecologist’s office.

Finally, the yoga lesson began. It turned out to be quite enjoyable for me. I learned a lot and felt so relaxed and even a bit more limber at the end of the hour. Surprisingly, Don did really well, and, to his consternation, received accolades from the instructor. Poor Don does not like to have attention called to him in any setting. As we left the studio that night, Don turned to me and said, “Don’t ever ask me to do that again.” Secretly, I think he enjoyed the lesson, at least a little bit. We still practice some of the yoga stretches, and I believe it really helps.o

My hope is that this finds you all well and ready for your next adventure. Namaste.

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