Bikram and the funnny things in life...

So I'm sitting here thinking about what to blog for the day, I've come to realize working full-time all summer provides me a lot of desk time to be on my computer; so I figure why not utilize it to post on my blog more often.  I've been sitting here for about a half hour trying to think of what to say....

But this incessant soreness in my back keeps bothering. Its a good kind of soreness, the kind you get when you WORKOUT to a point where it is a good soreness. But it made me think of how far I've come from being at my peak fitness and shape less than six months to go to where I am now. Now don't get me wrong I am not complaining about being out of shape and being lethargic I still go running and workout 4-5 times a week. It just so happens running Cross Country and Track for the last 4 years of high school my definition of peak fitness is not getting on a treadmill 5 times a day for 30 minutes. Its more like two a day workouts, hour to two hour long runs, weightlifting, cross training in the pool, and of course ab exercises. Thinking about it NOW I realize how much I miss the daily routine, the teammates, and the overall flow of how my day went. I really had my work cut out for me, cross country was like the battery that kept my metronome going at a steady rate. Anytime I was in season I got lots of sleep, studied hard, was caught up on homework, and was happy. Nowadays working out has sort of become a chore. So the solution to it all....

Is still in progress. I can't seem to feel productive enough only running 4-5 days a week without any goals ahead of me.

So I' have been trying some new things, namely Bikram Yoga. A little bit about Bikram Yoga (after the jump), essentially Bikram Yoga is done in 105 degree heat rooms where the lead instructor puts you through 26 different poses over an hour and half sessions.  I'm going to have to say doing Bikram Yoga yesterday was hands down one of the HARDEST workouts I have ever done. 

The way the poses demand your body to be put in positions it is HIGHLY unwilling to be placed in, as well as the incessant heat, and non-stop continued movement through all of the poses made me want to quit after the first half hour. And to everyone out there that laughs at the notion of Yoga, try Bikram before you dismiss it off. I thought that same exact thing before actually trying it out. It KICKs your butt, makes you wanna curl up into a ball a give up, but by the end you feel so good. Its like a euphoria of the body where every part of your body is relaxed and in a perfect state of equilibrium.

My recommendation TRY it before you DISMISS it. It's gonna hurt, it's gonna kick your butt,  but it will make you realize how much your body can take. 

I think I've found my solution to my lackadaisical approach to keeping in shape and feeling good about it. A weekly combination of running, cycling, swimming, and yoga to help relax my body. 

So I'm posting some images in honor of Le Tour De France 2010

(It's sad to see Armstrong go but alas its his time)

I do feel so beaten up and sore today probably from not being used to ever bending my back in ways i thought was impossible. 

Til Another Day

Johnny Wu

Intellectual Prose on Blogging and Life....

            It's funny how going days without blogging you get this itch, this burning need to write something, to say something out  LOUD to shout out loud about whatever weird things pass through your mind. This morning while I'm diligently sitting at work musing about the meaning of life, the origins of space, and such mundane things in life I slowly realize how much incessant internal dialogue I have with myself. If I even said half of what was coming out of my over inflated HEAD I'd talk my poor friends and family to death. 

              So I met some new friends in the blogosphere today, okay I didn't really meet them here we all went to school together but its kinda cool...Rage Paige, Jacob, Cece, Catherine. So I'm gonna blog about blogs! They know what their doing, speakin their minds, they do whatever the (excuse my language) fuck they want, and most importantly they express what their about. Whether its the music they love, the people the love to hate, the weird things they think up on the spot, they're constantly thinking. You see that's what I think blogging is about, a public forum for your diary. Just without the little posts about what guy you have a stupid crush on and how embarrassing it was to pee your pants back in 4th Grade....  anyway this whole blogging thing is kinda cool, I can say what I want be whoever I want, for all you know I could be a secret super hero. 

Anyway back to the thoughts trapped inside my head. I've recently started running again it's what you might call an obsession for me. The days and weeks that I miss out on running are some of the most stress filled and depressing days of my life. For whatever psychological and/or mystical reason, running is my therapy. A chance to get away from the MASSES and the obligations in life. When my feet head out the door with nothing on and the warm pavement underneath met I am free. I can hate myself, love myself, and judge myself all at the same time. There are no such things as  rules and expectations when I'm running, I am liberated and free. Above the cloud of pressure, obligations, and judgment I am free to move about the cabin, figuratively speaking. Running is my way of life, like a metronome that keeps me on beat. That lets me get away from the daily rush of life. That lets me be ME.

So I have a multitude of things in my life that I love. Most importantly la familia, los amigos, and food. But passing by these mundane loves of my life. If you were to peel away the flower petals of a rose and get to the center of it all you find what I really love...

Running

People

 

Pottery

Photography

 

It's funny that in a few words and a few pictures you can sum up a large part of who I am, yet these words and the pictures don't even begin to explain who I am. Why I am so odd, so at lost, so happy, and so in love with life. I've come to realize life is a series of contradictions. 

Seemingly perfect peace in the world contrasted with genocides and death. 

Seemingly perfect marriages contrasted with broken homes. 

Perfect rainy days and hurricanes

Perfect lives suddenly unraveled

One thing I can attest to, is that life can never be predictable, it throws the hardest curve balls, it sweeps you off your feet when you least expect it, and its takes everything away when you need it the most. But isn't that the Beauty in it? THe collection of hardships, relationships, memories, and life lessons that sum up who we are. Without the suffering without the challenges life would not be. Our memories our experiences truly define who we are. Life is good, life is amazing, life is

LOVE

That's all I have for now. My brains has thoroughly expelled of all tangible thoughts and coherent ideas.  I am at a impasse, my mind overworked. Maybe this will get you thinking about your own life, who knows, blogging kinda cool you get to share your thoughts with the world and hope that someone else can relate to it all.

Til Another Time,

Johnny Wu

Sidebar: 

Last night my neighbor gave me these amazing seats at the Hollywood Bowl to listen to Le Passions played by the (LA Philharmonic)  Catherine and I got superseats smack dab in the middle. Unfortunanetly I forgot to bring my memory card, but its turned out to be a perfect night, sitting there holding Catherine in my arms. It was a night filled with Debussy and Ravel and Saint Saens (my favorite of the three involving a beautiful violin solo throughout)

Sitting there lost in the music, with a beautiful girl  by my side I had time to appreciate the gifted life I live. In beautiful sunny Southern California, in the enclaves of La Canada, with amazing friends and family, and a perfect opportunity to live a cherished life. 

I am thankful and am at peace.