Simple Joys of the Week, September 6th Edition

First Friday in September, woot woot! I woke up this morning, went out onto our balcony, and was shocked by the crazy cool temperature--there was a serious fall-bite in the air! It was chilly! I'm not sure if I'm ready for it yet, but the seasons, they are a changin.' 

So, lets soak up the last of summer by reflecting on our simple, sensory joys of the week, shall we? What made you smile over the past 7 days? My SJOTW are below...

HEAR: "Budding Trees" by Nahko and Medicine for the People
This song is another one that was sent to me by one of my students (thank you!) and that I'm now using in my September class playlist (which I posted this week!). It makes me feel really relaxed and happy, and I think it's a fabulous yoga song. My favorite line? "The body talks and meditation helps." You can listen below:

SEE: This guide for "How to do a Moon Salutation in Yoga"
I LOVE moon salutations. I usually teach them in my seasonal restorative yoga workshops, and I find that they're an amazing way to calm the body while still getting a good stretch. As it has started to get darker earlier, and I've found myself wanting to crawl into bed even earlier (before 9:30--I know!!!), I've also found myself craving moon salutations. If you don't know how to do them, here's a great step-by-step description via YogaOutlet.com's "Guides" section . I recommend doing moon salutations before bed or as you're winding down at the end of a long day. Ahhhhhhhh. 

TASTE: Gluten-Full Pizza
Last weekend, I fell off of the gluten-free bandwagon big time. Ben really wanted Italian, and at first I said no, because I knew it would be hard to resist my gluten urges at an Italian restaurant--but eventually, I gave in. I looked at the menu beforehand, knew that I wanted pizza, and I agreed to go there anyways. And I got pizza. And it was totally worth going non-gluten-free + dealing with a little belly ache. Sometimes, you just want gluten, ya know? Pizza is one of those times. YUM. 

SMELL: Orange Slices
When we played beach volleyball two weeks ago, we were all crazy thirsty and kept saying how good it would be to have some fresh fruit on hand. So, this time around, when we played on Labor Day (it was SOOOOOOOO fun!), Ben and I brought orange slices for everyone. [Yes, soccer mom style.] Smelling and eating them between games reminded me how much I like oranges (we never buy them for some reason?) and how amazing they can be after a day spent outside. Sidenote: I couldn't be more obsessed with beach volleyball right now. I want to play all day, every day. Anyone up for a game right now? Meet you at the courts in 5...

TOUCH: Whitewater Tubing
As I mentioned on Monday, we went "whitewater tubing" last weekend. Although yes, I did get flipped upside down in a vortex of rapids (you can see that I'm totally over it), the day was wonderful. Floating on/in the cool water, soaking up the sun, the breeze, and the fresh air--it felt really great. Plus, it was amazing to get out of the city and just try something new!

Speaking of trying new things, I've got a full weekend planned, but am proud to report that I'm signed up for my first Barre class on Saturday (which I've been wanting to try FOREVER) and am taking my rescheduled Flying Trapeze class on Sunday! Yikes! I'll share my thoughts next week...

I hope your week was FULL of the simple pleasures in life. Take a little time today to reflect on them and appreciate them, will ya?