30 Days of Lagree

I’ve tried Lagree once before and was quickly humbled. It was in my prime yoga days when I wanted to switch things up. I decided to take a 6am class because I thought it would be empty. I was mistaken because each of the machines were accounted for! The machine, a megaformer, felt foreign, and the pace made it incredibly challenging. Who would have thought something that looked so slow and easy could be one of the most challenging workouts I’ve ever done.

Fast forward to last month where I finally decided to use my one month unlimited class membership that I got as a birthday gift. From the very first class (well second), I realized that Lagree works muscles that I didn’t even know I had. Every single four count is done under constant tension. As someone who doesn’t have a strong core, my body was shaking. The thing with Lagree is that the time under tension is what makes the class. The movements you do might be easy, but doing each of these movements as slow as possible is what gets you. By the end of the 40 minute class, the cue for childs pose is extremely gratifying and much needed. Now that I have officially finished 19 classes in 30 days, I notice that my core is stronger and I have a new found appreciation for slow and intentional effort. Don’t get me wrong, even having gone several times, the classes get easier, but not by much. Lagree is low-impact but incredibly challenging, and that’s what I like about it.

After thirty days, I can still say I like it a lot. Especially when your studios are filled with plants, color, and likeminded people trying to do their best.

xoxo,e

Books Galore

Recently, I haven’t had the chance to read many physical books as I did in the past, but I’ve been tearing through audiobooks. In the last 30 days, I must have gone through four books per week. I was never one to listen to audiobooks, but what I’ve realized is that the two experiences feel very different. Physical books let me become immersed into the story in a way that’s hard to replicate. When I’m holding the book, my attention feels sharper, and somehow the details seem to stick more. However, with audiobooks, I don’t always catch every detail of nuance.

All that to say, it doesn’t mean the audio experience is any less valuable. If anything, I appreciate listening to different narrators and the depth they can create with each of the characters. Being able to multitask while listening has also been really nice. I’m able to listen to stories while cooking, driving, walking around my neighborhood, or while I’m getting ready in the morning.

I’ve come to realize that it’s okay if I can’t always sit down and read a physical book, listening to them still count! And, by listening to them, I’ve been able to expand my book list and experience tropes I wouldn’t necessarily gravitate to otherwise.

Here are a few pictures from a recent library visit. I love how this library is sunken into the woods. It’s pure magic!

xoxo,e

Two Hours, One Bridge

One of the hardest points of the Switzerland trip was a hike I wasn’t prepared for. Apparently, the Charles Kuonen Bridge is the longest in Switzerland measuring at 494 meters. We didn’t realize how long of a trek it would be, hence, not being prepared. What we thought would be a mild walk turned out to be a two hour there, two hour back, inclined hike. There were more than one occurrence where I wanted to turn back, but the thought of reaching the end kept me going. It didn’t help that along the way, different people that we passed by gave us inaccurate information about how much longer it would take until we reached the bridge. It was interesting to see different perceptions of time. When we finally arrived, albeit two hours and a slightly irritated Elise later, it wasn’t just seeing the bridge that awed me. It was knowing that the only way to see this bridge was to get there by foot.

This hike reminded me that perseverance isn’t always about taking the giant leaps, it’s about not giving up when things get hard, choosing the hard thing over and over, and not giving up when the easy thing is to stop (or in my case, turn back). Was the hike worth it in the end? At the time, maybe not. But, knowing that we didn’t give up and turn back made me realize this exact lesson about not giving up. So, yes, in the end it was worth it.

Here are some amazing pictures from the preverbial ‘top’.

xoxo,e