= Kayoga
My Saturday started as I attempted a 55 minute run through dense fog with Lucky girl. I had only 1 hour to complete this run before I had to be out the door for kayoga. I should have known that wasn’t enough time with a dog in tow. Stop and sniff. Stop and protest run. Stop and be pissed off that there are no squirrels to chase because they are all still sleeping.
Just a lesson in patience really (though I had to have some chats with Lucky along the way). I ended up getting 30 long, drawn out running minutes in the allotted hour.
You win some, and lose some.
It was still foggy on the drive over to Tierra Verde, the island right before Ft. DeSoto, where I was meeting up with Sara, Jena, and Jenny for kayoga. We all bought a groupon for this little adventure and were excited to give kayak + yoga a try.
The trip began with a 45 minute paddle to an isolated barrier island off of Tierra Verde (Hello awesome camping spot! Dave and I will be back soon).
We spotted lots of fish (all of which Jena could name) and a few stingrays on the paddle out.
When we arrived on the island, we went into the Gulf for a little dip before our yoga session. Living in Florida is seriously amazing (just remind me that come July, please!)
Yoga started with some bikram like poses moved into sun salutations, some seated poses and finished with breathing exercises and shavasana. I didn’t need to be a yoga guru to get through the 60 minute yoga session, but it was strenuous enough that I felt like I was getting some great stretching and good core and stability work done.
I really enjoyed looking at a beautiful sky while holding poses. It was really refreshing and sure beats florescent lights! The stratus clouds were constantly changing with each pose. And we even spotted a manatee!
After a quick swim in the Gulf after yoga was complete, we were on our way back to reality. We all commented how relaxing we felt in shavasana.
Once back to shore, I totally felt like one of two things needed to happen: either do another yoga session or for a masseuse to magically appear from the sky and massage my shoulders.
Since neither went down, a quick little stretch ensued, and I was back on the road. The key to avoiding traffic to the beach on a beautiful weekend day is to arrive early. This was the scene as we were leaving the Ft. DeSoto area.
I was dreaming of a salad, so Jenny and I stopped at Central Café and Organics for lunch. If you recall I went there last weekend for a blogger meeetup, and had the most refreshing and delicious meal. Being so close, I couldn’t resist.
St. Petersburg was crazy since the Gran Prix was also this weekend, so once we scored some free parking spots, I inhaled a ridiculously huge salad and carrot, apple, ginger juice and then headed to check out the race.
We were able to catch a little bit of the races through a fence. Here I am reaching my hand up really high to get a picture. Tis the advantages of being tall.
I’m hoping to win this car, so keep your fingers crossed.
Kayoga was definitely fun! I would love to do it again, if I could get another groupon (unfortunately with a $50 a pop price tag, this won’t be a weekly occurrence). Though, word on the street is that they occasionally give away free kayoga sessions if a class isn’t full. So if you are in the Tampa Bay area, be sure to friend them on facebook.
Have you ever tried kayoga? What the hell is a grand prix?
Be well,
Carolyn
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