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Yoga At The Big Cat Habitat

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This morning, I had a very interesting and rather unusual experience doing yoga at the Big Cat Habitat here in Sarasota. It began reasonably early at 8:45am, but it was already pretty hot and humid. Duh, it’s summer in Florida. There were tons of playful tigers all around us. Their enclosures are very large, which made it feel more like we were the ones in the zoo and they were visiting us. So amazing!

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In addition to the tigers, we were able to see some lions and one giant (almost 800lbs!) liger– a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. Apparently the Big Cat Habitat has over 50 big cats living there, along with bears, sloths, alpacas, alligators, foxes, and a variety of exotic birds. All the animals have all been rescued and are now being protected and cared for by this amazing non-profit organization and its volunteers.

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We were lead through an hour flow by a very sweet instructor from Pineapple Yoga. Of course, we did several rounds of Lion’s Breath (where you inhale deeply and then let your breath out forcefully while sticking out your tongue like a lion). We also shook our tiger tails in our free-flowing cat/cow poses.

Halfway through our practice, one of the lions started “talking” to us. Not quite a roar, but a deep grumbling. You can hear a bit of it in the video. It was actually a little scary sounding initially, but we felt very safe and welcome at the sanctuary. In fact, they gave us all a day pass to come back another time and see everything.

I would highly recommend the Big Cat Habitat experience to anyone. It was fantastic; practicing yoga there was just icing on the cake. Seeing and sharing my morning with these beautiful creatures just reminded me that habitat preservation is so important, as well as compassion for animals. And we need to have more compassion for others, especially ourselves, but that’s another post entirely…😉

Have a good weekend, everyone! ROAR!

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Beach Walk

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So, one of the perks of my current work situation is that I am a very close walk to one of the top beaches in the United States. Siesta Key is less than a 5 minute walk from my office, and I walk there as many days a week as I can, weather permitting. Today, I walked over 5 miles and it was glorious. I am quite tired, especially my feet from the give of the sand. It’s so good for my back, knees, and joints though. Things you have to think about when you’re in your 30’s.

On my beach walks, I usually listen to music and just tune in to the beach. Of course, I also enjoy people watching. I love the feel of the water on my feet and the beauty of the sun on the glistening turquoise water that this beach is famous for. I feel grateful that I live here. It was a choice.

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Do I ever picture myself moving back up North? I honestly don’t think so right now. It’s hard to imagine not raising my potential children at the Madison Beach Club in Connecticut where I grew up, but I don’t think that’s my future anymore. I love this little paradise that I’ve found in Southwest Florida. I am lucky that my parents are here and the man I’ve chosen to share my life with grew up here all his life.

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Walking on the beach allows my mind to wander, in a healthy way. It’s majorly beneficial for my anxiety and I’d love to get to the beach every day. It’s my happy place, above anywhere else. Truly, it wouldn’t be a difficult goal to get to the beach every single day. Can I start a goal mid-way through the year? I think so!

 

Hangovers In Your 30’s

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I had an unbelievably fun Friday night with one of my best friends from Connecticut. She was here visiting with her husband, who is her college sweetheart. They both went to Rollins, and her husband’s family has a condo here.

Speaking of condos here on Siesta Key, my parents have sold their place on the intracoastal, where they have lived intermittently for the past 20 years. It’s going to be weird to say goodbye to the condo where I spent countless vacations. And what’s possibly weirder is now I work on the key… Not really sure what to make of all this, but it’s ultimately not in my hands.

So, back to Friday… my boss let me leave at 2pm on Friday and then Adam, my boyfriend of 3 years, and I drove to my friend’s parents’ condo at the other end of the key. We met up with the two of them and their two girls (aged 1 and 2), with another baby 1/2 way cooked coming in August. It was a blast to bond with these new humans, and I really had such a great time getting to know them. I think they liked me, too.

I do want kids, even though the responsibility scares me considerably. My friend kept saying how I would be such a good Mom. That makes my heart happy. Some women have an innate desire to be a mother, and I’ve always (very quietly) been one of them.

Again, Friday night, after boating around the bay, we met my friend’s parents for dinner at Casey Key Fish House and had a great time. We boated slowly home, and then my friends wanted to keep going. My boyfriend was exhausted, so he went home and I stayed on to keep drinking. Ugh… it’s Monday and I’m still paying for it. That’s what getting old is like sometimes. Bummer.

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