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Health & Fitness

Perfecting The Art of Chill in the World of Design

How this interior designer strikes a balance and a pose, or two. Can you say Namaste?

I’ve been an interior designer for a number of years.  I love my job and came to it full circle, so to speak.  As a child and preteen, I designed my bedroom and instituted many design themes in my childhood home.  The evolution of my career has been a lifetime journey.  I took a few detours over the years, but all of my other professions had some aspect of creativity.  It’s the old adage; make your career a job you love to do each day.

My day-to-day clients are mostly residential.  That being said, I get to know my clients, and their families, in a way that no other professional can even imagine.  I enter their bedrooms, bathrooms, closets and all the rooms of the house, in order to bring an aspect of peace and serenity, while interpreting the client’s vision.  Occasionally, a client knows what they want, but doesn’t know how to get there.   Other clients lead the way.  It’s a profession that is highly personal, fulfilling, yet, at times, can be stress inducing. 

I’m a psychic when I get the occasional client that is indecisive.  It’s a humbling experience that I accept with graciousness and pleasure.  I like to get it perfect.  It’s always different and I love the challenge and a satisfied client when the project comes to a close.   A satisfied client is a repeat client.

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Coping with stress, well, is stressful.   So, I started taking a yoga class.  I began indulging in the occasional vinyassa flow yoga class in a heated studio.  It’s daunting at first, but yogis (that’s what we call ourselves) adapt quickly and now I can’t seem to practice without the perfect, level mix of high heat and good humidity.  It makes for a concise recipe for the loosening of muscles and a detoxification like no other.  The heat component is especially important for us aging athletes and increases flexibility on those tired or injured joints.

I increased my weekly classes from one, to maxing out at four, which is said to be optimal for noticeable results.  For three years this was my routine, but last year I tore my rotator cuff and was out of commission for an extended period of time.  Thus, a cessation of frequent mellow yoga classes with my mixed bag of yogi friends.  I missed it terribly.

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But, I’m back.  I lost some of my posing strength, but I assure myself on a regular basis that I’ll do my best to recapture that sense of calm with some modification, continued effort, and sheer stubborn demeanor.  The art of the “chill” comes from these classes as I deal with daily life as a mom, wife and business owner, or the occasional “having a bad day checkout girl”.  The mantra from the instructors is that you take away what you want and to be a calm force of nature.  A tall order, but one I can entertain. 

So, for all of you wannabe yogis, and non-practicing yogis, or the mom who got away from her athletic self, and the dad who thinks yoga is for “others,” or the high school athlete who wants a great strengthening practice, try the newest yoga studio in Wexford, Stray Dog Yoga.

 Newcomers will find seriously trained instructors from all walks of life — male and female.  You’ll also find a state-of–the-art heated studio designed to produce the “chill” factor in all.  The studio is serene in design and the perfect size. Parking is free and classes are many, seven days a week.  Check out the website www.straydogyogastudio.com  for all the information you need for schedules, instructor bios and to take a look at the real stray dog,” Cooper".  Namaste.                            

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