Deadlines shmeadlines

It’s been another crazy week in CLEO world, signing off our April issue while trying to meet our May copy deadline (yes, we do work that far an advance, and yes, it does mess with my internal calendar), hence the delayed reaction of this week’s post.

And what better way to deal with the knots in my back (and stomach) than a relaxing yoga class? Or so says our health and beauty ed Pippa. It seemed like a great idea at the time (the time, being Tuesday evening) so off I went with Pips to Living Yoga in Craighall Park (Livingyoga.co.za). I’ve been doing yoga off and on for the past six years (more off than on), so didn’t really give much thought to whether I could hack it or not. Big mistake. Huge!

As soon as I walked into the cozy studio with mirrors on one wall and a Buddha on the other, I knew I’d been too hasty. Just a few of the thoughts racing through my head: “How could I possibly be sweating before doing an ohm or downward facing dog?” “Why is it warmer than a desert bonfire in here?” and when the breathing exercises started, “Is this studio really a front for a Darth Vader convention?”

With a gentle American twang our instructor Alana guided us through a vigorous sequence of sun salutations, explaining that this particular class of “Jiva Flow” is all about the yin and yang – the first half of the class being the strenuous, ball-busting part and the second being the calmer, stretchy part. An hour into it, I was tasting my own sweat as it dripped up my neck (I was curled into a ball you see) and feeling rivulets flow down my back (and other places). Savassna (the relaxation portion of the class) could not have come soon enough and as we all lay there in the dark like corpses in a zombie movie I suddenly felt rejuvenated, happy and ready to conquer my deadlines.

Of course, I couldn’t move my arms for the next two days (power steering sure would be great) but decided to go back on Thursday night for the beginner’s class with James, a chilled guy with a subtle wit that made me giggle when I should have been exhaling. He took us through the moves slowly, focusing on postures and breathing and trying to persuade me to stand on my head. Whatever. Either way, I will be back.

Another way the CLEO team’s planning on celebrating making another deadline is by heading to The Hat (Manhattan in Rivonia) for the CK One – The One party tomorrow night (Saturday 27th, 9pm), where the winner of our competition will be announced. All top 15 finalists are fresh-faced beauties, so naturally I will avoid standing next to them for the sake of my own self-confidence. If you don’t have plans, come and join us for a party. Hope to see you there!

xOxO