wellness

Tea or Coffee?

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cup of tea

When I’m really sick and trying to get better, one of the things that I do is switch my morning coffee for tea.

I definitely prefer my morning coffee ritual. I love it! However, if I’m truly honest with myself, coffee makes me happy emotionally. When I’m sick, tea makes me feel better physically. Specifically, I have green tea with lemon and honey. It feels magical the way that it transforms me.

When I decided to post everyday this month, I didn’t plan on getting sick. But that’s how life goes. All I can do now is go with the flow. There was another post that I had been working on to post either yesterday or today, but I haven’t had the energy to finish the research, never mind write-up the post. So it will have to wait.

The reason behind NaBloPoMo is to develop writing consistency for these thirty days regardless of circumstances. Life will always throw things our way that we’re not expecting. What matters is how we react to it. A bit of good news is that my second COVID test came back negative. It’s just a plain old cold.

Since I can feel my energy waning, I’ve decided not to share this post on social media. Maybe nobody will see this post, but that’s not the point. The point is that I still wrote it.

When I first did NaBloPoMo, back in 2007, social media sharing as we know it now didn’t exist. So I’m just going super old school! That’s it for now. See you tomorrow.

Not Feeling Well

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remedies when you're not feeling well

Recently, I have been hearing about a lot of people being sick with bad colds. I was able to avoid it up until this past weekend, when I was definitely not feeling well.

At the end of last week I started having a little tickle in my throat. I thought it was just my allergies acting up again. But by last night, I was sneezing, had a really bad cough, a very runny nose and a slight fever. I took a COVID test and it was negative. I’ll take another tomorrow, just to be sure.

I’ve been taking an Emergen-C in the morning and one at night, plus lots of Ricola Honey Herb drops. They help, but so far they haven’t been enough to turn things around. I’m taking acetaminophen to try and get my fever under control, because it went up to 100.1 degrees this afternoon. My normal temperature is 97 degrees, so that’s rather high for me. Taking lots of honey lemon tea and cough syrup too.

I work from home, so I worked today, but a shorter day than usual. I’m still not feeling well, but hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow. I definitely plan to take it easy for the rest of the evening.

Massachusetts Paid Medical Leave & Life Recently

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herbs and marigolds balcony garden

How to even begin writing here? I’m not sure how to do it except to just do it.

Well, my balcony garden is mostly looking good. The basil and rosemary are loving all the rain. The marigolds too. I’d prefer a little more sun, but there’s been enough to keep us all alive. Speaking of which. Things got dicey for a bit.

So a little over three weeks ago, out of the blue, I got really sick. The pain in my stomach was so brutal I couldn’t sit or lay still. I had chills and kept vomiting, which I never do. I spoke to my aunt about my symptoms and she said it sounded like gallstones. I looked online and saw several articles stating that if symptoms last more than a few hours to seek immediate medical attention. Because there could be an infection spreading to other organs and be fatal. I had already waited close to 24 hours. Gulp. I called 911.

Long story short, my gallbladder was acutely infected and I ended up having emergency surgery to remove it. I was in the hospital for a few days and have been recovering at home since. I’m feeling much better and plan to return to working next week. I’m so glad that Massachusetts now has paid medical leave and I was able to get it. What a relief.  Paid medical leave needs to be available at the federal level, so that everyone can have it when needed. Because life sure can change in an instant.

Because of the surgery, I still am not allowed to lift more than a gallon of milk for another week, and have needed help with basic things at home. Luckily family and friends have been there for me in a big way.

* * *

This year has been a trip. Well, the last several years really. Most of last year was devoted to helping my mom sell her house and move her closer to me. That was done just days before Christmas last year. I was so happy that we were able to make it happen and had planned to write about the process of helping to sell a parent’s home — the downsizing involved, etc. Life was just too much though. I was extremely exhausted and stressed from everything and just couldn’t do it. I fell behind with a lot of things. And I’m still behind.

But I decided that my priority had to be my well-being. My focus this year is to relax, enjoy life and take care of myself.

I was able to do a bunch of fun things though. I finally saw Hamilton! My mom and I did a paint night! I saw Jill Scott in concert! I visited with family in Maryland and saw the cherry blossoms in DC! I got a Wordle in one! And just a week and a half before I got sick, I went with a friend to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the beautiful Berkshires. We participated in the RISE program to help with stress management and resilience. The program was amazing! I learned so much and was probably better able to handle everything recently based on that experience. I guess the universe decided that I still had not rested enough!

So now the year is more than half over. I’m sure that I have no idea what the rest holds. But regardless of what life throws at me, I’ll give it my best.

Free Yoga Boston (Summer 2022)

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Free Yoga Boston

It’s the 10th Annual listing of free yoga classes for Greater Boston and beyond! There are dozens of classes, so hopefully you can find at least a few that work with your schedule.

Most classes listed are free or donation based. Please tip for donation and pay generously what you can afford for sliding scale. Classes are weekly unless otherwise stated.

Click on links for more details and to be sure there is a class at the time listed. Sometimes registration is required. Also double check in case of bad weather, because classes might be cancelled. Bring your own mat, props, water and anything else you might need.

Make sure to check the Free Yoga Boston Facebook Group in addition to the Free Yoga Boston Facebook page. The group is private, but you can request to join. Members share information and there are additional classes and events listed on both pages.

As always, this list is a work in progress that will have changes and updates. Please let me know if you have any questions, corrections and/or tips! Enjoy!

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MONDAY

Boston Parks Fitness Series: Through September 26
(Yoga, Adams Park, 4225 Washington St., Roslindale)
6pm -7pm

Fitness On The Greenway: Through September 26
(Gentle Yoga, Rowes Wharf Lawn, Boston)
6:15pm  – 7pm

Seaport Sweat: Through September 26
(Yoga Sculpt, Seaport Common, 85 Northern Ave., Boston)
6:30pm – 7:15pm

TUESDAY

Boston Parks Summer Fitness Series: Through September 27
(Yoga Flow), Doherty Playground, 349 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown)
6:30am – 7:30am

P.O. Fitness Classes – Sunrise Yoga: Through September 1
Norman B. Leventhal Park (Financial District, Boston)
7:30am – 8:15am

Fitness On The Greenway: 7/12, 7/26, 8/9, 8/23, 9/6, 9/20
(Yoga with Malaika, Dewey Square Lawn, Boston)
5:30pm  – 6:30pm

P.O. Fitness Classes – Slow Flow Yoga: Through September 1
Norman B. Leventhal Park (Financial District, Boston)
5:30pm – 6:30pm

Yoga In The Parks – City of Quincy: 9/20
(Click link for different park locations in Quincy)
6pm – 7pm

Boston Public Library Summer Yoga: Through August 30
(Central Library Branch, McKim Exhibition Hall, Copley Square, Boston)
6pm – 7pm

Boston Public Library Hatha Yoga: Through August 30
(Fields Corner Branch, 1520 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester)
6:30pm – 7:45pm

HarborFit – Sunset Yoga at the Charlestown Navy Yard: Through August 30
(20 1st Ave., Charlestown)
7pm – 8pm (Starting in August the time changes to 6:30pm – 7:30pm)

WEDNESDAY

YOGA with B/SPOKE: Through August 31
(Fiedler Field, Charles River Esplanade, Boston)
7:30am – 8:30am

Community Yoga Class: Ongoing
(Thomas Crane Public Library, 40 Washington Street, Quincy)
9:30am – 10:30am

P.O. Fitness Classes – Power Vinyasa Yoga: Through September 1
Norman B. Leventhal Park (Financial District, Boston)
5:30pm – 6:30pm

 Yoga at the Lake: July 13 through August
(Sunset Lake, Safford St. (off Franklin St./Route 37) Braintree)
6pm – 7pm

HarborFit – Sunset Yoga at Piers Park: Through August 31
(East Boston Piers Park, 95 Marginal St., East Boston)
7:30pm – 8:30pm

THURSDAY

P.O. Fitness Classes – Sunrise Yoga: Through September 1
Norman B. Leventhal Park (Financial District, Boston)
7:30am – 8:15am

Boston Parks Summer Fitness Series: Through September 29
(Chair Yoga, Symphony Community Park, 39 Edgerly Rd., Boston)
10am – 11am

Fitness On The Greenway: Through September 29
(Gentle Yoga, North Street, Boston)
10:30am  – 11:30am

Fitness On The Greenway: 7/28, 8/25
(Vinyasa Flow with Hannah, Dewey Square Lawn, Boston)
5:30pm  – 6:30pm

Boston Public Library Mindful Movement: Through August 25
(Parker Hill Branch, 1497 Tremont St., Roxbury)
4:30pm – 5:30pm

Boston Parks Summer Fitness Series: Through September 29
(Yoga @ The Frog Pond, Boston Common, 38 Beacon St., Boston )
6pm – 7pm

The Street Sweat: Through August 25
(The Green,The Street, Chestnut Hill)
6pm – 7pm

Seaport Sweat: Through September 29
(Mindful Warrior Yoga, Seaport Common, 85 Northern Ave., Boston)
6:30pm – 7:15pm

FRIDAY

Boston Parks Summer Fitness Series: Through September 30
(Gentle Yoga, McLaughlin Playground, Parker Hill Ave, Boston)
10am – 11am

Yoga with Lori Scott: Through October 28
(Kilroy Square Farmers Market, 25 Cottage Ave., Quincy)
12pm – 1pm

SATURDAY

Blue Sky Kripalu Yoga: Through August 27
(The Green at Partners Village Store, 865 Main Rd., Westport, MA)
8:30am – 9:30am

Yoga in The Park: Through September 24
(Assembly Row, Sylvester Baxter Riverfront Park, Somerville)
9am – 10am

Yoga in Franklin Park: Through October 1
(School Master Hill, 1 Circuit Drive, Dorchester)
9:15am – 10:30am

NamaStay Flowing: Through the summer
(Revere Beach, Revere)
9:30am – 11am

Seaport Sweat: 7/9, 8/13
(Lululemon Yoga & Movement, Seaport Common, 85 Northern Ave., Boston)
10am

Fitness On The Greenway: 8/13, 8/27, 9/10
(Gentle Morning Hatha Yoga with Eleonora, North Street, Boston)
10:30am  – 11:30am

HarborFit – Island Yoga: Through September 3
(Spectacle Island, East Boston)
11:30am – 12:30pm

SUNDAY

Vinyasa Yoga (Biweekly – Registration Required)
(Allbirds, 29 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge)
9:30am – 10:15am

Yoga @ Jamaica Pond: Through September 4
(Pinebank Promontory, Perkins Street and Jamaicaway, Boston)
11:30am – 12:30pm

Lotus Community Class: Through September 4
(Magnolia Park, 111 Magnolia St., Arlington)
12pm – 1pm

Fitness On The Greenway: Through October 2
(Yoga 4 All with Soma Yoga, North Street, Boston)
5pm – 6pm

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Free Yoga Boston (Winter/Spring 2022)

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Whew! Between moving in October, working, the holidays, then getting COVID, things got away from me. This list is up far later than I’d hoped, but it’s also very special. I recently realized that this is a milestone list. Back in 2012 was the first time that I posted a full listing of free yoga classes by day of the week. That’s 10 years ago!

While I may abandon word games at the drop of a hat, I’ve hung in there with Free Yoga Boston. Much of the reason is because I’ve gotten such great feedback over the years from many of you about how useful you find this information. Back then, I could have never imagined all the virtual classes. Life comes at you fast! So we adapt.

Make sure to check the Free Yoga Boston Facebook Group in addition to the Free Yoga Boston Facebook page. The group is private, but you can request to join. Members share information and sometimes there are additional classes and events listed.

You can also find classes on Eventbrite and Meetup. Classes listed here are free or donation based and the time is Eastern. Click on the links for more details on dates and to register. Because of the way some of the classes are listed, it was easier to include a few that will take us into summer. You can plan early!

As always, this list is a work in progress that will have changes and updates. Please let me know if you have any questions, corrections and/or tips! Enjoy!

::  ::  ::

MONDAY

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care: Ongoing (Online)
5:15pm – 6:15pm

TUESDAY

Yoga Hub & Boston Public Library Yoga: May 3 – June 7
(Senior Chair Yoga @ Codman Square Branch, 690 Washington St., Boston)
11am – 12pm

WEDNESDAY

Humble Roots Yoga: Ongoing
(Thomas Crane Public Library, 40 Washington St., Quincy)
9:30am – 10:30am

Pranayama ~ Joy of Breathing: Ongoing (Online)
1pm – 1:30pm

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care: Ongoing (Online)
5:15pm – 6:15pm

THURSDAY

Humble Roots Yoga: Ongoing
(Tufts Library, 46 Broad St., Weymouth)
9:30am – 10:30am

SATURDAY

Yoga Hub & Boston Public Library Yoga: April 30 – June 4
(Family Flow @ Lower Mills Branch, 27 Richmond St., Dorchester Center)
10:30am – 11:30am

Yoga Hub & Boston Public Library Yoga: March 19 – April 23
(Family Flow @ Adams Street Branch, 690 Adams St., Dorchester)
11am – 12pm

Yoga Hub & Boston Public Library Yoga: May 28 – July 2
(Hatha Yoga For Active Adults @ South Boston Branch, 646 E Broadway, South Boston)
11am – 12pm

SUNDAY

Vinyasa Yoga (Biweekly starting 2/20/22 – Registration Required)
(Allbirds, 29 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge)
9:30am – 10:15am

Boston Parks Winter Fitness Virtual Yoga: Through April 24 (Online)
6pm – 7pm

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