Real life has taken over some of my writing time- it’s good, but I’ve got some guilt over not writing. I guess part of adulthood is deciding to make time for the things that are important. It’s just that so many things are important…

One of the things I made time for this last month is family time up in the mountains, skiing.

We went up to Ski Cooper, a place I’ve been going to long enough that I still think of it as Cooper Hill. It is a cozy little area.  There wasn’t great snow at New Years, but they are getting dumped on right now- the prediction is 12 inches over the weekend.

A delightful surprise after a day on the mountain was the complete lack of soreness. My husband was sore, my daughter said her quads hurt, but my quads and glutes were fine. I felt strong skiing all day at altitude, and part of that strength comes from many people’s least favorite yoga pose- chair.

Or Lightning. Or squat. Or Utkatasana (which I think is sanskrit for “awkward”). It is such a good strength builder for the entire body, not just a prep pose for skiing- even if you don’t ski, try it out.

From standing, feet hips width apart (or narrower, or closer, if you only strengthen in one position, you are only strong in that position) draw in belly toward spine, drop hips toward heels. Find depth. Hands can be at heart’s center, or lifted up and bent like cactus arms, or straight up by your ears. Straight up is the spiciest version of this pose- it can put a lot of strain on your spine and shoulders. Don’t forget to breathe.