It was still daylight, with a beautiful sunset to appreciate as the runners and walkers left the cobbles outside Workout to head for St Werburgh's Community Centre for Caroline's 500th good deed - mild congratulations, Caroline, who doesn't think it's worthy of a cheer as it's just turning up, but this week she'd not only turned up, she'd brought vegan chocolate brownies - hooray!

We were helping the centre prepare for their Green Feast event on Saturday - emergency counting of spoons and forks (the easy bit) and detangling two whole boxes of bunting - some cotton, some cardboard and LOADS of thin, fraying fabric ones that were knottier than a knotty thing. I can't think of a knotty thing - answers in the comments section, please.

With a time-lapse video showing how productive we were, it did take the whole time we were there and we left the bunting so tidy that each individual section was lovingly rolled up and tied with string and it all fitted into the Hamper of Bunting - maybe we'll be asked back to pack it away again instead of de-tangling it before the next event?!

Back to Workout, except there was speed dating on, so a diversion to the very warm Bar + Block upstairs seating area (who knew?) for aforementioned brownies, cups of tea and other tipples. Much happiness all round.

I like to move it, move it, do you like to move it?

Well, that was one of the tasks this evening at the Library of Things as some units needed moving with great dexterity and poise.

The other task was to assemble some shelving units. One team decided to freestyle it building the larger shelving unit whilst the other studiously (not really) decided to follow the instruction to the letter to build some smaller units. Some judicious use of the mallet (not a hammer!) and not at all imprisoning some people in the units (ahem) meant that the job was done quickly and efficiently. Not convinced each shelf can take 250kg and we sensibly decided not to test this. Another job well done!

Until next time…

A few good gymers came together to do online yoga.

Yoga talk Understanding Ujjayi Breathing: The Oceanic Breath

Ujjayi breathing (sometimes misheard as “Ojai breathing”) is a fundamental yogic breath technique that enhances focus, relaxation, and energy flow. It is often called the “victorious breath” or “ocean breath” due to its distinctive sound.

How to Practice Ujjayi Breathing: 1. Breathe through the nose – Keep your mouth closed throughout. 2. Constrict the throat – Slightly engage the muscles at the back of your throat to create a soft, whispering sound (like ocean waves or gentle snoring). 3. Control with the diaphragm – Allow the breath to deepen and slow down naturally. 4. Balance the breath – Maintain equal-length inhalations and exhalations.

Benefits of Ujjayi Breathing: • Calms the Mind – Focused breathing helps override distractions, making meditation and mindfulness more effective. • Enhances Yoga Practice – The rhythmic sound aids in synchronizing movement with breath during asanas. • Improves Concentration – Increases mental clarity and present-moment awareness. • Releases Tension – Encourages relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. • Regulates Body Temperature – Generates internal warmth, supporting endurance in yoga practice. • Supports Health & Well-being – Some research suggests benefits for sleep, anxiety reduction, and lung function.

Tips for Mastery: • If Ujjayi feels restrictive at first, relax and ease into it—your lungs will adjust over time. • The sound should be audible but gentle, like waves rolling onto the shore, not forced or harsh. • Practice during yoga, meditation, or even daily activities to cultivate steadiness and inner balance.

With consistent practice, Ujjayi becomes a natural tool for enhancing breath awareness, mindfulness, and overall well-being.

A beautiful sunset had just, er, set as GoodGym Bristol amassed for their Tuesday goodness of March, including Ben along for his first good deed - welcome to our club!

Sparks is one of our city centre beneficiaries that means even if the runners go the long way round, there's still loads of time to make a real difference. This week the walkers arrived just as the runners (led by Richard B and backmarked by Richard G, keeping things simple for Ben to learn names) had been told what was happening so could already see how best to get involved/in the way of moving lots of desktops (not computers, the actual tops of desks) AND NOTHING ELSE.

Harsheh showed off his pallet-lift driving skills (not a power tool, so OK GG Health and Safety, and I'm pretty sure Jason has some pallet lift driving on his CV, too) with desk top piled high whilst other took solo or duo (not the Duolingo owl) trips with a desk to the large room they were being stored in - thankfully MUCH bigger than the fitting room into which the Christmas decorations did NOT fit for our last visit. Emma and Vaguely Northern Darren proved masters of the "balance it on your head" method whilst everyone else seemed happy with the more social duo technique.

Desk after desk disappeared so Melanie was quickly messaging the Duty Manager to check what else needed to shift and was updated that the desk dividers next to the desktops had now shifted from the DO NOT MOVE category to the DEFINITELY MOVE one, in writing, on a not-disappearing text message.

This may sound simple but each divider had two trailing electric leads that weren't quite long enough to wrap or tuck neatly so were trailing on the floor with very careful not-tripping-over GoodGymmers skilfully manoeuvring them to the same room as the desks.

Obviously there was at least one GoodGymmer who opted for a ride on the pallet lift back to the big co-working zone and, after the serious business of end-of-task photos, a huge space and multitude of office chairs meant freewheeling GoodGymmers and a backwards row just for fun.

Sparks is home to many artists and one of the walls had a big black and white drawing of what might or might not be building of Bristol but it definitely had Sparks, the suspension bridge and some balloons - enough to convince Caroline and Marianne it was, indeed, Bristol.

When everything was shifted and the chairs put back so no-one would know we'd moved them, we were soon on our way back down the stairs and on to The Stable for GoodGym Eats, pizzas all round (though some were quite long) and some more chatting/attempting to grill Ben who was very good at deflecting questions. I wonder where that life skill was acquired?

Same time same place next week?