Yoga from your own home.

Well...for the last few days my schedule has been HECTIC.  Due to good things but busy. It has been difficult for me to get to yoga at the studio so I have been doing it at home, in my bedroom, before bed.  I actually really like it because it makes me so relaxed and ready for bed.  Although I feel like I am not getting as good of a workout at home. There is no heat and no instructor adjusting my poses.  So I need to recommit to going to classes at least 5 days a week.  Even if it means getting up for the 6am class. UGH.  No one likes getting up that early but being all relaxed, yet energized at work in the morning feels great. Although right around 2pm I usually crash and need a coffee break. Nothing wrong with that.  So tomorrow morning I start my recommittment to getting to an actual class.  My alarm is set for 5:30am.  Which means it is bed time.

Faith

One of my sister's best friends recently lost her father suddenly to a major heart attack.  I don't think anything or anyone can prepare you for that kind of loss.  Her family has found strength in their faith and church community during this difficult time. I am not religious but I do think having faith that there is something larger than us out their is important.  I cannot believe that a person's spirit dies along with their body.  Everyone has their own beliefs about God and I am not going to delve into that. When going through difficult times, FAITH, in my opinion, means letting go of the control you thought you had and while you hope for the best outcomes in life, knowing that there is something greater than us out there and that if someone passes they are not gone forever. You will meet them again.  And hopefully that belief alone will give you some comfort during your time of pain. 

At times I compare going to yoga with going to church.  It is a time that I use to reflect on my choices in daily life and at times I pray to God.  I don't talk much to others about my relationship with God.  I believe my own thing and I am comfortable with that.  Lately, with a lot of people that I am close to struggling with family illness, death and financial troubles I have started to think a lot about my faith and that is why today I deviated away from my yoga talk to this subject.

As for yoga...my 365 days of yoga are still going along.  To switch it up a bit I took a break from the heat and did yoga at home a few days this week. It was good.  Everyday I send out my devotion and prayers to those I know that need it right now in hopes it is doing some good. 

Yoga Day 19

I'm here! I'm here! I am still going at it strong.  My body is feeling a little tired but I think that is a combination of my new job of policing nose pickers and biters, yoga and the rest of life.  I love my new job, although when my students are around I have to be 100% aware and present of what ALL of them are doing...turn your head for a moment and someone might be putting something inappropriate in their mouths...like someone elses arm or headphones.  Yoga has been helping my focus and my time management.  If I really want to do it everyday I need to plan for it.  Corepower is great for a busy schedule because it offers yoga non-stop and has a variety of studios to choose from so planning just takes a few minutes.  I have gone to the 6am class a couple times this week.  This is a great stretch in the morning...but a challenge because you need to be awake and aware to be able to balance.  The second day was definitely easier than the first day where I felt like I was unable to balance standing up straight with two feet on the ground.  Still no internet but I am working that out with my provider and will soon be up and running and maybe offering more insightful and thoughtful posts not just rushed ones letting you know I am still around and still going for my goal.

I am still here!

ACTUALLY written on 9/11/2010... thought I posted it but didn't...
Hi everyone! I am still doing yoga...and my internet is still out of commision. So  many constants in my life. Ha.  My yoga has been going well...some days are harder than others to find the motivation and the energy to go but I always feel better once I do.  My energy goes up and I am able to focus on other aspects of my life. I am feeling stronger, my jeans are starting to feel a little loose and I have shed a few pounds. Yesterday there was a woman with a body bug on her arm. I asked her what it was and what it did.  She said it measures the calories your body burns when you are wearing it.  I asked her on average how many calories hot yoga burned and she said 800 calories per hour!!! I am thinking about integrating running back into my life soon.   I think I will start

Flipping my dog...

Internet is still out but I am hunkered down at the local Dunn Bros Coffee to update my blog and manage my life...so much of that is done online.  Yesterday afternoon I went to Corepower and had a great practice.  I really pushed myself to attempt some poses that I had never tried before.  I guess I was intimidated by them in the past because I am NOT a very flexible person.  Something motivated me to attempt them and I was successful.  I did wheel pose and flipped my dog.  Which essentially means that I started in downward facing dog and flipped over balancing on one hand and my feet....the picture below will probably help you understand what I am trying to describe. 

Wheel Pose.









Flipping downward facing dog.

Wheel and flipped dog are really similar but the way you come into them is different.  You start wheel on your back and you start in downward facing dog before you flip your dog.  Both feel great and give your hips and front body a good stretch.  I am not sure why it took me so long to try these poses.   Fear is a powerful thing. Yesterday I was also successful at holding my crow pose (seen below).  I had attempted this pose before but always was a little off balance and holding yourself up on your forearms is a little intimidating. You kind of feel like you may fall flat on your face.  And I guess you might but you won't fall far....

Crow Pose

Sorry for the delay...

My internet has been out for the last few days....but my yoga hasn't.
Friday:
In the past I have discriminated against male yoga instructors.  My discrimination didn't just appear out of nowhere I had a few experiences with male instructors that were negative.  When I first started doing hot yoga I had these instructors that happened to be male who seemed to be teaching for a boost to their ego.  It became a one man show and they would start doing all sorts of crazy poses that I would say 100% of the class could not even attempt. So I was more comfortable with going to classes led by women.  Friday I had a very positive experience with a male instructor and it made me realize that I should not try to predict what each class will bring me. 

I don't have much time today to write much about my yoga classes on Saturday and Sunday but I will say overall I feel great. I have been sleeping great and eating healthier.  I am finding that my alcohol tolerance is extremely low.  One drink and I am tipsy and ready for bed.  That could be because I am almost 30 Plus 1 or it could be because I am sweating like crazy.  Off to do my fantasy football draft...I am still not sure how all of that works.

I did it...

now I am crashing.   I did a class called yoga sculpt today. I felt like my muscles were going to give up on me and I was going to be a blob of skin unable to move off my mat. Essentially yoga sculpt is a yoga/weight lifting/aerobic class in a room heated to around 90 degrees.  Not my idea of a good time. More like a version of hell on earth...but I did it. By the middle of class it was really difficult to move as fast or as coordinated as the instructor wanted me to move.  Positive side is that my favorite instructor taught it and she played really good hip-hop music.  Not the introspective yoga of the last few days. But once a week this class will be good to build my strength and kick my ass.
I was ready for bed at 8 but I am forcing myself to stay up until 9.  Is it 9 yet???

Your life only tips into old age if your regrets begin to outnumber dreams.

The title of this blog is a quote that I heard at yoga.  I hope my regrets never outnumber my dreams.  I think sometimes it is hard to remember to dream when you are just trying to get through the day to day.  I hope your regrets never outnumber your dreams....if they don't you could be young forever ;-)

Today the yoga instructor that I had was really into encouraging us to think positively about ourselves.  She kept on telling us to say our name in our head as we were doing the postures. For some reason I had a really hard time with that.  I kind of felt anxious about it.  I guess because it felt so unnatural to be saying my name repeatedly in my head.  Although, I think I got the idea of why we were doing it....because we should be focusing inward and remember to take time for ourselves? Maybe.

Experience F.B.D. everyday.

On Sunday the yoga instructor said that you should experience F.B.D. on a daily basis.  It stands for something FUNNY that you can laugh at, notice something BEAUTIFUL and taste something DELICIOUS.  I have been thinking about that for the last couple of days.  I think those things are so important to experience on a daily basis.  And sometimes everyday activities can become mundane but I think that if everyone reminds themselves to experience FBD you will start noticing even the small things that are FBD.  For example, if I see someone holding the door for an elderly couple I would consider that kindness to be beautiful and sometimes rare. 
Okay...I digressed there a little but I wanted to share about "FBD" because we have so many acronyms that we use that are really meaningless but FBD actually makes sense. 
I accomplished day 3. My poor yoga mat and yogitoes took a beating during last nights storm and were laying in the grass soaked when I woke up today.  Luckily the sun was out all day and dried them up by the time I went to yoga. Today yoga really helped a lot with the stress and anxiety I have been feeling recently regarding career related things.  Tomorrow I have an interview and I feel focused and ready to go. Physically yoga was challenging today because my shoulders and biceps were sore because we do a lot of high planks and downward facing dogs (see pics below).

Downward facing dog

High Plank

It is so good for strengthing your arms and your back but my body isn't used to it yet.  

Most teachers at Corepower have you set an intention for your practice.  My idea of an intention is that you are sending out your energy for the good of someone or something, and it is usually not yourself.  I equate it to a prayer.  Today I set my intention for my mom.  She deserves some positiveness going her way.  She works extremely hard and gives herself to others constantly.  I want her to have all that she deserves.

I am finding that hot yoga makes me crave things that are healthy.  All I wanted was pineapple and water after class.  And for dinner I cooked up grilled chicken and vegetables. 

Enough about yoga for today. I need rest so I can be focused at my interview tomorrow.

I left you for myself, 365 days of yoga.

This is my first post and my second consecutive day of yoga in my personal quest to do 365 consecutive days of hot yoga.  I have done hot yoga in the past.  On and off, but never anything consistent and nothing enough to build on my strength. Hot yoga is essentially yoga in a room heated to approximately 90 degrees.  I don't know much yoga terminology or all of the names of the different poses...YET.  But I do know that when I make time for yoga it has always made me feel healthier, happier and more spiritually balanced.   I wanted to challenge myself with a goal that seems ridiculous and maybe impossible.  I am a professional with two jobs for the majority of the year and I like to maintain my sanity with a dose of fun with friends and family. Fitting exercise into a busy schedule sometimes seems impossible but I want to see where this journey takes me.  It is important to make time for myself and my health.  While I am not physically leaving anyone behind for yoga the title of the blog is more a reference to leaving behind certain negative thoughts and attitudes that were controlling my happieness. I am not a woman obsessed with the scale or counting calories but I will be sporadically checking my weight and waist in inches to see the effect. I want to see what practicing every day will do to my mind, body and spirit. I guess this blog will work as a check-in and as an accountability tool for myself.  I also hope that online I find support for my goal and maybe I will inspire other women to take time for themselves doing whatever it is that motivates them. And I hope that you will excuse me if I leave you for yoga.

Day One:  I haven't done yoga for 2 months.  Recently I have been feeling depressed and down about my job situation.  I have a job but I would like to get into the field that I have studied.  I know it is a common frustration for people seeking jobs right now.  I decided that the pity party needed to end and I wanted to feel better so I decided to go to hot yoga after work.  I had a really difficult practice today.  My strength was obviously weakened by months of no exercising.  Mentally I could NOT concentrate.  The instructor would be leading us in one direction and my body would be moving in the opposite direction.  Emotionally I became frustrated and tears started flowing. Has anyone else experienced this during yoga? I have one other time. I was just relieved that I was sweating enough that the tears weren't obvious to others. Today was rough. 

Day two:  Despite the arrival of "aunt flow" I still made it to yoga.  Last month this would have been an excuse to skip any form of exercise.  And a great reason to sit on the couch eating and watching television all day.  But I did it! I couldn't fail at my personal challenge on day two! I felt slightly faint during class but it was to be expected, I was bleeding and I was in a sauna-like room doing physical activity.  Afterwards I felt amazing and motivated.  I went home and made an a healthy dinner and drank a ton of water.  And I am just about ready to crash.