YogaMo Day 9

Long but very good day. Early start tomorrow to another long (and likely very good) day. I was tired and almost didn't want to yoga tonight, especially as it is late, but I'm glad I did. I like this one. I can do this one (shoutout to my Irish dance friends)!

I feel good. Mostly relaxed. Excited for tomorrow. And eager for a shower and cozy bed.

YogaMo Day 8

As Wednesdays are the days I work late, yesterday I decided I get to skip yoga on Wednesdays if I want to. Today, I didn't want to yoga, but I tried to keep in mind how it makes me feel better when I'm done, so I gathered myself and pulled up the video.

Longish, whiny story short, I had difficulty getting the video to load (no idea why; nothing seemed different from the previous times), and was about to quit. I kid you not, I had just copied an image from my screen (not the one pictured below, because the one pictured below is cooler) and was about to post a very brief journal entry when, ta da!, the video spontaneously resumed.

So, okay, I was kind of fascinated, and there were only about eight minutes left, so while I had just been giving up for the night, I changed my mind and kept on going. However, I did not even attempt the pose seen above. But I'm glad I got to see it.

YogaMo Day 7

I never thought I would stand on a dictionary before. The bookworm in me may have screamed "blasphamy!" but the creative in me said "well, give it a try." And as I didn't have a yoga block, I went with what I had. It probably helped.

Today's video was about taking steps toward doing the crow pose.

Now, honestly, I have no idea why I would ever want to do the crow pose unless it's like juggling or speaking Hawaiian - just because I can (note, I cannot speak Hawaiian...yet) - but this was neat. I did not think I'd be able to do it at all. But I did actually get both feet off the ground, er, book (sorry, dictionary!).

Now, granted, mine doesn't look like Erin's, and it was far from solid. Maybe less of a large, sleek crow and more of a tiny, excitable sparrow.

See that? See that? For one fraction of a tenth of a second, I had both feet in the air! Who knew?

 

YogaMo Day 6

Who knew that yoga would be good for chores? After dinner I took a nap, catnap, whatever sort of thing, and when I finally decided to open my eyes and get up, it was only a few minutes after eight (when it felt like it should be nine or ten; seriously, time changes are over-rated). I came back to roll out my mat, sat down and procrastinated, and remembered I needed to pull my laundry out of the dryer. On my way, I came upon the dishwasher and remembered I was going to put the clean dishes away, too. So I put those away, grabbed my laundry, and then, and only then, did I actually get ready for yoga. Ta da.

Anyway, today's video was restful working on the lower back, and I liked it. My mind has been very busy the last couple of days, and tonight was no exception. So I was glad of the chance to focus on something beneficial, strengthening, and relaxing. My thoughts still drifted a little, but not as much as before. Not when I'm adjusting my laptop so I can see the screen, learning knew stretches, and working on more familiar ones. I like the chance to recenter myself, putting the stressors aside for a time, and just breathe.

I think Erin Motz's videos probably aren't exactly for a complete beginner, but her instruction style is easy enough to follow, and I don't get discouraged if I can't do it quite like she can. She mentions things that you can do if you want a deeper stretch, and I usually don't, but it's nice to have the range and to know I'm not being egged on to push past my limits. That I think, is a mark of a good teacher. Pretty cool that I can get that online, huh?

 

YogaMo Day 5

Whew, that was tiring.

Yesterday should have been day five, but due to a few personal reasons--and the time changing didn't help--I decided to just skip it. So today is my day five instead, and after the soreness that day four gave my abs, I'm kinda of glad that I had a little break between the second day of working on abs. This one included the lower back, and I gotta tell ya, I laughed when Erin Motz told me to try some of the poses.

I just wasn't happening. I need an arm workout in order to get an ab and back workout. And I probably need an ab and back workout in order to get an ab and back work out. The cycle persists. ...I'm mostly just glad this was the shortest video yet!

But I guess that's why I'm in this challenge and not giving up after I skipped a day. Tomorrow will focus more on the lower back, and I know I need a lot of help there. Hopefully it will be a little more doable. In any case, I haven't quit yet.

YogaMo Day 4

"Word to the wise: don't do this on a full stomach," says Erin Motz with a laugh. I would probably be better if I did the daily yoga challenge at the beginning of the day rather than at the end (and after dinner), but I don't get up early enough to do that before work. I'm not sure it's possible.

So, I barely managed to do even a fraction of today's challenge, but I showed up, warmed up, and tried. Here's to hoping if I keep at it, I'll get better and someday actually be capable of a boat rather than my sad beached raft.

boat

On to another movie! ...Well, I like being something of a couch potato.

YogaMo Day 3

That went rather well, I think. It wasn't as strenuous as I thought it would be, and this video was a few minutes shorter than the last two. I could kind of see this routine being a semi regular practice to have a stronger back and better posture. Though we'll see how my muscles feel in the morning.

My biggest problems so far seem to be those of logistics (...yes? I think I'm using that word correctly). My mat isn't quite long enough for my height, so I did a little bit of shifting back and forth to keep my face on the mat and off the floor, and I haven't quite figured out where to put my laptop so I can see the screen from standing up, lying flat on the floor, and anywhere inbetween. Plus, when reaching out sideways from the mat, I quickly run into objects and space limitations, but I think I can work on that one. Yoga takes up more space than I thought it would.

Woo hoo! I completed three days in a row (after nearly forgetting yoga entirely tonight).

Daily Yoga Challenge - Day 2

Day 2. I was hoping for a video on shoulders because that's one area where I know I carry tension all the time, and that's what today's video was! Yay. ...But man that was hard! I'm pretty sure I worked my legs as much as anything else (I was never what I would consider super flexible, but I have lost so much and become so tight in my legs it's ridiculous) though I can tell my shoulders are looser than normal, and utterly failed to shift from some of the positions neatly into others.

Oh well. It's called challenge for a reason, and this is only day two. I guess I can't expect too much, and considering everything and how warm I feel now, I think it went well.

Tomorrow's video is supposed to help with posture. I may die.

If anyone wants to join me...

Daily Yoga Challenge

It seems I've found another challenge to pursue. And, like NaNo, it happens to be 30 days. Do I like this number?

Anyway, I used to dance, so I used to be more active and more flexible and more...comfortable with my body. (Not that I wasn't self-concious. I just felt better in general.) And I've thought about it for a while, wanting to be active but not wanting to run and not sure what else I'd want to do that would be inexpensive financially and with little time commitment and could be done on my own. I liked stretching when I took dance, and I still like it though I never do it; I've had a couple of false starts with yoga and tai chi before, but now I've decided to go for it. I even committed with a mat before I had a plan.

With some searching online, I found this 30 day yoga challenge. Immediately after watching and doing things with this lady, I signed up for the challenge without a second thought. It was the first video I'd found that I liked and thought I could do the things instructed.

So, today, day one of what I want to call YogaMo (yoga month...you know, like NaNoWriMo [national novel writing month]...it's funny in my head):


I really didn't want to yoga. I was so tired from work that I faded during dinner and just kind of deaded on the loveseat after. I covered up, napped through my niece's bedtime routine, and finally got up. I had a movie I wanted to watch (am about to), and time was sliding away. But I had enough to yoga before a shower, if I got going. Brr, I was cold, but long story short, I geared up in about five minutes, and pulled up the first video in the challenge that was kindly emailed to me. Right away I was glad I had. Day one was opening up the hips, and as one who sits or stands at work without being able to move much, but who used to do some of these stretches, it was great. Not easy, but I feel much better for having done it.

Tomorrow will be a challenge, but hopefully today will be an encouragment to keep going.

Now, I'm signing off to watch my movie, and...is it bad form to eat ice cream after yoga-ing? Even if it is, I kinda want some.