...yoga!!! In addition to my 365 Days of Dance I decided to try Gaiam's 21 Day Yoga Challenge just to see where it would lead me. I'm happy to say that it has been leading me to a good place.
Fourteen days into the challenge and I'm already seeing and feeling some phenomenal changes in my mind and body. Mentally I'm enjoying a quieter mind, better sleep, and more energy during the day, which has led to a brighter outlook in general. Yoga goodness! Physically I'm starting to create more stability in my body by creating more balance in my flexibility. I have a good deal of stretchiness in my legs, hips, and back, but my arms, shoulders, and chest are tight. But less so after the best 2 weeks, and that has led to some remarkable changes in my dancing. More yoga goodness!!
It's only May, but I've been wondering how I was going to follow up this dance challenge and now I'm toying with the idea of making 2012 My Year of Yoga. Wonder what I'll do in 2013? Just kidding! Some days, I have a hard enough time knowing what I'll be doing from one minute to the next so planning my life that far in advance just ain't going to happen. For right now, let's see how far I beyond 21 days of yoga I can go.
Namaste!!
Belly Dance Stats: 152 days of dance for 7,114 minutes. Pretty cool, eh?
*Woman doing yoga image provided by FreeDigitalPhotos
WooHoo! On Sept. 30th I completed my personal goal of practicing yoga for 30 days in a row! The biggest part of the challenge was finding the time to practice, but I did it.
My favorite time of day to practice yoga was, and still is, in the early evenings. But, for the past month I practiced whenever I got the chance; first thing in the morning, in the afternoon while my daughter was napping, or in the late evening before bed.
You all know the saying about how everything changes when you have a baby. And boy, does it ever! It even changed the way that I practiced yoga.
Before Indigo Lynne was born my practice was much more ritualized. It probably took me 10-15 minutes just to prepare my space. I would start by selecting just the right music, light some candles and incense, unroll my yoga mat, lay out Tia Sushi's yoga mat (a bath mat and towel I bought just for her), and make sure that my lavender eye pillow and blanket for Savasana were close at hand.
Now I simply turn on the music, which may or may not have been changed for several days, roll out the mats, and away I go.
All that "prep time" was such an essential part of my practice and there were times in the past month when I have missed it. As I continue with my yoga journey I'm going to look for some quick, toddler safe "preps." Maybe a single candle, or some flowers.......
Of course, nothing can ever replace Tia Sushi.
Yes!!! I am now 15 days into my 30 day yoga challenge and am feeling better than good.
I started this challenge with no specific goal in mind other than to practice every day and quietly observe the changes within myself. The most significant change has been that I can direct my breath into and release an area of muscles that feels tense, which is something I've been able to carry over and use when practicing belly dance techniques and drills.
The improved mind-body connection also means that I am feeling more fluid and light as I move through the asanas, (and through the rest of my day), as well as more relaxed and energized.
The big bonus is that I am sleeping better and have returned to being aware of and able to control my dreams, which is something that I have always enjoyed.
On a purely physical level I have recovered my ability to set in a straddle position and bend forward all the way to the floor with ease and have nearly recovered both splits.
Yeah me! I'm on day 7 of a 30 day yoga challenge.
I usually practice yoga once or twice a week, but having heard and read so many stories lately about the transforming power of a dedicated practice I decided to experience it first hand for myself.
Three of these first 7 days were a bit rough because I was having back to back migraines. What can make it difficult is that along with the pain, I can sometimes experience nausea if I move around too much. But I stuck with it, even if I did only 20 minutes of a gentle practice consisting of mostly seated forward bends, child's pose, and breathing exercises.
I started this challenge with no specific goal in mind other than to practice yoga for 30 days in a row and observe how I feel.
Migraines & migraine hang-overs are all gone, so right now I'm feel pretty darn good.
The photo is of my cat, the late Tia Sushi, aka Yoga Poodie, hanging out in one of her favorite spots, the cupboard where I keep all my yoga gear. She wasn't too happy with me for disturbing her nap simply because I wanted my mat. But she never had knickers in a knot for very long. She was nicknamed "Yoga Poodie" because she would always snuggle with me during Savasana. I miss that. She was an amazing cat. Almost 2 years ago she saved my life and the life of my then unborn daughter.
But that's another story for another time.
