Day 20 + Trampoline Workout!

Yesterday was Day 20 and it was the same Bakasana routine from Day 12. Bakasana (crow/crane pose) is something that I’ve been trying to achieve for years and I had a lot of trouble figuring it out. I am happy to say that I finally got it! I can’t hold it for super long and I can’t just glide into it gracefully at the drop of a hat like those pro-yogis can, but I’m getting there. For me, my problem was all about putting emphasis on the wrong areas. I was thinking too much about bringing my legs up and onto my arms, and not enough about bringing my entire body forward. I’ve also mentioned that balance is not my forté, so it took me a little while to find that delicate place between falling back on my feet and falling on my face. I think the key is to take it slow and pay attention to how everything’s feeling. If you’re like me, it will take time.

I felt very proud of myself afterwards. Yoga is this great activity I’ve found that I enjoy, but I get very intimidated by the advanced poses, like headstands and intricate arm balances, at times. And I know I’m not alone in this thinking. Being in the intermediate level of practice can be a very odd place: one the one hand, you’ve learned a lot and can do so much already but on the other, you’re standing on the cusp of doing these amazing poses that will take you a lot of time and practice to work up to. You can choose to stick to what you know and still have an effective practice, or you can keep going and see what your body is really capable of. There’s nothing wrong or right with either option, but sometimes we choose to just stay when we really want to go. And that’s where I am right now. It would be easy for me to just keep doing what I know I’m good at and be safe and secure in that thought. But that’s not what I want. I want to be able to do those crazy tricks and be in awe of myself. And I know it’s going to be really hard, but I love a good challenge 🙂

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I love trying new exercise-type experiences. And yesterday was definitely an experience! My mom, sister, and my mom’s friend from work all went to a trampoline workout! It was really neat. The whole thing was set up like a big grid of trampolines and every one gets their own little square.

(via)

We started warming up by doing simple jumps up and down and to the side and added some arm and leg movements in here and there. Then, utilizing the pads in between, we did a sort of boot camp circuit with burpees, joggers, mountain climbers, squats, planks, and the like. If you put everything you’ve got into it, you’ll definitely get an amazing work out. And best of all, it was so much fun! You can’t help but smile and laugh while you’re on a trampoline! It was one of those workouts where the time didn’t drag at all, I felt.

I’d definitely do it again, but I probably wouldn’t make it a routine for myself–maybe a couple times a month or so. After a while I started to get some soreness in my knees. And it wasn’t just me, someone had pain in their back after a while and another person said their ankles were a little sore. I guess I just wasn’t really expecting it. I thought it was going to be pretty low-impact, but I suppose that if you land a certain way in an area you’re already fragile in, you may walk away with some soreness or pain–so be warned. As with an exercise, listen to your body and don’t push yourself too hard if something doesn’t feel right.

After I got home last night from that class, I was tired as all get-out! I decided to skip my yoga this morning and save it for tonight instead. And it’s my last day of the challenge! The time has flown and I think I have improved so much in many different areas. I’ll have a post for my last day and my over all feelings with the challenge in the next day or two. Until then…

Namaste.

Day 17 & 18 & 19

Hello! I hope your weekend treated you well. Mine was very stop and go, but it was relaxing and really wonderful all together. My Saturdays are usually completely booked because I’m a coach on a high school speech team and their tournaments are all day long on Saturday, but I had this weekend off! While I did miss the kiddos, it was great to be able to get so much done over a whole weekend instead of squeezing everything in on a Sunday–which is the one day I just want to sit and do nothing haha! The Boy and I got to enjoy time with lots of family and friends, which is always a nice and welcome way to spend the weekend for me.

I know, I know. I had all this time to write and here I am now on Monday writing another jam-packed weekend post, but sometimes you just gotta enjoy what’s in front of you and be in the moment 🙂 Without further ado, the next few days of my challenge:

Day 17 featured the same back bends routine from Day 6. I’ll keep this short and sweet so I don’t sound too repetitive: I love this routine! It has a great flow to it and I love how Elise Lorimer teaches. This time around I felt that I was a little more in control because I could sometimes remember what was coming next. There’s always a little bit of uncertainty when you’re doing a routine for the first time–that unknown I always talk about that stays in the back of my mind just the faintest bit. Sometimes it’s exciting, but sometimes I over-think it and lose my focus momentarily. It’s also great because I don’t find myself checking my computer screen too often and I can focus on how the poses feel to me and adjust based on my own personal needs.

I am loving these special videos that feature a routine crafted around preparing you for one final ultra-pose! Day 18 was all about the Wheel pose. (If you did gymnastics when you were a kid, this is also known as a bridge, but don’t confuse it with the yoga version of bridge pose.) This routine was very similar to Elise’s video from the previous day–it focuses on warming, strengthening, and preparing your back with lots of back bends. But it also features a lot of lunges and sun salutations as well. I think Jason Crandell even acknowledges that fact in the video if I remember correctly! I can do this pose pretty well, but I do have some trouble evenly distributing my weight all over. I put too much pressure and weight on my wrists, so I’m going to have to practice moving that energy and weight more towards my torso and thighs and ground more through the feet.

Day 19 was the same shoulder opener routine from Day 8. Blerg. I wish I had something new to add to my findings with this routine. I really need to get better about really engaging in slower, more meditative sessions. Perhaps that will be a future “Challenge” I embark on–21 days of stillness! …I’m scared just thinking about it Ooph.

Two more days left! Where has the time gone?! This has been a really great experience and it’s definitely an awesome way to jump-start a routine or get committed to the practice. I do have to admit that I am excited to choose whatever I want to do everyday instead of having a set routine planned for me. Most of the time it’s totally fine and great, but there are some days where I’d rather have done one video than another. I will definitely be referring back to a lot of the routines in this challenge, though. So many of them focus on a specific area, but still manage to give your entire body some lovin’ in the process.

Tomorrow is a revisit to my unrequited love, bakasana. That’s the best way I can describe my relationship with crow pose. I want to be able to do it so badly and I try so hard and it never stays with me! I think the worst part for me is I can get it for a little while, but then it’s gone just as soon. 😦 I know I’m just over-thinking it (surprise, surprise!), which is the worst part of it all. Maybe tomorrow will be my day. Until then wish me (more) luck and…

Namaste.

Day 15 & 16

Over the past days in this blog, I’ve talked about the physical effects I’ve undergone, but haven’t really touched on the mental effects my yoga practice has had on me. As a twenty-something lady, I often feel overwhelmed and lost with the direction my life is heading in. I hate not having solid plans and I am very uncomfortable not knowing what lies ahead for my life. I must say that through these past two weeks I have felt more in control of my life and more optimistic about the future–whatever it may be–and I feel more secure and comfortable than I have felt in a long time. It may just be a coincidence, but I must point out that the only major thing I’ve been doing differently over this time is my yoga practice. I’ve felt a sense of stability and I have also gained the confidence to really grab hold of my life, evaluate the things I’d like to change, and see how I can lead the best, happiest life for me.

Maybe it’s another “New Year, New You” concept, maybe I’m just growing up. Maybe I’m just at my complacency limit. Whatever it may be, I know that really focusing and committing to yoga has at least helped me get to a more calm and pleasant mental state. I still stress out about not knowing what tomorrow brings and I still can’t be silent for more than a few minutes. But I do feel brighter and lighter, and if you don’t know what I mean by that, I suggest you jump on the Yoga Train 🙂

Day 15 of my yoga challenge featured another lead up to a fun, crazy-awesome pose: Hanumanasana, or monkey pose (or the splits). Holy moley, was I not ready for this! When I say I have open and flexible hips, I mean hips. My inner thighs and hamstrings are the least flexible parts of my body right now and they were not having it. The video features Elise Lorimer (love her!) and includes a lot of triangles, lunges, and forward bend-type poses to loosen up the legs, hips, and groin area. The routine was very energizing and felt great all over the body. I wish I could say my mind was calm, but I kept thinking ahead to the main event (shocker!)…

When it was finally time to try it, I was nervous to see where I would be. As far as I was concerned as long as one leg was in front and the other was behind me and my back was straight, that was a win. You are encouraged to have two blocks on either side of you for support, which I also highly recommend. (I didn’t have a second block, so I used a box of blank CDs! Gotta make due with what ‘cha got!) I actually did better than I thought I would. I managed to support myself by turning the block on it’s short side, so it was taller, and then bent my arms so I could get a deeper stretch. Nowhere near the ground, but now I have something else on my list to work for!

Day 16 featured the same hip opener routine from Day 4. Just like with the ab routine a few days ago, this time was easier because I knew what was coming. It was really beneficial, especially after a long day of sitting at a desk. After all that, I tried some crow pose… it was unsuccessful. WHY CAN’T I GET THIS??!!???! Oh well. Practice, practice, practice…

A couple more days until my challenge is over 😦 But I do have some fun and wonderful plans for my blog after the the next week, don’t worry 🙂 I started this blog for fun and I have to say, it’s been a great outlet for me in many aspects. I love writing and don’t get the chance to do it as much as I’d like at times, so this has really filled in that hole I sometimes feel. I am also really enjoying my new commitment to yoga and take pride in the progress I have made. I hope your year is going well and that it only gets better!

Namaste.

Day 12 & 13 & (sort of) 14

Why, hello there! I’ve been doing yoga for two weeks now! Save for this last weekend when I had no time to yoga-out on Saturday… I’m still really bummed about that. Even though I doubled up on one day to make up for it, I still know that I didn’t technically make it a full 14 days 😦 I guess it’s the effort and intention that really counts, but it’s still a mental thing for me. But when I think about it, I honestly could not have gotten it in and still survived the day. Luckily I shouldn’t have a day like that for a while… Anyway, on to more exciting topics of conversation!

Day 12 was the day I was waiting for… BAKA-PALOOZA!! Or, bakasana, as sane people may say 🙂 I was so ready for this. My favey Jason Crandell taught this one. The video was about a half hour and it focused on loosening up the legs and opening the hips in preparation for the pose. First of all, let me say that this video is great even if you have no intention of preparing for bakasana. It’s got great hip openers and really energizes the legs. This video also focuses on engaging the core a lot more than is usually expressed in other routines I’ve done. Teachers always say to “remember” or “check” your core, but this is a clear focus in this instance. It was a real difference-maker, I feel; I definitely learned a lot. All in all, it was very effective and just enough of an effort. I’d do this sequence any time you asked me to. That’s my seal of approval 🙂 After all that opening, energizing awesomeness, it was finally time to get into bakasana/crow/crane. I started out as I’ve started hundreds of times before, but this time I really utilized my core strength to provide additional support–I used to keep most, if not all, of my weight in my legs. For this, you need to focus more on your arms and core strength for support, not so much with the legs.

While it didn’t turn out to be that familiar overcoming-your-greatest-challenge scene from the movies where I get it perfectly on the first try after a new outlook opens my eyes, I did manage some kind of success: I was able to get the pose for about 3 seconds on my 4th try! That may sound like a mediocre attempt, but for me it was a big step. To add to that, I got it a second time for another few seconds! I definitely have to keep trying and practicing, though. My Guru (aka Mom) says it’s all about overcoming the fear of falling on your face because you have to really lean forward into it. I definitely agree with her on that one. On the upside, though, I have already fallen on my face a few times trying to do this, so I guess I’m a few steps closer to overcoming that. See? There’s always an upside!

Day 13 has been my favorite so far. It’s a Vinyasa flow class taught by Elise Lorimer–two of my favorite yoga-y things! This was so interesting because it featured a system of flow I had never even heard of before: Mandala Namaskar. Meaning “circular,” this kind of flow lets you travel all around your mat. It’s like a sun salutation in that you do a routine of moves on each side to complete a full cycle. But with Mandala Namaskar, instead of recognizing one side as the “front of the mat” and returning to down dog before you switch sides, you rotate as you go along and every pose changes your “front.” It’s hard to explain, but easy once you see it done. I found it really fun! The moves all feel new when you face a new angle or get to a position in a different way than usual. Small changes like this keep everything interesting and keep me engaged and focused more. This routine featured amazing total-body stretches and poses that I love getting out of a Vinyasa class. Great way to start the morning. It gets your blood flowing and your heart pumping and you feel really fantastic afterward. This will definitely be done again, especially on rough mornings when I’d rather skip my workout!

As for Day 14, I’m supposed to do the same night sequence from last week. But if you’ll recall, I was not a fan. So, tonight I will be doing a lovely night-time podcast that is still yet-to-be-determined. Phew! 2/3 of the way there and I feel wonderful. My body feels stronger and more resilient. Mentally, I haven’t found my calmness yet, but I do feel more confident in my everyday self and less bad about not hitting the gym as much as I used to before I started this challenge. Until yesterday, I hadn’t been to the gym in about a week. In the past I would feel sluggish and weak, not to mention I would feel really down on myself psychologically. But I found that I still had a great deal of energy and stamina and that I felt just as strong–if not stronger–than I was when I devoted 3-4 days a week to weight training and cardio. I know yoga is still considered a workout, but it’s not as intensive, at least not obviously (ie sweating a lot), as weights or cardio. The health and wellness benefits are absolutely there, though.

I am really enjoying my daily yoga. I’m not sure I’ll do a solid 30 minutes minimum of yoga everyday once this challenge is over, but I’ll definitely do at least 5-10 minutes. There are still some days where I want to just go for a run or do weights and really feel like I’m Ms. Fitness and 30 minutes of yoga isn’t enough to suffice. But I feel like there’s a balance to everything. I’m looking forward to where the next chapter in my healthy-living will take me. At the end of the day, like every yogi says, listen to your body.

Namaste.

Day 8, 9, 10 & 11

What I learned this weekend: I need to be better at managing my writing time on the weekends. Once again, it totally got away from me and here I am now with a huge catch-up writing day. ::sigh:: C’est la vie! Today I had to take a 1/2 day from work because the guy from the gas company had to come check the meter inside the house. Blerg. It’s so frustrating that you have to sit and potentially wait 4 hours for someone to do 5 minutes of work. Oh well, that’s just the way it goes, I guess One the upside, though, that means I got to catch up on the days I haven’t written about.

The video for today is… wait for it… BAKASANA! aka crow (or crane) pose. This is a pose that I have worked on for years and I just cannot get it. I’m going to do the video tonight instead of this morning because I really want to focus on it–which I know I won’t be able to do while waiting for the gas man to come to ring the bell at any second. (Anxious Yogi, indeed!) On with the past four days of the 21 Day Yoga Challenge:

Day Eight focused on shoulder openers. It was another very gentle, slow sequence. You could do it either while seated in a chair or on your mat. It emphasized reaching back or over your body without straining your back or neck, really just focusing on your shoulders and how they move. It was good to learn some of the new moves for it and I’ll probably borrow some poses when I have tension in the shoulders, but I don’t think I’d do the whole sequence again.

Day Nine was the same core video from Day Three. It was easier this time because I knew what was coming–I had previously talked about how I felt the instructor wasn’t very clear in her direction, so this time around it went a lot smoother. I haven’t really worked out my core since then, so I still felt that nice burn in my abs when doing this video. Once again, this is a great video, but I think it’s a better way to warm up your core than really work it out. I’m going to do more intense ab exercises in the future to really build strength.

Day 10 was more standing poses with Jason Crandell (my fav!). It was the same video from Day Two. As I said in that entry, I love this video and I love this instructor! It’s an awesome, energizing sequence that really feels like a great workout. You get a lot of great stretches out of it and Jason really emphasizes keeping your form strong and correct and introduces great ways to always be checking this. I was very happy to do this again.

Day 11 was a forward bends sequence with Elise Lorimer. She did backbends in Day Six and they were great. This time was no different–she went at a great pace and really encouraged you to get deep into the stretches. The beginning featured placing a rolled up blanket just below your shoulders and letting your back melt over that roll. It felt soooo good! Such a great opening and an amazing stretch. She did a series of pseudo-sun salutations, as I like to call them (some of the poses in the traditional sequence were switched out with different ones) followed by some lunge-type poses, pigeon, and lots of down dog to counter those more forward stretches. Elise stated at the beginning that this sequence was great for right after work to unwind, but I found it was still energizing for the morning. Definitely a great video to do any time and I will be revisiting it when I need some good back stretches.

Whew! There we go. Short and sweet. And the gas man got here at about 10 so I got to do some quick yoga on my own before I got ready for work. Nice! Now I’m going to lunch with a friend before heading to work. Half days are always weird–you get to pretend you’re free for a bit before reality steps in and reminds you that you have other obligations to take care of. It was worth it though. I’m glad I got so much accomplished this morning, not to mention that I had to wake up early on Saturday and Sunday so I got to sleep in just a bit today 🙂 All is well and good over here. Have a great rest of your day. Wish me luck with my bakasana! (I’ll need it!) And as always…

Namaste.

Day Six & Seven

Happy one full week of yoga! I’m a third of the way through the 21 Day Yoga Challenge and I am feeling good 🙂 Mentally, I feel very accomplished and not as frantic as I sometimes feel. Physically, I can feel that I am getting better at the poses–I’m learning to pay attention to each pose and make adjustments where needed–yoga is not for the passive! I realized I used to do a very lazy down and upward facing dog–my hips weren’t back far enough and my shoulders weren’t pushed back and down enough, respecitvely. You should always feel something in the poses, even if they’re “easy.” I’m finally starting to get what the instructors mean when they say things like “open the heart” or “bring the energy through the crown.”

Day Six featured a new teacher that I really enjoyed. She reminded me a lot of some teachers I’ve had (in person) in the past. She was very direct with her instructions and had an attitude I respond to very well–I can’t explain it very well, unfortunately. She was very calm but not in that stereotypical hippie-child kind of way and she was encouraging but she didn’t baby you. Eh, just watch the video for yourself I guess! It was really great. This session was all about back bends and featured lots of moves I and any one else who does Power or Vinyasa Flow yoga will be familiar with.

This was the first video that I really felt like I got a workout in. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed all of the past episodes and I love any kind of yoga, but sometimes I get this complex that it’s not a workout unless you’re sweating or can feel your heart pumping. That’s why the majority of classes I take are intense hot yoga classes–LOVE IT!

There were a couple sun salutations and lots of chair poses that gave my legs a workout, too! The sun salutations she took us through seemed to be deeper than I’m used to, which was a nice change. She also incorporated the use of your arms to create more of a stretch in the back, which was interesting and new for me. I’m not very good with balance, but if I’m very focused and calm, I can pull off a pretty nice tree pose. Yesterday was not one of those days. I was wobbling all over the place and with the added side bend she asks you to do, it was a lost cause. Better luck next time, I guess. There were a lot of floor poses like bow and locust that really made my back feel great. There’s also a great pose that I had never done before that I really enjoyed called rock star. (What an awesome name! :)) Well, that’s not entirely true–the rock star pose is the same pose as “flipping the dog,” when you flip over one leg from your down dog, but I had never gone into it from seated, so it felt new to me. I really enjoyed this video and will be revisiting it in the future.

Random thought: I have total respect for anyone committing to any kind of “me time” activity who has children. I do yoga in our computer room because my boyfriend’s cat (my step-cat, as I like to call her–it really freaks him out ;-)), Tali, lays all over my mat and demands attention and gets in the way if I don’t have a door to close. She’ll slide her paw under the door and meow and scratch trying to get in but she usually leaves after a minute or so to go find something more interesting to do. Yesterday, she was not having it. She was being so loud and was not giving up, so I gave in and let her hang around. She was totally in the way and she was not happy that she didn’t have my full attention. UGH! I can’t even imagine how hard it must be with kids if I can’t even manage a cat! Props to all of you mothers/fathers/caretakers!

She does try her best to keep up though:

tali in shavasana

I have come to love starting the morning with yoga, so I did a podcast when I woke up because the video for today is a nighttime relaxation sequence–not how I want to start a Wednesday! The Yoga Download channel has so many episodes it’s ridiculous! Most of their episodes can be downloaded as audio or as a full video and many also come with a pose guide for download as well if you need it and they’re all about 20 minutes long, so you can do as many or as little as you’d like to make your own routine. This morning, I did “Episode 11: Morning Flow #1”. When the audio started, the woman said that this episode would focus on back bends, as they were a great way to wake up in the morning. Back bends back to back! (da-dun-CHH!) Doing all these back bends really has been improving the discomfort I always have in my back. Although this morning I did have to spend a little more time than usual in the counter stretches for my lower back–it just would not cooperate! It totally tightened up 😦 I was really worried I’d have an awful day because of it, but by the time I left for work it worked itself out. Yay!

The Day Seven episode was taught by the same woman who did Day One. She has avery calming and soothing way of teaching–my best guess is that this is her specialty. Like the morning yoga, this episode featured basic, easy stretches that were executed slowly: rocking from table top to child’s pose, hugging one leg into your chest, etc. You are encouraged to go at your own pace as with any other class and rest your mind while you relax your body. It was a really nice way to end the day.

Well, that’s one week down. I’m looking forward to the next two weeks and I am excited to see my progress in the poses as well as the execution. Until next time…

Namaste.

Day One & Two

Well Day One and Two are dunzo and I have to say that I really enjoy the type of routine the 21-Day Challenge has implemented. It’s really nice to be able to see all of my “days” laid out on one page in front of me so I can see what’s ahead. It’s also nice because I can preview the video to see how long it is and what kinds of poses they’ll be doing so I can decide when would be best for me to fit it into my day.

I did the Day One video when I got home from work yesterday. It was really easy, both physically and also in the sense that it didn’t require much thought—I know that sounds negative, but it was actually really nice to just be at ease and clear for 20 minutes. Although, I admittedly had some moments of distraction and had my thoughts wander. It featured lots of slow arm movements to wake-up and warm the body and easy bends and leans in the knees and legs. The part I most enjoyed was that it really focused on the breath. Every movement was perfectly timed with a breath and because the movements were simple and slow, it was easy to focus mainly on the breath. It’s definitely a nice routine to do right when you wake up, but for me at least it was not enough to really rev up my afternoon/evening.

After my Day One was finished, I looked ahead to the Day Two video to test the waters before the next day. It’s about 35 minutes and focuses on standing poses. I decided to do it in the morning to get a little kick start to my Friday. Before I did the video, I actually repeated some movements from the Day One video to wake up as well as some seated forward bends to loosen and warm up my legs a bit. The Day Two video features the use of a strap and a block. I have my own block but don’t use it regularly and I don’t have a strap (I used a towel instead). Usually I’m too proud to use “help,” but since the guy in the video was using them and I felt committed to follow the videos exactly, I gave in and swallowed my pride.

I have to say that I now (finally) see that the use of props can be very helpful in any level of practice. I definitely felt a difference in the way the poses felt and was not discouraged at all by not doing them “right.” Using the towel allowed me to get a full extension and rotation in my leg that I physically could not have done without it—I actually probably would have hurt myself if I didn’t use it. Half Moon is usually the bane of my existence, but today, it was actually doable with the use of a block for a few extra inches and added support. It still wasn’t pretty, but it was the best I’ve ever felt doing it, physically and especially mentally.

I really liked the instructor who taught in today’s episode. I felt like he explained everything very well—he always made sure you knew how every part of your body was supposed to feel in each pose and was thorough in his directions. Even though I didn’t do anything I hadn’t already done and he didn’t say anything other instructors haven’t already said, the way he explained everything just seemed to make more sense to me than usual. It all just clicked, I guess. He’s in several of the videos for this challenge, so if I continue to enjoy his episodes, I’ll seek out more of his stuff.

On a side note, the recipe on today’s newsletter was a corn, chayote, and green chile burrito that had me starving for hot, cheesy, carbolicious goodness at 5:30 am. Ooph! Luckily, a group of people at work wanted to get Mexican for lunch and I was able to get my burrito fix in no time at all 🙂 I am going to have to try to make that bad boy one day, though. It looks pretty awesome, I must say.

After work I went to the gym–I haven’t been there in over a week and thanks to the holidays and other schedule craziness and had only gone maybe twice the week before that… Eh. What are ya gonna do, right? Anyway, I did some arm ans shoulder strength training followed by a nice treadmill workout. ‘Twas good.

And thus, another day is done. Have a great weekend!

Namaste.