30 Day Wrap Up

I survived my 30 day challenge!
I feel like I have 26 new best friends. Through these last 30 days I’ve gotten to know these 26 postures intimately. I knew them before, but not like I do now. We’ve done a lot together through just starting out, falling to illness, recovering and finally making improvements. It’s through these postures that I’ve become better acquainted with myself. I’m much more aware of each part of my body than I was before. For instance, I knew I held a lot of tension in my shoulders, but never noticed how much it can throw my whole body out of balance, or where I store other emotions. Truthfully, I thought that was all a little bit hokey before. I dismissed yoga because I wasn’t really into meditation and getting in touch with my inner whatevers. I didn’t like sitting perfectly still. My only previous yoga experience was a class I took in college that was really boring. And none of the classes I've taken at Hart Yoga have been boring.

You may not know this, but I was once an athlete. I played ice hockey and a number of other sports. I was lucky in that where I played there was a great focus on maintaining athletes and preventing injuries, and as such there was always an emphasis on stretching before and after working out. This is a practice I have actively maintained since leaving high school, though I haven’t necessarily maintained being active. Thanks to this habit of stretching, I started yoga with an amount of flexibility. Not a large amount, but something to build on so I was not completely miserable. Through this challenge my biggest hurdle was overcoming the lack of strength I had, especially in my legs for balancing.

I was just looking through some photos we took, and I’m amazed at the progress I’ve made, that I’m still making. These are not “after” photos, I guess they're "midway" photos.

TRIANGLE:



I'm definitely getting my hips lower and holding this posture longer. The inner thighs may be screaming now, but they'll appreciate it later!

HALF MOON:



My shoulders are getting more stacked - I think I was in this posture more in class. If you notice, my hands aren't quite right, so I wasn't pulling and stretching my side as much. But either way, this one's going pretty well. Oh! And check out the back bend:



I'm really proud at how much this one has improved, and a little sad that I didn't take pictures earlier. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I've suffered from minor back pain for a long time, and I didn't think my back would ever be able to handle bending this far without me being unable to walk the next day. The spine strengthening series has helped me tremendously to improve my posture and in general handle my every day life of sitting at a desk.

My other major improvement is in Standing Bow. I'm really proud at how far I've come, since before I couldn't even balance, let alone kick my leg up and back. So here's the before and midway (I definitely have a long way to go!) [also, funny how the color of the wall changes from day to night]


I'm kicking my leg MUCH higher, and I could fairly easily be reaching forward more (yay for taking pictures!) As you can see, my standing knee still hyper-extends a fair amount, but not as badly as it used to. I think doing Yin Yang and Vinyasa helped open my hips and stretch my thighs enabling this posture and triangle to improve greatly. Just being able to balance for the majority of this posture is amazing.

Speaking of, I didn't do any pictures of non-bikram postures, but I've definitely been improving in the other classes as well. I admit I favor the steady, unchanging posture series, possibly because I can easily see measured improvement. But I also really enjoy trying new things in the Vinyasa and Yin Yang class, so hopefully in the future I'll take some pictures of those classes as well. I also am incredibly appreciative that Hart Yoga offers these class variations.

Some unintended side effects of doing yoga everyday:
- I do laundry every day. Since I only have a couple of outfits comfortable for the hot room and flexibility, and only the one yoga towel, I have to wash clothes often. So the laundry is almost all caught up, even if the folding isn't.

- According to husband-elect, I'm "very flexible in more ways than one", which apparently means I'm more comfortable varying my dinner time schedule (you thought he meant something else, didn't you?). And I possess greater patience when things don't go my way. Who knew that could ever happen.

- I stay up later and have more energy when I get home after class, but I still get the proper amount of sleep (most nights, at least)

- I'm happier with my body. Yes, I've lost a few pounds (6) and a few inches (2 inches from my waist, 1 inch from my hips, 1.5 inches from my thigh, and half an inch from my upper arm), and gained whole bunches of muscle, but after being in that hot room every day, I'm much more comfortable with me the way I am. Or at least I'm uncomfortable being too covered and stifled by lots of clothing.

Admittedly, my challenge was a bit unorthodox since I took a week off in the middle while I was sick. I think it both help and hurt me. I lost some of the momentum I had, but my glutes and thighs were getting very painful and it's possible if I had pushed through I could have injured myself. Instead, I was immobilized for at least 4 days, exercising my lungs by coughing. But I think being sick propelled the second half of my challenge to even greater heights. I came back with much more energy and drive than I had before. I was more appreciative of my healthy body and eager to stay healthy and fit.

I'm not a person who lets go of things easily. I hold grudges for a long time, I keep hoping for the impossible, and I try to control the uncontrollable. This sets me up for a lot of disappointment. I think what I gained the most from this challenge is the ability to just be. For 90 minutes each day I could go into a hot room with a wall of mirrors and watch myself struggle through these postures while looking a sweaty mess. This may not sound appealing, but it really was the best part of my day. Because for 90 minutes I wasn't thinking about anything except how to do the posture I was doing, or possibly thinking ahead to the next posture. I wasn't thinking about what bills needed to be paid, what pet needed to go to the vet, what mistakes I made at work, how much cleaning needed to be done at home, how much wedding planning needed to be done, what food I needed to eat, or how much weight I need to lose. For 90 minutes every day I could let go of all of that and just be me.

Yin Yang with Hoa

I woke up to no power this morning, and was quite anxious to leave the house and get to the studio, although rolling over and going back to sleep seemed like a good idea too. The ying yang class is kind of perfect for a Sunday morning, and I now look forward to it each week. This is the last ying yang class of the challenge, but it definitely won't be my last one forever.

Today we had a guest yogini leading us, Hoa (pronounced Waa). I was a little nervous at first, but then I realized that each yin yang class is a little different anyway, so I probably would have had the same amount of nervousness if Kate had been teaching. I really liked Hoa, and she's going to be teaching a regular class this summer (sadly I think I will always have to be at work at the time of her class). We did a couple different Vinyasas in the yang part of class with chair pose and dolphin pose.

Dolphin pose I had never done before and it was a bit challenging. Definitely an ab workout moving in and out of it! Another pose I had never done before was a yin posture, dragon. Actually, I just took a little break and looked up some pictures, and I have definitely done some variations on dragon before in Kate's class. Here, check it out: http://www.yinyoga.com/ys2_2.0_asanas_dragons.php

Dragon was the most challenging pose of the day for me. My hips really felt the stretch, and it was the only yin posture I wasn't sure if I could hold for the entire time. We did a lot of hip stretching and opening today, which I have decided I really love. Frog pose was another hip opening yin posture that felt really good. I may not like doing them at the time, but my hips appreciate being opened and stretched now and then.

I both love and hate doing yoga in the morning. I hate getting up and actually going to class, but I definitely leave class with more energy, feeling much less stiff than when I rolled out of bed.

Tomorrow is my last day of the challenge!

Energy Boost

Saturday mornings are rough. I spend all week dreaming of sleeping in Saturday morning, and then all I get is an extra half hour to make sure I can eat a decent breakfast and not throw up during locust or floor bow.

Today the orange furry alarm clock started in at 6:30. I was able to put her off for an hour, but by then the pooches were on the same page as the cat, and it was time to get up and feed everyone breakfast. When I got to the studio a little before 10, I still wasn't quite awake yet. All I really wanted was to go back to bed, and any other day I would have talked myself out of going.

Morning classes can be frustrating because my body is still stiff, and not as bendy as it can be in evening classes. My back especially was tight today, but once I let all of that go, I did pretty well. By the end of class I was feeling like I usually do, plenty warmed up and able to get to my fullest expressions of each posture. Standing bow I even maintained for the majority of the second set. I like working on toe stand. It's funny, I have an easier time balancing on my right foot in toe stand, when that is the more difficult leg for me to balance on when standing. Maybe it just feels better because I have lower expectations for that side.

Speaking of low expectations, I think that's why class went so well today. I went in not feeling it, thinking it was going to be terrible, and I left pleasantly surprised. As an added bonus, I had a lot more energy when I left class than when I arrived.

Only a Few More!!

Today's class was pretty great. I was a little dehydrated, definitely had one too many cups of coffee today. But the room was warm and I was nice and bendy.

It was pretty easy to leave the outside world behind when I walked through the doors. Nothing terrible happened today, nothing wonderful either. Once in the yoga room, it was just me and a big mirror. Nothing to prove to anyone else, no competition to win. Just 90 minutes to do the best I can in 26 postures. Not the best ever, just the best I can that day.

Awkward felt really good today. The second part where you stand up on your toes was super hard, but I feel like I'm improving. And half of standing bow also felt good - I'm making improvements on both sides, but my right side is a lot better than my right. I'll get there, though. Balancing on my right leg is steadily improving. Toe stand is coming along as well, though slowly. I like that when I do toe stand, my ankle is better prepared for fixed firm. And I get a good ab workout using my core to balance!

I really enjoyed the spine strengthening series today. There's something in half locust I don't quite get sometimes, and when I figure it out I'll let you know. Some days I can get my legs up there, some days I can't. But I still just don't know the difference between the two. Full locust felt really good though - I was totally a jet airplane!


Overall, when I left the studio tonight, I felt good. I worked hard. I did some things well. My butt was sore. My clothes were soaked. And I was ridiculously hungry and ready to go home :)

Feeling The Burn, But Not Burnt Out

It's possible I underplayed the impact of Ashley's hour class yesterday. I was definitely feeling my abs today!! Sad when sitting all day is hard.

And then Kate kept up the ab soreness today, meeting in boat pose WAAAAY too often :P Plus a good core workout in the beginning, raising and lowering legs.

I love the Bikram series - I like how predictable it is, and how the only thing that changes each class is me. Whether or not I can hold a pose depends in large part on where my mind is that day, and what I'm willing to put into each class. Vinyasa on the other hand is a surprise every time. I never know what's coming next, and that is also good for me. I like that I'm learning more poses, and while I may not have measurable improvement in the same pose, I'm definitely learning and growing (or shrinking, as the case may be).

Vinyasa has also helped my bikram practice. Working my abs and core muscles help keep me strong for poses like awkward and toe stand (though I'm just starting out with that one). Kate's instructional style is very focused on proper form and alignment with corrections when you need them, but also little tips from the beginning. I've learned in standing separate leg stretching that it's easier to maintain locked out knees without hyper-extending my knees if I engage my quad muscles before hinging at the hips and lowering my upper body. Same with standing bow - if I make sure my standing side is long and rooted to the ground before kicking and reaching with the other side, I'm able to maintain my balance for much longer and get fuller into the posture.

I also have a greater appreciation for downward dog. It feels like much more of a resting posture than it used to, and I'm learning still to keep my core muscles engaged to move efficiently and quietly to the front of the mat when I need to. It's going to take a little more work.

This was my last Vinyasa class of my challenge, and I think it was a great one to end on. We did more work on shoulder stands, moving through to plow pose and then fish pose. I really like that series of postures, I think they flow very well together (as they're supposed to). They're just fun. And pretty hard.

Don't worry, this is definitely not my last Vinyasa ever, I plan to keep coming back. It's great that this class builds on itself and grows. And my abs can definitely use the work for my honeymoon!!

p.s. Husband-Elect earning a gold star yesterday giving me a back massage after my double class day. And he made me dinner.

Double the Fun!!

Ever felt like you wanted to slap a pregnant woman? No? Clearly you haven't taken Vicki's class lately :P

Let's start at the beginning. Doing yoga every day is really starting to get to me. I thought by now I would be dreading going every day, but the opposite is true. Every day I'm excited about going. I woke this morning thinking about yoga, wondering what Ashley's class was going to be like and how it would be different from Kate's Vinyasa class. Also a little anxious for sneaking over to the studio at lunchtime - I felt like a teenager ditching school.

I'm pretty sure I was one of the people who told Vicki that having an hour long class at noon would be a good idea, so I thought it was time I stepped up and went. Having a little yoga break in the middle of the day seemed like a great idea!

Of course I arrived right at noon, and had to hurry to get into the room. I work off of Maine Street, and it shouldn't have taken me as long as it did to rush over to Stanwood St. I hurriedly changed and got into the room, with a quick introduction to Ashley and assurance that I knew kind of what Vinyasa was about. More or less I was right. I'm pretty sure I had done every pose that we did in class today before.

The hour really flew by! I was sweating plenty and moving fairly quickly through postures. I was not the only one having my first class with Ashley, so I think it was good that she would pause now and then to see how we were all doing, and that she went through everything with us. It was definitely a great core workout if you're looking to make your abs more solid!

The only downside was I had to rush back to work as my lunch hour was up. I planned ahead and took a shortened lunch last Wednesday so I would have 1.5 hours to complete my yoga journey this morning. As I was heading out the door Vicki said, "So will I see you tonight?" I really hadn't planned on doubling up today, but the way she said it made it seem like a good idea.

So after work I again headed over to the studio and geared up for yoga-ing. I thought I had brought 2 changes of clothes with me just in case, but I only had a clean top and had to throw back on my sweaty pants. And pants proved to be a terrible idea as it was a super hot class!

I'm not sure if it was the heat or the warm up I had 4 hours earlier, but I was definitely very bendy today! It was excellent! I even had standing bow going pretty well for a few solid seconds. I'm getting better at holding it steady at the "halfway" point, and then stretching up further bit by bit.

Triangle was super hard today, as I was super sweaty and engaging my inner thighs was making my whole body shake. At that point I wasn't sure if the humidity was making it hazy in the room or if my vision was starting to get blurry. Who really knows. The important thing was that I kept going (albeit a little slower than I was before, perhaps a bit less deep). When we got to tree and toe stand, I knew toe stand just wasn't gonna happen today, and that's ok. As sweat was pouring down my elbow and landing on my thigh, Vicki pointed out my "arm waterfall" and chirped, "Isn't it great?? The humidity is perfect today!" As I struggled to maintain my breath through my nose and not chew the thick air, I kind of wanted to slap her. Especially since it was her happy tone saying, "Will I see you tonight?" that got me into this in the first place. My shirt and pants were clinging to me, my stomach felt like it was suffocating and I had to pull up the bottom of my shirt. Sorry to all the folks that had to see my tummy today, but you're supposed to be only looking at yourself in the mirror anyway :P

When we started the floor series, I really just wanted to give up. But I didn't, and I actually did much better in floor bow, full locust, and the spine twist than I usually do! All of the other floor exercises went just fine too. I've never been so happy to have a class end though. It was consistently hot and steamy the whole way through, there was no cooling down as you laid on the floor.

As I write this, I'm tired, I'm sore, and I'm really happy I did the double dose of yoga today. I was definitely much more limber in the second class. I left the first class super hungry, but after eating my lunch I really wasn't too peckish through the afternoon like I usually am. Perhaps because I was drinking water preparing for class #2.

The evening class was easily one of the hardest classes I've been to yet, and still I left smiling and ready to come back again tomorrow! I know i heard a few groans in the room (and yes, once or twice it was me), but I hope everyone else who was there tonight feels the same way.

Happy Sunday!!

Yin Yang on Sundays is really starting to grow on me. Today there was a lot of laughter and friendliness going on before class even started. It was just a great Sunday feeling, and a good set up for trying new things.

I like that it's fairly gentle, the yin postures definitely sneak up on you, but the heat helps you be a little bit more bendy. And we get to try something new each week, at our own pace. It's nice to work through new postures and make sure that you are doing them correctly. And then if it comes up in the Vinyasa class on Tuesday, you already have a good base before moving more quickly.

Today was just fun! I left class with lots of good energy and came home and got lots of things done! So much so that I nearly forgot to write this blog :)

We did some work on shoulder stands, which seemed much scarier than it ended up being. I would have liked to spend even more time going through that series. Although I'd probably be much more sore if we'd done it more.

I'm even starting to enjoy the free practice at the end of class as I learn more postures. Today my hips were really tight (especially the left one) and a few minutes in pigeon was just what I needed after spending most of class working on opening them up. I know I keep mentioning having tight hips, but I definitely notice that they're getting more flexible each week.

I hope everyone else enjoyed their Sunday! I'm going to try to give the noon Vinyasa a chance tomorrow - here's hoping I can make it there!