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.
