Day 6 - Vinyasa!!

I had a rough time getting out of bed this morning. I was just tired. It was hard to shake this feeling all day - especially since looming ahead me was the dreaded Vinyasa.

Shhhh - I'll tell you secret: I took a Vinyasa class in college and I hated this class so much that I hated all yoga until I met Vicki. And over the years she slowly convinced that trying Bikram might not be so bad. I took a different Vinyasa class as well, and it just moved too quickly and I didn't know what all the positions were, so I just tried to muscle my way through and often failed. I didn't like that class much either. But I still liked the Bikram series, so I stuck with that.

This is all to tell you that Kate's Vinyasa class at Hart Yoga was nothing like those classes I hated. Yes, it was challenging. Yes, there were things I couldn't do. But I left the class feeling good about myself, and I wouldn't mind going back for more :) I was a little worried when the first pose we did was child's pose, and it kind of hurt a lot, but that was just some soreness I needed to stretch out from the past week!

I'm generally very aware that I have limitations, and even though I could hear Kate saying I didn't have to do a certain series, I thought to myself, "I can keep doing this, I can slowly lower down from plank..." Nope, couldn't. Instead I just fell to the floor. And made Kate laugh. That's the second time in two days I've made the instructor laugh - I hope that's a good thing! I've mentioned before that instead of arms I have freakishly long limp noodles hanging next to me. It's pretty convenient for flexibility purposes, but not so much for holding myself up. Arm strength - definitely something I can work on!

My hips are ridiculously tight. It seems like the more I try to relax and stretch them, the tighter they feel. But it's only week one and I have a loooong way to go!

It's hard to look back on class and find something that was "best" or something I struggled with more than others. It was all pretty new to me. But I had a good time and just about every muscle in my body hurts now! It's difficult not to have a good time when Kate is so cheerful and easy to get along with :D

Day 1 - A Good Start

My first day of the 30 day challenge was a big success! A very wise person recently told me that yoga isn't about being the best or the most flexible, but about your own personal improvements and doing better than you did last time. Nothing highlights this better than being in class next to the super bendy Lexie. I even found myself watching her in awe during standing bow pulling pose as she easily kicked her leg into quite possibly a standing split. Meanwhile, I was struggling to stand on one leg while holding the other. Lexie is so talented (and such a nice person), she definitely gives me some inspiration to keep improving!

I went into class with sore shoulders and upper back. I don't have serious back pain, but I often have back aches - the product of sitting in a crappy office chair for the majority of the day. But working through the ache to stretch and improve the muscle had me feeling much better by the end of class.

I definitely struggled a little bit less than I have recently, and I heard, "Nice job, Mel" from Vicki a few times. I always love that little bit of encouragement, even if it comes 1 second before falling out of a pose. And especially when it comes during a pose I don't quite "get" (I'm looking at you, Rabbit).

I was not as hydrated as I should have been going into class, and since it was a 7pm class I have no good excuse for that! So today I'm starting right off drinking my water instead waiting until noon and only having a couple of glasses. Perhaps tonight I won't have to stop to get a drink of water quite so often.

Having class at 7pm was a bit of a struggle for me since I get out of work at 5:15 and I had some time to kill and some hunger to overcome. But it was worth it to practice with such a great group of people and get this challenge started off on a positive note.

I slept very well last night, and even woke up concerned this morning that our naughty kitty had let me sleep so well :) Today, my hips are kind of sore, especially my right hip. My back feels less sore than it did yesterday, so hopefully I can improve my posture throughout the day and keep it feeling that way. And my arms are tired. Overall, I'm energized and ready for day 2!! (We'll see if that keeps up for day 12 and beyond!)