I've been doing yoga for about a year and a half now and I've always enjoyed the physical aspect of how it makes my body feel. Recently, I've been getting more interested in how it also calms my mind and focuses my energy. I decided to explore this further by reading the book "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga" by Deepak Chopra. It was a great read, I definitely recommend it!
I always get books from the library because I don't typically re-read books. However, I think I might actually go buy this one because I folded down the corners of probably 75 of the 200 pages indicating parts I wanted to remember. There was so much great information that there is no way I can share it all, but here are a few things I took away.
Yoga is much more than a system of physical fitness. It is a science of balanced living, a path for realizing full human potential. In these tumultuous times, yoga provides an anchor to a quieter domain of life, enabling people living in a modern technological world to stay connected to their natural humanity. Yoga offers the promise of remaining centered in the midst of turbulence. The essential purpose of yoga is the integration of all the layers of life - environmental, physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. The word yoga is derived from the Sankrit root yuj, which means "to unite." At its core, yoga means union, the union of body, mind, and soul; the union of the ego and the spirit.
Yoga philosophy begins with the spirit. Getting in touch with your spirit is the true goal of yoga. It occurs naturally when your mind quiets and you are able to access the inner wisdom that emerges from the deepest aspect of your being. There are three key questions that help shift your internal reference point from ego to spirit. They are: Who am I? What do I want? How can I serve? Whether or not you are aware of it, these questions are directing your choices in life. Regularly bringing your current answers to conscious awareness enables your to be alert to the opportunities that resonate with the needs of your soul. The true purpose of yoga is to discover that aspect of your being that can never be lost. Your job may change, your relationships may change, your body may change, your beliefs may change, your desires may change, but the essence of who you are is the continuity of awareness that has no beginning or end.
During your yoga practice, the Law of Giving and Receiving is lively in every breath you take. With each inhalation and exhalation, you are exchanging ten billion trillion atoms with your environment. Right now, take as deep a breath as you possibly can and hold it. Hold it as long as you can, and notice how uncomfortable you begin to feel when you are holding onto something that is meant to be released. Now, exhale as fully as you can and hold your breath with your longs fully emptied. Again, feel the discomfort that arises when you are resisting taking in something that you need. Whenever you resist the Law of Giving and Receiving, your mind becomes anxious and your body becomes uncomfortable. Anytime throughout the day that you feel resistance in your body because things are not going the way you think they should, bring your attention to your breath and use it to regain your sense of effortless receiving and releasing.
The Law of Detachment teaches us that in order to acquire something in this world, you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn't mean you give up the intention to fulfill your desire - you simply give up your attachment to the outcome. Attachment is based on fear and insecurity. When you forget that the only genuine source of security is your true self, you begin believing that you need something outside yourself in order to be happy. You may believe that a certain amount of money, a new car, or losing ten pounds may result in greater feelings of security within yourself. Unfortunately, whenever your happiness is based upon something other than your true self, insecurity arises because you know at a deep level of your being that whatever is bringing you happiness can be lost and therefore has the potential to bring you pain. According to the principles of yoga, the only true security comes from your willingness to embrace the unknown, the realm of uncertainty. Practicing detachment and embracing uncertainty, you relinquish your need to hold on to the past, which is the only thing that is known. Being open to what is happening rather than trying to control how things unfold, you experience the excitement, adventure, exhilaration, and mystery of life.
This is getting long, so that's all I'm going to share right now. Go check out the book!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
end of class, start of play
Tomorrow will be my last tennis lesson - it was fun and I learned a lot, but I'm glad it's over. The indoor courts were great for the springtime, but now that we're heading into summer it's time to get out and play for real!
Here are a few things I learned over the past six weeks:
Here are a few things I learned over the past six weeks:
- Grip size matters! I bought a racket based on the brand and the price without realizing the grip was too big for my hand. It felt okay while I was holding it, but every time I played my hand would start cramping up and then my hand & forearm would be sore the next day. I just figured I needed to build up my endurance. I finally uncovered the problem when Marc got a new racket so I tried out his old one which happened to have a smaller grip. It instantly made a difference in my play and I didn't have any pain anymore.
- Tennis skirts aren't just cute, they are also functional. One time I wore capris to class and I quickly realized I didn't have anywhere to stash tennis balls...oops! With a skirt, you can easily tuck a spare ball in the shorts that are under the skirt. This makes for less having to run around picking up the balls off the court.
- Getting your racket restrung periodically helps to keep the responsiveness of the racket. This makes sense to me in theory, but I still have been to lazy to do it. It's okay though, it gives me something to blame when I miss a shot!
- Playing with people who are better than me was a great way to challenge myself, but it was also frustrating at times. I just chose not to keep score in my head so we were just playing for fun rather than competition. They may have been counting, but I wasn't. When I had that mindset, it made playing a lot more enjoyable.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
missing yoga
After running the half marathon on Sunday, I was torn on whether or not to go to yoga in the afternoon. Part of me was exhausted and didn't need more exercise, but part of me thought that it would feel really good to stretch. I ended up not going and relaxing on the couch for the rest of the day.
My muscles and my knee were pretty sore so I was expecting to be even worse on Monday. However, I actually felt pretty good so on Tuesday I went back to yoga. I only took a couple days off from class, but I could tell a big difference in my body.
Then I was out late and busy with other things, so I missed class again yesterday & today. I definitely want to go tomorrow morning because I'm going to be out of town for the weekend.
I miss yoga! I liked going every day - I don't like this twice a week thing. It's funny to see how quickly excuses and obstacles come up when I'm not focused on a goal. It was easy to go to yoga every day when I made it my priority, but now that I have an attitude of "I'll go when I can," it seems like there is always a reason that I don't go. Next week I will start going every day again...I'm really looking forward to it!
My muscles and my knee were pretty sore so I was expecting to be even worse on Monday. However, I actually felt pretty good so on Tuesday I went back to yoga. I only took a couple days off from class, but I could tell a big difference in my body.
Then I was out late and busy with other things, so I missed class again yesterday & today. I definitely want to go tomorrow morning because I'm going to be out of town for the weekend.
I miss yoga! I liked going every day - I don't like this twice a week thing. It's funny to see how quickly excuses and obstacles come up when I'm not focused on a goal. It was easy to go to yoga every day when I made it my priority, but now that I have an attitude of "I'll go when I can," it seems like there is always a reason that I don't go. Next week I will start going every day again...I'm really looking forward to it!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
ready or not, here I run
The Kirkland Half Marathon has come & gone! I'm happy to say that I survived in one piece :)
The weather was beautiful and I loved the route. This was my second half marathon - the first was the Seafair Half Marathon in June 2008. I liked this one much better! That route was on a lot of arterial streets, so it wasn't very scenic. The only cool part was that we started at Husky Stadium and crossed the 520 Bridge. This route was much nicer - it went along tree lined streets and residential neighborhoods, and then the last few miles was along the waterfront and through a park. The other thing I liked better is that there were a lot less people - I didn't feel like I was going to get run over, and I wasn't having to weave in and out of groups of people.
Here are the highlights:
Starting line - there were two groups: the slower group started at 7 a.m. and the faster group started at 7:30 a.m. I went with the slow group, partially because I was anticipating having to walk some of the course, and partially because it was FREEZING cold and I wanted to get moving as soon as possible. Right at mile 5 the lead runners began to pass me. That was pretty incredible realizing how fast they were running to make up the half hour head start I had.
Mile 8 - I saw a woman running while pushing a stroller. I was impressed - that's a lot of extra work especially since there were a lot of hills! A minute later I saw a guy running barefoot. I've heard about people doing that, but seeing it in person was shocking. It made me laugh at any thoughts of foot pain I was having.
Mile 9 - I was getting tired and my left knee was hurting pretty badly. We turned a corner and the waterfront & mountains came into view right at the same time a man with a prosthetic leg passed me. I was so inspired that I literally started crying! Here I was thinking about my knee pain and along comes a guy who didn't even have a knee and he was leaving me in his dust. Sure puts things into perspective - so cool!
Mile 10 - I ran into my father-in-law. He lives in downtown Kirkland so he came out to find me. I didn't know he was going to be there, so I was pleasantly surprised. It gave me a little boost of encouragement for the last 3 miles.
Mile 12 - On the last big hill I saw a woman running up with two huge dogs. No fair - they were pretty much towing her up the hill! I laughed thinking I might have to borrow some dogs next year.
The finish line!!! Yay, I made it! I grabbed a bottle of water and some food, and then overheard the name of a friend over the loud speaker (they were announcing names as people finished). It was a friend I hadn't seen since high school, so I ran over to say hi to her. So fun to see her after all these years! (12 to be exact)
All in all it turned out to be a great day! I'm so happy that I did it :)
The weather was beautiful and I loved the route. This was my second half marathon - the first was the Seafair Half Marathon in June 2008. I liked this one much better! That route was on a lot of arterial streets, so it wasn't very scenic. The only cool part was that we started at Husky Stadium and crossed the 520 Bridge. This route was much nicer - it went along tree lined streets and residential neighborhoods, and then the last few miles was along the waterfront and through a park. The other thing I liked better is that there were a lot less people - I didn't feel like I was going to get run over, and I wasn't having to weave in and out of groups of people.
Here are the highlights:
Starting line - there were two groups: the slower group started at 7 a.m. and the faster group started at 7:30 a.m. I went with the slow group, partially because I was anticipating having to walk some of the course, and partially because it was FREEZING cold and I wanted to get moving as soon as possible. Right at mile 5 the lead runners began to pass me. That was pretty incredible realizing how fast they were running to make up the half hour head start I had.
Mile 8 - I saw a woman running while pushing a stroller. I was impressed - that's a lot of extra work especially since there were a lot of hills! A minute later I saw a guy running barefoot. I've heard about people doing that, but seeing it in person was shocking. It made me laugh at any thoughts of foot pain I was having.
Mile 9 - I was getting tired and my left knee was hurting pretty badly. We turned a corner and the waterfront & mountains came into view right at the same time a man with a prosthetic leg passed me. I was so inspired that I literally started crying! Here I was thinking about my knee pain and along comes a guy who didn't even have a knee and he was leaving me in his dust. Sure puts things into perspective - so cool!
Mile 10 - I ran into my father-in-law. He lives in downtown Kirkland so he came out to find me. I didn't know he was going to be there, so I was pleasantly surprised. It gave me a little boost of encouragement for the last 3 miles.
Mile 12 - On the last big hill I saw a woman running up with two huge dogs. No fair - they were pretty much towing her up the hill! I laughed thinking I might have to borrow some dogs next year.
The finish line!!! Yay, I made it! I grabbed a bottle of water and some food, and then overheard the name of a friend over the loud speaker (they were announcing names as people finished). It was a friend I hadn't seen since high school, so I ran over to say hi to her. So fun to see her after all these years! (12 to be exact)
All in all it turned out to be a great day! I'm so happy that I did it :)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
lessons learned
Looking back at the last 60 days, I think the biggest thing I learned is the power of commitment. I had a lot of goals during these 60 days (aside from just yoga), some I accomplished and others I didn't. When I look at which ones were successful, they were the ones that I fully committed myself to with no exceptions. The ones I didn't achieve were goals that I thought "oh wouldn't it be nice but it probably won't happen."
Getting through 60 days of yoga definitely wasn't easy - there were days when I would have preferred to sleep in an extra hour, or stay on the couch and watch more TV, but it was never an option because nothing was going to stand in my way of making it through all 60 days of yoga.
A big part of being successful was planning ahead. I always tried to look a day or two in advance to decide which classes I was going to attend. I put them in my calendar like I would with any other appointment, and I scheduled the rest of my day around when I was going to yoga. Life is always going to get in the way somehow - there were definitely times when conflicts would come up and I would have to find ways to work around them. I found that there was always a way to get to class - even when I went out of town for three days, I looked online and found a studio to attend while I was gone.
Not having a set plan was a big part of why one of my other goals didn't pan out..."train for a half marathon." Ha ha, even just by saying the goal, I can clearly see that it wasn't specific or measurable so no wonder I didn't stick to it. I just thought to myself "I should start running more so I'll sign up for the half marathon and then I'll be motivated to start training." Well that didn't exactly happen! There was always an excuse - the weather is bad, I'm tired, I'm hungry, I got invited to X and that sounds more fun, etc. I didn't make running a priority - it was just something on the back burner that I treated like something I could get to later, but not now. Well 'now' is here...the half marathon is on Sunday and I'm totally not prepared. Yikes!
Anyway - the point is that I could have just as easily committed to running and scheduled it on my calendar like I did with yoga, but I just didn't do it. Clearly that was the reason why I slacked off and let it fall by the wayside. Which is fine by the way - there is no reason to be disappointed about it, or mad at myself over it. It's just the way it happened, and next time I know what to do differently in order to achieve the outcome I desire. I will inevitably be paying for my lack of training...come Monday I'm anticipating sore muscles on every inch of my body. I'm sure there will be some complaining...but mostly I will just laugh at myself and shrug it off as just a painful lesson learned :)
Now back to what worked for me...here are a few helpful things that kept me on track for all 60 days of yoga: First and probably foremost was proclaiming my goal publicly. I told all my friends and family about the yoga challenge so people were constantly asking how it was going. I didn't want to have to say "oh I gave that up" so the fear of publicly admitting failure was self motivating. Second was having other people doing it with me. The most helpful part of that was having a board posted on the wall at the yoga studio where we put up a star for each class we attended. It sounds silly, but there really was something rewarding about getting to tack on that star every day. Third was keeping a blog. I have never really blogged before, so I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. I actually ended up really enjoying it! It was great reinforcement when someone would say to me "oh I loved what you wrote about on your blog yesterday, I totally could relate to it." Since starting this challenge, one of my friends has signed up for a mountain bike race and she's keeping a blog about her training. Knowing that I inspired other people to try something new was really rewarding for me.
So what's next??? I am going to keep attending yoga classes regularly but not every day. With the weather getting nicer, I'll want to be outside more so that will cut down my available time. I will still go on weekday mornings before work, but I will not always go on the weekend. Other than that...assuming I survive the half marathon with my body intact, the next big event I'm going to do is the XTERRA off road triathlon on August 1st (1000 meter lake swim, 15 mile mountain bike, and 6.2 mile trail run). I have been thinking about doing it for the past three years, so this is going to be the year I finally do it. There, I said it! I've announced it publicly so there's no going back...now I'm off to formulate & commit to a set training schedule :)
Getting through 60 days of yoga definitely wasn't easy - there were days when I would have preferred to sleep in an extra hour, or stay on the couch and watch more TV, but it was never an option because nothing was going to stand in my way of making it through all 60 days of yoga.
A big part of being successful was planning ahead. I always tried to look a day or two in advance to decide which classes I was going to attend. I put them in my calendar like I would with any other appointment, and I scheduled the rest of my day around when I was going to yoga. Life is always going to get in the way somehow - there were definitely times when conflicts would come up and I would have to find ways to work around them. I found that there was always a way to get to class - even when I went out of town for three days, I looked online and found a studio to attend while I was gone.
Not having a set plan was a big part of why one of my other goals didn't pan out..."train for a half marathon." Ha ha, even just by saying the goal, I can clearly see that it wasn't specific or measurable so no wonder I didn't stick to it. I just thought to myself "I should start running more so I'll sign up for the half marathon and then I'll be motivated to start training." Well that didn't exactly happen! There was always an excuse - the weather is bad, I'm tired, I'm hungry, I got invited to X and that sounds more fun, etc. I didn't make running a priority - it was just something on the back burner that I treated like something I could get to later, but not now. Well 'now' is here...the half marathon is on Sunday and I'm totally not prepared. Yikes!
Anyway - the point is that I could have just as easily committed to running and scheduled it on my calendar like I did with yoga, but I just didn't do it. Clearly that was the reason why I slacked off and let it fall by the wayside. Which is fine by the way - there is no reason to be disappointed about it, or mad at myself over it. It's just the way it happened, and next time I know what to do differently in order to achieve the outcome I desire. I will inevitably be paying for my lack of training...come Monday I'm anticipating sore muscles on every inch of my body. I'm sure there will be some complaining...but mostly I will just laugh at myself and shrug it off as just a painful lesson learned :)
Now back to what worked for me...here are a few helpful things that kept me on track for all 60 days of yoga: First and probably foremost was proclaiming my goal publicly. I told all my friends and family about the yoga challenge so people were constantly asking how it was going. I didn't want to have to say "oh I gave that up" so the fear of publicly admitting failure was self motivating. Second was having other people doing it with me. The most helpful part of that was having a board posted on the wall at the yoga studio where we put up a star for each class we attended. It sounds silly, but there really was something rewarding about getting to tack on that star every day. Third was keeping a blog. I have never really blogged before, so I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. I actually ended up really enjoying it! It was great reinforcement when someone would say to me "oh I loved what you wrote about on your blog yesterday, I totally could relate to it." Since starting this challenge, one of my friends has signed up for a mountain bike race and she's keeping a blog about her training. Knowing that I inspired other people to try something new was really rewarding for me.
So what's next??? I am going to keep attending yoga classes regularly but not every day. With the weather getting nicer, I'll want to be outside more so that will cut down my available time. I will still go on weekday mornings before work, but I will not always go on the weekend. Other than that...assuming I survive the half marathon with my body intact, the next big event I'm going to do is the XTERRA off road triathlon on August 1st (1000 meter lake swim, 15 mile mountain bike, and 6.2 mile trail run). I have been thinking about doing it for the past three years, so this is going to be the year I finally do it. There, I said it! I've announced it publicly so there's no going back...now I'm off to formulate & commit to a set training schedule :)
the big Six-Oh
Woo hoo, I made it!!! Today is day #60!!! I have learned and accomplished so much over the past 60 days - much more than I ever thought possible. So what am I going to do to celebrate??? more yoga :) Tomorrow I'm going to a workshop at Om Culture - it's a 2 hr Vinyasa class with live music. I'm so excited!
Yesterday in class, Whitney set the intention of 'patience.' Whew - this is a tough one for me! I really like instant results and accomplishing things NOW. Why do I have to wait??? (says my inner two year old)
This morning Angie said something along the lines of "each breath is a new moment in time...let go of what just happened, it is in the past...experience the present without anticipating the future." I can see how I anticipate during class - when you have been going to yoga for a while and you get used to the styles of different teachers, you start to expect what is coming next rather than waiting to see what is going to happen. When you know what is coming, it's easy to jump ahead or fast forward to what is next. It takes more to be patient and wait expectantly.
I've been trying to be patient with myself in learning hand stand. It's hard to wait - I just want to be able to do it now! I can hold it for 4 seconds and I was aiming for being able to hold for 5 seconds by today. Today isn't over yet...so maybe I will still get there, and maybe I won't. But even if I don't get it today, I know without a doubt that I will get it eventually. So what's the big deal? Why am I so focused on doing it now? Even if it takes another day, week or month, it will be just as much an accomplishment then as it would be now. I will be just as excited and proud of myself, so it's really no different. So what's the rush???
Even though it makes sense in theory to accept where I am and be patient with myself, it still doesn't make the feelings of urgency go away. I still am obsessed with doing it today! sigh... Uh oh, now I am conflicted. Part of me wants to just try over and over again until I get it today...and part of me wants to learn the patience lesson by not even trying a hand stand today and purposely making myself wait until another day. I'm not sure which side is going to win this battle...I guess I'll have to wait until I get home tonight to find out.
Yesterday in class, Whitney set the intention of 'patience.' Whew - this is a tough one for me! I really like instant results and accomplishing things NOW. Why do I have to wait??? (says my inner two year old)
This morning Angie said something along the lines of "each breath is a new moment in time...let go of what just happened, it is in the past...experience the present without anticipating the future." I can see how I anticipate during class - when you have been going to yoga for a while and you get used to the styles of different teachers, you start to expect what is coming next rather than waiting to see what is going to happen. When you know what is coming, it's easy to jump ahead or fast forward to what is next. It takes more to be patient and wait expectantly.
I've been trying to be patient with myself in learning hand stand. It's hard to wait - I just want to be able to do it now! I can hold it for 4 seconds and I was aiming for being able to hold for 5 seconds by today. Today isn't over yet...so maybe I will still get there, and maybe I won't. But even if I don't get it today, I know without a doubt that I will get it eventually. So what's the big deal? Why am I so focused on doing it now? Even if it takes another day, week or month, it will be just as much an accomplishment then as it would be now. I will be just as excited and proud of myself, so it's really no different. So what's the rush???
Even though it makes sense in theory to accept where I am and be patient with myself, it still doesn't make the feelings of urgency go away. I still am obsessed with doing it today! sigh... Uh oh, now I am conflicted. Part of me wants to just try over and over again until I get it today...and part of me wants to learn the patience lesson by not even trying a hand stand today and purposely making myself wait until another day. I'm not sure which side is going to win this battle...I guess I'll have to wait until I get home tonight to find out.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
so hum
I spent a lot of time yesterday reading about mantras online. I found lots of great options, so it was hard to choose just one. Some of them were quite long and complicated, so I decided to start with a short mantra that will be easy to use & remember. "So hum" is going to be my mantra - it means "I am that." (So = "that" Hum = "I am")
This mantra is said to be the natural sound of the breath; if you observe your breathing you'll hear "so-hum" as air moves in and out of your lungs. As you inhale, the sound of that vibration is "so." And as you exhale, the sound becomes "hum."
I tried it out before class yesterday. I was there about 20 minutes early so I had time to myself. I spent a couple minutes in still meditation repeating So Hum (in my head), and then I continued it as I began moving. I was working on hand stands again, so I said So Hum in between each attempt as well as while I was in the hand stand. It definitely helped focus my efforts and control my breath. I did my longest hand stand yet - 4 seconds!!! My goal is to do 5 seconds by Thursday because that is the last day of my 60 day challenge. That's three more days, including today, so I know I can do it!
I definitely think there is something to this mantra thing...I had my best Hatha class in quite some time. I was holding poses longer and with less effort/struggle. Class flew by and after class I felt like I could have kept going through another hour. This was exactly what I needed this week. I was starting to feel like I was dragging myself to class every day - now I can't wait to go again! I feel refreshed and motivated, like I can't get enough and I love it :)
This mantra is said to be the natural sound of the breath; if you observe your breathing you'll hear "so-hum" as air moves in and out of your lungs. As you inhale, the sound of that vibration is "so." And as you exhale, the sound becomes "hum."
I tried it out before class yesterday. I was there about 20 minutes early so I had time to myself. I spent a couple minutes in still meditation repeating So Hum (in my head), and then I continued it as I began moving. I was working on hand stands again, so I said So Hum in between each attempt as well as while I was in the hand stand. It definitely helped focus my efforts and control my breath. I did my longest hand stand yet - 4 seconds!!! My goal is to do 5 seconds by Thursday because that is the last day of my 60 day challenge. That's three more days, including today, so I know I can do it!
I definitely think there is something to this mantra thing...I had my best Hatha class in quite some time. I was holding poses longer and with less effort/struggle. Class flew by and after class I felt like I could have kept going through another hour. This was exactly what I needed this week. I was starting to feel like I was dragging myself to class every day - now I can't wait to go again! I feel refreshed and motivated, like I can't get enough and I love it :)
Monday, May 3, 2010
mantra
I went to Jennifer's Vinyasa class yesterday - she is really great about breaking down the meaning of different Sanskrit words. I am a total nerd at heart, so I love learning about the word origins!
I've been thinking about mantras lately, and I came across this explanation: A mantra is nothing more than a collection of words strung together to create a positive effect. In Sanskrit, 'man' means 'mind' and 'tra' means 'freeing.' So a mantra is a phrase which is designed to free the mind. Mantras accomplish this objective in a very powerful way. The practice is immensely effective in keeping you focused, strong and happy.
In Jo's class on Saturday, the intention was "opening, and creating space." This whole week is now coming together for me...the ideas of letting go, creating space, and freeing the mind are all interconnected. If we want to create space and be open for new things to come into our lives, we have to first let go of what is already there that is blocking us. In order to let go, we have to free our minds of the limitations we have that keep us stuck in our old habits and patterns. Creating and using a mantra is a tool that can help us in this process...
now I just have to figure out what my mantra is going to be...
oops, here is my perfectionist thinking creeping in: "I want to make sure I have the right mantra, I want it to be really good, how do I create it? what should it be? maybe I can find one online from someone else. what if there is a better one? etc" Sometimes I wish I could shut my brain off!
geez, at this rate the stress of creating my mantra is probably negating the positive effect that it's supposed to have. deep breath! Maybe it's not just one mantra, maybe it evolves over time...whatever comes to me and feels right for the moment. I'm going to go with that...it takes the pressure off having to come up with the 'right' answer.
I've been thinking about mantras lately, and I came across this explanation: A mantra is nothing more than a collection of words strung together to create a positive effect. In Sanskrit, 'man' means 'mind' and 'tra' means 'freeing.' So a mantra is a phrase which is designed to free the mind. Mantras accomplish this objective in a very powerful way. The practice is immensely effective in keeping you focused, strong and happy.
In Jo's class on Saturday, the intention was "opening, and creating space." This whole week is now coming together for me...the ideas of letting go, creating space, and freeing the mind are all interconnected. If we want to create space and be open for new things to come into our lives, we have to first let go of what is already there that is blocking us. In order to let go, we have to free our minds of the limitations we have that keep us stuck in our old habits and patterns. Creating and using a mantra is a tool that can help us in this process...
now I just have to figure out what my mantra is going to be...
oops, here is my perfectionist thinking creeping in: "I want to make sure I have the right mantra, I want it to be really good, how do I create it? what should it be? maybe I can find one online from someone else. what if there is a better one? etc" Sometimes I wish I could shut my brain off!
geez, at this rate the stress of creating my mantra is probably negating the positive effect that it's supposed to have. deep breath! Maybe it's not just one mantra, maybe it evolves over time...whatever comes to me and feels right for the moment. I'm going to go with that...it takes the pressure off having to come up with the 'right' answer.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
closing my eyes in order to see clearly
Yesterday I went to the hour Vinyasa class and Whitney was teaching. I love Whitney but I don't get to her classes very often, so I was really excited! She set the intention for the class of "letting go." We spent some time doing hip opening which felt really good. I definitely hold onto tension in my hips so it's always helpful to release some of that. I seriously could have stayed in class for another hour! I'm bummed because Whitney is teaching a hip opening workshop on May 15th, but unfortunately I am going to be out of town :(
This morning at Hatha, Angie was teaching and she set the same intention of "letting go." Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it seemed like the universe was trying to tell me something. I was trying really hard to figure out what I was holding onto, but I couldn't come up with anything specific. I had a random thought pass through my head that I should go through the whole class with my eyes closed.
Huh??? That's random, where did that come from? At first I thought, "well that's silly...I'm not sure if I can actually do that...I might be falling over constantly, other people might look at me funny, people might wonder why I'm doing it, etc." Then I realized that maybe that was exactly the point - with my eyes closed, I could look within myself and block out everything else that was going on in the room. It occurred to me that what I needed to let go of is "judgment." Of my own, and of other people's. It's easy to say "oh I don't care what other people think," but the thing is...I don't even actually know what other people think. I make up stories in my head of what I imagine others must be thinking of me, and it becomes true in my mind. Even though it's not based on reality, it's just my perception and assumptions.
I let this fear of what others are "theoretically thinking" get to me and I totally freeze up. For instance in tennis...Marc and I have been taking lessons the past three weeks and I keep getting frustrated because every time the teacher is watching me and I screw up! I could hit perfectly 10 times in a row on my own, but then the teacher will come watch and I'll miss every time. Grr - so annoying! Why is that??? I know how to hit...but suddenly my energy shifts and I get tense/nervous/anxious as soon as he is watching. I feel like he's judging me and in my mind I think that he is waiting for me to miss...and then I do.
Last night I was not playing well at the beginning of class and I was getting more and more frustrated. At that point I knew I had two choices: I could get upset with myself, be annoyed through the rest of class, not learn anything, decide that I'm crap at tennis and give up completely ...or... I could choose to laugh, have fun, and be grateful that I have legs to run and arms to swing! I took a deep breath and quit trying to "perform" for the teacher, and I just played for myself to have fun. Within minutes, my playing improved dramatically and I actually enjoyed the rest of the class!
Today during yoga with my eyes closed, I didn't think about other people watching me. I didn't worry about whether I was holding a pose as long or as deep as the person next to me. I went completely inside myself and let my inhibitions go. I love how yoga gives me insights into other areas of my life! I always hear instructors say that what is happening on your mat is representative of what is happening in your life...if you are resisting a pose, what are you resisting in your life? if you are inflexible in a pose, where are you inflexible in your life? It took closing my eyes to see clearly what is happening in my life :)
This morning at Hatha, Angie was teaching and she set the same intention of "letting go." Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it seemed like the universe was trying to tell me something. I was trying really hard to figure out what I was holding onto, but I couldn't come up with anything specific. I had a random thought pass through my head that I should go through the whole class with my eyes closed.
Huh??? That's random, where did that come from? At first I thought, "well that's silly...I'm not sure if I can actually do that...I might be falling over constantly, other people might look at me funny, people might wonder why I'm doing it, etc." Then I realized that maybe that was exactly the point - with my eyes closed, I could look within myself and block out everything else that was going on in the room. It occurred to me that what I needed to let go of is "judgment." Of my own, and of other people's. It's easy to say "oh I don't care what other people think," but the thing is...I don't even actually know what other people think. I make up stories in my head of what I imagine others must be thinking of me, and it becomes true in my mind. Even though it's not based on reality, it's just my perception and assumptions.
I let this fear of what others are "theoretically thinking" get to me and I totally freeze up. For instance in tennis...Marc and I have been taking lessons the past three weeks and I keep getting frustrated because every time the teacher is watching me and I screw up! I could hit perfectly 10 times in a row on my own, but then the teacher will come watch and I'll miss every time. Grr - so annoying! Why is that??? I know how to hit...but suddenly my energy shifts and I get tense/nervous/anxious as soon as he is watching. I feel like he's judging me and in my mind I think that he is waiting for me to miss...and then I do.
Last night I was not playing well at the beginning of class and I was getting more and more frustrated. At that point I knew I had two choices: I could get upset with myself, be annoyed through the rest of class, not learn anything, decide that I'm crap at tennis and give up completely ...or... I could choose to laugh, have fun, and be grateful that I have legs to run and arms to swing! I took a deep breath and quit trying to "perform" for the teacher, and I just played for myself to have fun. Within minutes, my playing improved dramatically and I actually enjoyed the rest of the class!
Today during yoga with my eyes closed, I didn't think about other people watching me. I didn't worry about whether I was holding a pose as long or as deep as the person next to me. I went completely inside myself and let my inhibitions go. I love how yoga gives me insights into other areas of my life! I always hear instructors say that what is happening on your mat is representative of what is happening in your life...if you are resisting a pose, what are you resisting in your life? if you are inflexible in a pose, where are you inflexible in your life? It took closing my eyes to see clearly what is happening in my life :)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Handstand!
I did a handstand! It was only for a second, but I'm a good 3 feet away from the wall. Now that I can do it away from the wall, I can start working on holding it longer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zfrlL1Zrfo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zfrlL1Zrfo
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Progress!
I did a handstand today!!! It was only for a split second, but man it felt good! I went to the 6 a.m. Hatha class and Angie was teaching. I don't know why but I kept getting lightheaded during class. I had plenty of water, so that wasn't the problem. In general I eat fairly healthy, but last week I had a lot of crap. The last couple days I've been back to healthy eating, so I'm guessing my body was just getting rid of all the toxins.
Anyway, I wasn't feel great during class, but I'm really glad I went and stuck it out because afterward I felt so much better! Whatever was going on worked its way out of my system and I felt back to normal again. I felt so good that I stayed after class to practice handstands.
I was practicing up against the wall again, and I got fairly consistent with being able to get up so I started experimenting with taking my feet away from the wall. I could only hold it for a few seconds without touching the wall, but it was definitely progress. Then twice I actually kicked up into the handstand without touching the wall at all!!! I'm not brave enough to try it without the wall yet...I'll keep practicing until I'm more consistent and can hold it for longer...but I'm on my way :)
Last night was my second tennis lesson and thankfully it went much better than the first. Yay, there is hope for me yet! Marc and I practiced over the weekend, so that definitely helped. Hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend so we can play some more. I still have a long way to go, but I was excited that I got a few "good hit" comments from the instructor.
The only bad thing to report is that I've been a total slacker on running this week...I haven't been for a run since Saturday. oops! I have two more weeks until the half marathon so at this point I'm pretty much running out of time to get ready. Oh well - I'll still do it and run as much as I can, but I'm doubtful that I will be able to run the whole thing without walking. Next time I will have to plan better and not give myself a yoga goal and a running goal at the same time. Lesson learned
Anyway, I wasn't feel great during class, but I'm really glad I went and stuck it out because afterward I felt so much better! Whatever was going on worked its way out of my system and I felt back to normal again. I felt so good that I stayed after class to practice handstands.
I was practicing up against the wall again, and I got fairly consistent with being able to get up so I started experimenting with taking my feet away from the wall. I could only hold it for a few seconds without touching the wall, but it was definitely progress. Then twice I actually kicked up into the handstand without touching the wall at all!!! I'm not brave enough to try it without the wall yet...I'll keep practicing until I'm more consistent and can hold it for longer...but I'm on my way :)
Last night was my second tennis lesson and thankfully it went much better than the first. Yay, there is hope for me yet! Marc and I practiced over the weekend, so that definitely helped. Hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend so we can play some more. I still have a long way to go, but I was excited that I got a few "good hit" comments from the instructor.
The only bad thing to report is that I've been a total slacker on running this week...I haven't been for a run since Saturday. oops! I have two more weeks until the half marathon so at this point I'm pretty much running out of time to get ready. Oh well - I'll still do it and run as much as I can, but I'm doubtful that I will be able to run the whole thing without walking. Next time I will have to plan better and not give myself a yoga goal and a running goal at the same time. Lesson learned
Monday, April 19, 2010
day 43
Today is day 43...just over two weeks left to go! I've been working every day on my flexibility goal and I'm seeing a little improvement. In my seated straddle forward fold I can now put my forearms all the way down on the floor, grab the bottoms of my feet, and then barely touch my forehead to the floor. My back is somewhat rounded when I do it, so now I'm going to work on flattening out my back so that I can start to bring my chest down towards the floor. I have been practicing a few minutes each day - I don't want to overstretch, so I'm just letting it happen naturally. If I don't meet the goal by the end of the 60 days that's okay - I'll get there someday.
On Saturday I spent some time practicing handstand against the wall. I got to the point where I was kicking up using momentum and had the wall there to catch me. Now that I know how it feels in my body to be up in the handstand, I will take it back a step and try to learn how to get up without using momentum.
On Saturday I spent some time practicing handstand against the wall. I got to the point where I was kicking up using momentum and had the wall there to catch me. Now that I know how it feels in my body to be up in the handstand, I will take it back a step and try to learn how to get up without using momentum.
Friday, April 16, 2010
letting go of the need to be perfect
On Wednesday night Marc and I had our first tennis lesson - it was really fun! We've been playing together for fun for a couple years, but it's hard to get a real game going because I'm not as good as him. I found reasonably priced group tennis lessons through the City of Seattle Parks dept so I thought it would be perfect for us to do together!
There were seven people in our class and I definitely was the least skilled player of the group. That was rough for me because I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist so I get frustrated when I am not good at things. However I still had a lot of fun, and it's a great learning opportunity for me. It will actually work to my benefit to be around better players because I will learn from them and improve because I am with them. AND I have a chance to love and accept myself for where I am right now without judgment :)
I'm hoping it will be sunny this weekend so we can go practice. Tonight I'm going to the Restorative Yoga class and then Marc is going to pick me up so we can go play tennis. Our class is Wednesday evenings for 6 weeks, so it will be fun to see how I improve over that time!
There were seven people in our class and I definitely was the least skilled player of the group. That was rough for me because I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist so I get frustrated when I am not good at things. However I still had a lot of fun, and it's a great learning opportunity for me. It will actually work to my benefit to be around better players because I will learn from them and improve because I am with them. AND I have a chance to love and accept myself for where I am right now without judgment :)
I'm hoping it will be sunny this weekend so we can go practice. Tonight I'm going to the Restorative Yoga class and then Marc is going to pick me up so we can go play tennis. Our class is Wednesday evenings for 6 weeks, so it will be fun to see how I improve over that time!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
handstand
Yesterday I went to the 4 p.m. vinyasa class with Jennifer and she had us working on handstands. It was interesting - I thought that since I can do a headstand that I would have an easier time learning handstand, but that was definitely not the case! It's totally different! I really liked the way she taught it - she broke it down into lots of different steps for preparation. Now I feel comfortable that I can keep working on all the steps on my own.
Today is day 37 - I'm almost two thirds of the way complete! I'm curious to see how these last few weeks go. It's easy for me to be excited and motivated when I first start working on a goal, but it's important to keep that spark alive all the way until the finish...and then even more critical is after the goal is achieved! I'm going to have a life long yoga practice so even when these 60 days are complete, I will still continue going to class daily. Yes I will miss a day here and there, but in general I want to make it part of my life to have a daily yoga practice.
Today is day 37 - I'm almost two thirds of the way complete! I'm curious to see how these last few weeks go. It's easy for me to be excited and motivated when I first start working on a goal, but it's important to keep that spark alive all the way until the finish...and then even more critical is after the goal is achieved! I'm going to have a life long yoga practice so even when these 60 days are complete, I will still continue going to class daily. Yes I will miss a day here and there, but in general I want to make it part of my life to have a daily yoga practice.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Today is the day!
Today I went to the tulip festival with a few girlfriends, and then we had lunch in La Conner followed by shopping at the Outlet Mall. We were about an hour and a half north of Seattle, and we were all in one car, so I had to rally everyone in order to get back to Seattle in time for yoga. No easy task to tear girls away from shopping :)
Luckily I made it in time for the last class of the day! After class I was feeling a lot of energy and I decided to stay and practice my sequence. I was SO incredibly close, but I kept touching one foot down. I really felt like I was on the verge of finally doing it, and I wanted to make sure I had it on video. I rushed home and told my husband that I wanted to show him how close I was and I wanted him to record it just in case I actually got it.
The first time I touched my foot down but he didn't see, so he got super excited for me. But I wasn't satisfied because I knew I hadn't done it yet, so I fessed up and tried again. The second time I did it!!! Oh my gosh - I had SO much adrenaline after this that I was literally jumping up and down!!! I couldn't sit still for hours :)
I did it! I did it! I did it!!!
Here is the video: crow to head stand, back to crow, into chaturanga
Luckily I made it in time for the last class of the day! After class I was feeling a lot of energy and I decided to stay and practice my sequence. I was SO incredibly close, but I kept touching one foot down. I really felt like I was on the verge of finally doing it, and I wanted to make sure I had it on video. I rushed home and told my husband that I wanted to show him how close I was and I wanted him to record it just in case I actually got it.
The first time I touched my foot down but he didn't see, so he got super excited for me. But I wasn't satisfied because I knew I hadn't done it yet, so I fessed up and tried again. The second time I did it!!! Oh my gosh - I had SO much adrenaline after this that I was literally jumping up and down!!! I couldn't sit still for hours :)
I did it! I did it! I did it!!!
Here is the video: crow to head stand, back to crow, into chaturanga
Saturday, April 10, 2010
softening
This morning I went to the 90 minute Hatha class with Diane. She set an intention for the class of 'softening.' I am someone who is always striving to do my best, and sometimes I feel that the harder I work, the more difficult things become. When I focus on softening & relaxing, I'm able to accomplish more and with greater ease.
This is especially true with stretching - you can't muscle your way into being more flexible or try to force it to happen. I stayed after class and spent some extra time on my stretching goal - seated straddle forward fold. I tried focusing on releasing tension in my hips and letting go of anything I was holding onto.
I found that there was an ebb & flow to my challenges. When I was holding in the stretch, after a few moments it would become very difficult and I would want to release out of the pose. However, when I took deep breaths and focused on relaxing rather than tensing up, the difficultly would eventually pass and it was replaced with a sense of ease.
After several minutes, I was able to get my forehead to touch down to the ground! I still have a long way to go before I will be able to get my whole upper body to lie flat on the ground, but I'm definitely taking baby steps to get there.
In the afternoon I went for a 6 mile run (around Green Lake twice). As I mentioned before, I have a mental block at the 6 mile point, so I was worried about going for the run. I decided to go to Green Lake because it's mostly flat and it's easy enough to walk if I had to. I ran the first 5 miles with no problem, and then I could physically feel my body start to tense up. I started feeling some pain in my knees, but I had a feeling that it was because of what was going on in my mind. I was so worried that I was going to have pain, that my body was responding by tensing up, which then caused me to start having pain. I noticed that the more I focused on the pain, the stronger it felt!
I stopped running and took a few deep breaths. I thought about what we worked on in yoga this morning - softening! I focused my thoughts on relaxing my muscles and releasing any tension I had going on in my body. After a few moments I began running again and I was able to run the whole last mile without any more pain! I'm so excited that I was able to work through it - I now have more confidence that I will be able to run farther. I'm not fully convinced...there is still part of me that is hesitant, but at least I feel like I am moving in a positive direction.
Friday, April 9, 2010
the impact of yoga on running
I got a 5 mile run in and it felt really good. I think yoga really helps my body with running! This will be my second time running a half marathon - the first time was in June 2008. I ran the first 6 miles with no problems, but then I started having really bad knee pain after that. I had to do a combination of jogging/walking to finish the rest of the event. I was SO disappointed! Even though I finished, I felt so defeated that I wasn't able to do better...it felt like it didn't even really count. After that, anytime I ran more than 3 miles I would start to have knee pain again.
It was really frustrating because I'm way to young to be having knee pain! I went to a physical therapist who helped a little bit, and then I started going to a chiropractor who helped a bit more...but I really think yoga is working wonders for me. The increase in flexibility and lengthening of muscles really seems to make my body feel better. I'm going to do a longer run tomorrow, so we'll see...hopefully I won't be eating my words.
Speaking of words...I'm reading a book called "What to say when you talk to yourself." The title makes it sound a little self help-ish, but I actually like the way the book is written. It's all about changing the internal dialogue in your head to be more positive. Even though I consider myself to be a positive person in general, I can be pretty hard on myself in my own head. This morning I read this: "It makes no difference what you have thought or what you have done in the past. From this day on, you can, if you choose, change a little to gain a lot."
I've been stuck thinking a lot about what happened the last time I ran a half marathon and it's been scaring me thinking "what if that happens again?" It's been limiting my training because I'm afraid to run more than 6 miles because I'm worried that I will have knee pain again, and I won't be able to complete my goal. However that was two years ago - it has nothing to do with what is happening right now. I need to get over those thoughts and focus on what my body is capable of today, not in the past.
It was really frustrating because I'm way to young to be having knee pain! I went to a physical therapist who helped a little bit, and then I started going to a chiropractor who helped a bit more...but I really think yoga is working wonders for me. The increase in flexibility and lengthening of muscles really seems to make my body feel better. I'm going to do a longer run tomorrow, so we'll see...hopefully I won't be eating my words.
Speaking of words...I'm reading a book called "What to say when you talk to yourself." The title makes it sound a little self help-ish, but I actually like the way the book is written. It's all about changing the internal dialogue in your head to be more positive. Even though I consider myself to be a positive person in general, I can be pretty hard on myself in my own head. This morning I read this: "It makes no difference what you have thought or what you have done in the past. From this day on, you can, if you choose, change a little to gain a lot."
I've been stuck thinking a lot about what happened the last time I ran a half marathon and it's been scaring me thinking "what if that happens again?" It's been limiting my training because I'm afraid to run more than 6 miles because I'm worried that I will have knee pain again, and I won't be able to complete my goal. However that was two years ago - it has nothing to do with what is happening right now. I need to get over those thoughts and focus on what my body is capable of today, not in the past.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
the half way point!!!
Woo hoo! I made it to the half way point! Yesterday was day number 30 of 60. I'm feeling great and I'm looking forward to the next 30 days :) I've decided to add a stretching/flexibility goal. When I started yoga a year and a half ago, I was so inflexible that I couldn't even touch my toes. Now I can wrap my hands around the bottom of my foot and touch my face to my shin! Right now I can put my forearms on the ground in a seated straddle fold, and my new goal is to be able to lay my body onto the ground.
Getting to the half way point has got me thinking about this question: Are your commitments optional? The other day my husband asked me if I was going to go to yoga. I laughed and asked him if he was joking. Of course I was going to go - I go every day. I don't debate each day whether or not I am going to go, I just do it. I made a commitment for 60 days and that's what I am going to do - there's no optional part about it for me.
Similarly, yesterday a coworker asked me how the 60 days are going so far and she asked if I thought I was going to be able to keep it up. Again, I haven't even really considered the option of not finishing. It made me think about when people say they don't have the will power to do something. For me, the problem with that kind of thinking is that you are giving yourself the option to bail out on your commitment.
There are plenty of things we do every day, that sometimes we don't want to do, but we do them anyway. Like work for example: I have a commitment to go to work every day. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I don't feel like going, but I do it anyway. It's not an option in my mind that I debate whether or not to do it - I just go because that's what I have committed to doing. So why should it be different in other areas of our lives?
It takes so much more energy to debate in your mind over something. I can come up with a million excuses why not to go to yoga: I'm tired, I was up late, I didn't sleep well, I don't have time, something came up, it's not convenient, etc. Those things will always be there, but they don't stop me from my other commitments. I don't say to my boss, "I'm sorry, I'm not coming into work today because I have other things to get done and it's just that that convenient for me." No - I prioritize my day and arrange to get other things done after I have fulfilled my commitment to go to work. The same is true for my yoga - so yes, I am definitely going to make it through the next 30 days, no doubt about it!
Getting to the half way point has got me thinking about this question: Are your commitments optional? The other day my husband asked me if I was going to go to yoga. I laughed and asked him if he was joking. Of course I was going to go - I go every day. I don't debate each day whether or not I am going to go, I just do it. I made a commitment for 60 days and that's what I am going to do - there's no optional part about it for me.
Similarly, yesterday a coworker asked me how the 60 days are going so far and she asked if I thought I was going to be able to keep it up. Again, I haven't even really considered the option of not finishing. It made me think about when people say they don't have the will power to do something. For me, the problem with that kind of thinking is that you are giving yourself the option to bail out on your commitment.
There are plenty of things we do every day, that sometimes we don't want to do, but we do them anyway. Like work for example: I have a commitment to go to work every day. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I don't feel like going, but I do it anyway. It's not an option in my mind that I debate whether or not to do it - I just go because that's what I have committed to doing. So why should it be different in other areas of our lives?
It takes so much more energy to debate in your mind over something. I can come up with a million excuses why not to go to yoga: I'm tired, I was up late, I didn't sleep well, I don't have time, something came up, it's not convenient, etc. Those things will always be there, but they don't stop me from my other commitments. I don't say to my boss, "I'm sorry, I'm not coming into work today because I have other things to get done and it's just that that convenient for me." No - I prioritize my day and arrange to get other things done after I have fulfilled my commitment to go to work. The same is true for my yoga - so yes, I am definitely going to make it through the next 30 days, no doubt about it!
Monday, April 5, 2010
squeezing in a run
I started running last week, but then I got sidetracked when my brother came to town for a few days. I didn't have time to run & go to yoga because I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could. No worries, I'm back on track now. Today I ran to and from yoga so that I could get both in during my lunch break (because I have someplace to go after work). It was only 2.5 miles but it felt good. It's a little tough running downtown because of all the stop lights. I ended up going back and forth across the street or turning and running down different streets to keep moving. When I did get stuck at a couple of lights, I did heel raises to work out my calves.
I had a nice yoga class - it was Hatha with Diane. I love the sound of Diane's voice - there's just something about it that puts me instantly at ease when I listen to her. Before class I practiced coming out of headstand back into crow - I actually did it twice without putting my feet down! I also did two headstands during class. Woo hoo!!! It's finally starting to become less scary and more fun because I'm gaining confidence each time I do it.
I had a nice yoga class - it was Hatha with Diane. I love the sound of Diane's voice - there's just something about it that puts me instantly at ease when I listen to her. Before class I practiced coming out of headstand back into crow - I actually did it twice without putting my feet down! I also did two headstands during class. Woo hoo!!! It's finally starting to become less scary and more fun because I'm gaining confidence each time I do it.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
snow in April?
The weather has been so crazy this week! Just when I thought the ski season was over, Stevens Pass got a TON of snow. It feels more like Christmas than Easter! Marc and I went up skiing and then hurried back to town so that I could make the last yoga class for the day. It was an hour Vinyasa class with Jo who thought it would be fun to make us do a ton of sit-ups, ha ha :) Grueling, but I'll thank her when bikini season comes around!
Before class I practiced coming out of head stand back into crow. That's the connecting point that I need to master before I can put my sequence together: crow to head stand, back to crow, shoot back to chaturanga. Man, it takes a lot of strength to lift back up - my arms were exhausted! After class I mentioned to Jo what I was working on and she said it takes a lot of core strength. hmm...maybe I'm focused on the wrong muscles. I was trying to force it with my arms - maybe I need to think about my core instead. I'll try it tomorrow...for now my arms are noodles.
Before class I practiced coming out of head stand back into crow. That's the connecting point that I need to master before I can put my sequence together: crow to head stand, back to crow, shoot back to chaturanga. Man, it takes a lot of strength to lift back up - my arms were exhausted! After class I mentioned to Jo what I was working on and she said it takes a lot of core strength. hmm...maybe I'm focused on the wrong muscles. I was trying to force it with my arms - maybe I need to think about my core instead. I'll try it tomorrow...for now my arms are noodles.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Restorative yoga
On Friday evenings there is a restorative yoga class that I love! My friend, Karen, who came last week loved it too, and now she is going to come every Friday!!! My husband, Marc, came too - he likes that class better than any of the other classes. I wish it was offered more than once a week. It's a softer, more relaxed class that focuses on stretching and stress reduction. Perfect for a Friday afternoon before the weekend.
I love the teacher - Jennifer. Throughout the year she does yoga retreats at Whidbey Island and down in Mexico. Sometime I would love to go to one of them! This fall she's doing a retreat in Bali for the first time. That would be SO incredible!!! If anyone wants to sponsor me, I would love to go :)
I love the teacher - Jennifer. Throughout the year she does yoga retreats at Whidbey Island and down in Mexico. Sometime I would love to go to one of them! This fall she's doing a retreat in Bali for the first time. That would be SO incredible!!! If anyone wants to sponsor me, I would love to go :)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
run and a video
The weather was a little nicer yesterday so I got a nice 4 mile outdoor run in during my lunch break. My run on Monday was really tough to get through because it's been ages since I've been running. Luckily my run on Tuesday felt much better so that was encouraging! Today is going to be a rest day from running, although I think I might still go to the gym because they just started a Zumba class and I've been hearing great things about Zumba!
This morning before yoga I had someone take a video for me of my crow to chaturanga - it's a little dark because the room is dimly lit, but you get the idea. Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to get the video to play directly from this page so here is a link:
Video of Crow to Chaturanga 3/31/10
My next goal is to combine what I have learned so far - Crow to Tripod Headstand, back to Crow, shoot back to Chaturanga...whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!
This morning before yoga I had someone take a video for me of my crow to chaturanga - it's a little dark because the room is dimly lit, but you get the idea. Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to get the video to play directly from this page so here is a link:
Video of Crow to Chaturanga 3/31/10
My next goal is to combine what I have learned so far - Crow to Tripod Headstand, back to Crow, shoot back to Chaturanga...whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
the eyes have it
I did it! I did it! I did it!!! Yesterday after work I went to the 5:15 Hatha class with Brett. I got there around 4:30 and I was planning on practicing in the room by myself but Brett was already there. He started watching me which made me nervous at first because I don't know him - I have only taken one of his classes and it was at least 6 months ago. I tend to get nervous in front of instructors I don't know because I want to do really well so they think I'm good. It's silly I know...the reason I am there is to learn from them & gain from their knowledge, not to try to impress them...but the feelings are still there. It's similar to how I was in school - always trying to be the best so the teacher would notice.
Anyway - after a few minutes I dropped "trying to look good" from my mind and started focus on what the instructor had to say. It finally clicked for me - I realized where I was blocked! I kept looking down at the ground because I felt like my arms were going to collapse and I was going to fall on my face...and that's what kept happening. Instead, when I lifted my gaze and looked up in front of me, my body followed and I was able to successfully shoot back and keep my body off the ground!!!
It makes sense to me because it's the same thing I have experienced in mountain biking. When you see a rock that you are afraid of running into...if you look directly at the rock and think to yourself "don't hit the rock, whatever you do don't hit the rock" you are inevitably going to run right into it. It's a little counter intuitive because you feel like you need to stare at it to make sure that you avoid it - but the opposite is true. If you look past the rock and keep your eyes where you want to go, your body will follow and you will successfully navigate around the rock.
Back to yoga...I was so excited when I finally got it!!! I did it a few more times to prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke, and then my arms were totally dead even before class started. Luckily it was a Hatha class instead of a Vinyasa class (where you have to use your arms more). Being tired didn't stop me though - during class I did a head stand! Even though I know I can do it on my own, I still get a little nervous trying it during class...but I did it anyway :) Each time it will get less scary and eventually it will be part of my routine.
Anyway - after a few minutes I dropped "trying to look good" from my mind and started focus on what the instructor had to say. It finally clicked for me - I realized where I was blocked! I kept looking down at the ground because I felt like my arms were going to collapse and I was going to fall on my face...and that's what kept happening. Instead, when I lifted my gaze and looked up in front of me, my body followed and I was able to successfully shoot back and keep my body off the ground!!!
It makes sense to me because it's the same thing I have experienced in mountain biking. When you see a rock that you are afraid of running into...if you look directly at the rock and think to yourself "don't hit the rock, whatever you do don't hit the rock" you are inevitably going to run right into it. It's a little counter intuitive because you feel like you need to stare at it to make sure that you avoid it - but the opposite is true. If you look past the rock and keep your eyes where you want to go, your body will follow and you will successfully navigate around the rock.
Back to yoga...I was so excited when I finally got it!!! I did it a few more times to prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke, and then my arms were totally dead even before class started. Luckily it was a Hatha class instead of a Vinyasa class (where you have to use your arms more). Being tired didn't stop me though - during class I did a head stand! Even though I know I can do it on my own, I still get a little nervous trying it during class...but I did it anyway :) Each time it will get less scary and eventually it will be part of my routine.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Confession
Okay I have a confession...I was supposed to start training for a half marathon at the same time this yoga challenge began...but I have not been running at all! I now only have 6 weeks left until the event on May 9th so I am starting my training today. The weather apparently didn't get the memo though because it's pouring rain! It was raining so hard this morning that I actually convinced my wonderful husband to drive me to work :)
In honor of the lovely Seattle weather I headed over to the gym during lunch and ran 3 miles on the treadmill. Two things: first, it's been so long since I've been to the gym that I am lucky that I even found it; and second let's be honest, by "run" I mean I did a combination of walking & jogging while trying not to pass out. I survived, but it was brutal - reality shock to admit how far I have to go in the next 6 weeks! I have to say though that as painful as it was to get through the 3 miles, I feel great now that I'm done so that's definitely encouraging. I'm going to start logging my miles on this blog so I have a place to keep myself accountable.
Alright, back to yoga. Yesterday I went to a new yoga class - on Sundays there is a "weekly workshop" that is focused on taking your postures deeper than in the regular classes. There were only four of us there so we each got to pick one thing we wanted to focus on during class. I of course chose crow shoot backs :) The instructor said she thinks it's just a mental block that is in my way because she said I have the strength to do it, I just need to believe that I can. I'm getting closer each day, and I feel like one day it's going to just click. Maybe that day will be today...I slept in this morning so I'm going to class after work so we'll see...
In honor of the lovely Seattle weather I headed over to the gym during lunch and ran 3 miles on the treadmill. Two things: first, it's been so long since I've been to the gym that I am lucky that I even found it; and second let's be honest, by "run" I mean I did a combination of walking & jogging while trying not to pass out. I survived, but it was brutal - reality shock to admit how far I have to go in the next 6 weeks! I have to say though that as painful as it was to get through the 3 miles, I feel great now that I'm done so that's definitely encouraging. I'm going to start logging my miles on this blog so I have a place to keep myself accountable.
Alright, back to yoga. Yesterday I went to a new yoga class - on Sundays there is a "weekly workshop" that is focused on taking your postures deeper than in the regular classes. There were only four of us there so we each got to pick one thing we wanted to focus on during class. I of course chose crow shoot backs :) The instructor said she thinks it's just a mental block that is in my way because she said I have the strength to do it, I just need to believe that I can. I'm getting closer each day, and I feel like one day it's going to just click. Maybe that day will be today...I slept in this morning so I'm going to class after work so we'll see...
Saturday, March 27, 2010
the power of other people's thoughts
This morning was the first time since I started the 60 day challenge that I didn't really want to go to class. I knew once I got there I would be glad I did, but I was having a hard time motivating myself. I was trying to figure out why today was different than the other days, and I realized it was partially because of a conversation I had yesterday when one of my friends came with me to class. She mentioned it had been a few years since she has regularly practiced yoga because she had gotten bored with the routine.
For some reason I internalized this and thought things like "hmm, I go every day - maybe I'll get bored. am I bored already? should I be doing something else? etc." Even though her comment had nothing to do with me, the power of her thoughts affected what I was thinking. I didn't realize this at the time - I just noticed it today when I was trying to figure out why I was not as excited about going to class as I normally am. It's silly though because her experience is completely separate from mine - so it was just funny to realize how it had influenced my thoughts.
Anyway - I went to class and of course was glad that I did. I was 90 min. Hatha with Diane and boy did she work us hard today! It felt really good. Before & after class I practied more Crow shoot backs - I'm improving, but still have a ways to go. It's funny because I feel like this is taking longer to learn than the headstand, which seems like it should be harder. Oh well...I'll get it eventually :)
For some reason I internalized this and thought things like "hmm, I go every day - maybe I'll get bored. am I bored already? should I be doing something else? etc." Even though her comment had nothing to do with me, the power of her thoughts affected what I was thinking. I didn't realize this at the time - I just noticed it today when I was trying to figure out why I was not as excited about going to class as I normally am. It's silly though because her experience is completely separate from mine - so it was just funny to realize how it had influenced my thoughts.
Anyway - I went to class and of course was glad that I did. I was 90 min. Hatha with Diane and boy did she work us hard today! It felt really good. Before & after class I practied more Crow shoot backs - I'm improving, but still have a ways to go. It's funny because I feel like this is taking longer to learn than the headstand, which seems like it should be harder. Oh well...I'll get it eventually :)
Friday, March 26, 2010
the power of thoughts
Okay so I'm going to show you my true inner hippy and talk about the power of thoughts and our innate ability to heal ourselves :) On Wednesday evening, I started feeling a cold coming on and by Thursday morning I couldn't breathe through my nose anymore. I got up in the morning and went to yoga thinking that it would help clear some toxins out of my body. I had a really great class and was able to breathe freely.
I then went to work, sat through a couple meetings and then started feeling really awful again. My sinuses were all blocked again which was making me lightheaded. I left for the day and came home to take a nap but I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breathe. I got up and did some meditation and then took a bath with some eucalyptus dead sea salts. I focused my thoughts on breathing and healing...I know, I know, it may sound a little kooky but honestly when I was finished I felt entirely different. I was able to breathe again and took a nice long nap.
Thursday evening my husband & I were supposed to go to a friend's house to watch the Husky basketball game, but I didn't feel like I should be around other people spreading my germs so we stayed home. It was really interesting, every time I would sit down my congestion would return, but when I stood up and moved around I could breathe more easily. So I spent most of the game pacing around the livingroom while my husband sat on the couch.
I also broke out my neti pot and used that in the morning & night - if you don't have a neti pot, you should seriously get one. My husband used to take Claritin every day for his allergies and after I got him a neti pot, he has completely quit using Claritin - it's amazing!
Anyway - today I went to the Restorative yoga class and the instructor, Jennifer, talked about how we get sick because we don't move our bodies the way they were intended to move. We spend so much of our time sitting at a desk at work, sitting on our couch at home, etc. that we are imparing our lymph system from doing its job. Even though I hadn't told her I was sick, I felt like she was speaking directly to me. It went right with what I had experienced of feeling sick when I was sitting and feeling better when I was moving.
All through class I focused my breathing on healing like I did yesterday - each time I inhaled I said to myself "breathe" and each time I exhaled I said "heal." When I got home I felt a hundred times better - I really feel like I healed myself after just a day of being sick. Call me a hippy if you want, but if it works it works!
I then went to work, sat through a couple meetings and then started feeling really awful again. My sinuses were all blocked again which was making me lightheaded. I left for the day and came home to take a nap but I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breathe. I got up and did some meditation and then took a bath with some eucalyptus dead sea salts. I focused my thoughts on breathing and healing...I know, I know, it may sound a little kooky but honestly when I was finished I felt entirely different. I was able to breathe again and took a nice long nap.
Thursday evening my husband & I were supposed to go to a friend's house to watch the Husky basketball game, but I didn't feel like I should be around other people spreading my germs so we stayed home. It was really interesting, every time I would sit down my congestion would return, but when I stood up and moved around I could breathe more easily. So I spent most of the game pacing around the livingroom while my husband sat on the couch.
I also broke out my neti pot and used that in the morning & night - if you don't have a neti pot, you should seriously get one. My husband used to take Claritin every day for his allergies and after I got him a neti pot, he has completely quit using Claritin - it's amazing!
Anyway - today I went to the Restorative yoga class and the instructor, Jennifer, talked about how we get sick because we don't move our bodies the way they were intended to move. We spend so much of our time sitting at a desk at work, sitting on our couch at home, etc. that we are imparing our lymph system from doing its job. Even though I hadn't told her I was sick, I felt like she was speaking directly to me. It went right with what I had experienced of feeling sick when I was sitting and feeling better when I was moving.
All through class I focused my breathing on healing like I did yesterday - each time I inhaled I said to myself "breathe" and each time I exhaled I said "heal." When I got home I felt a hundred times better - I really feel like I healed myself after just a day of being sick. Call me a hippy if you want, but if it works it works!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
different day, different body
It's really interesting how your body can feel different from day to day. Yesterday morning I went to a Hatha class and I was feeling very dizzy & light headed. It was frustrating because I really wanted to do my best in class, but I kept having to lay down on my mat. I'm not sure what was causing it - I could have been dehydrated, or it could have been from eating & drinking too much this weekend.
Whatever it was, it seems to have passed because this morning in class I felt back to my normal self. I guess it's just a good reminder that every day is different and just because you do yoga every day, doesn't mean that it gets easy. There will always be challenging days and there will always be something new to learn.
Today after class I asked the instructor, Sean, for tips on how to shoot back from Crow to Chaturanga. He had me practice trying to move one leg at a time. It was really hard - the first couple of tries, I wasn't able to do it but then it started clicking. I then tried to do both legs at the same time...hoping I would magically get it, but I didn't. I tried a few more times and then called it a day. Now I have a way to practice so I'll spend a few minutes each day and hopefully soon it will click.
Whatever it was, it seems to have passed because this morning in class I felt back to my normal self. I guess it's just a good reminder that every day is different and just because you do yoga every day, doesn't mean that it gets easy. There will always be challenging days and there will always be something new to learn.
Today after class I asked the instructor, Sean, for tips on how to shoot back from Crow to Chaturanga. He had me practice trying to move one leg at a time. It was really hard - the first couple of tries, I wasn't able to do it but then it started clicking. I then tried to do both legs at the same time...hoping I would magically get it, but I didn't. I tried a few more times and then called it a day. Now I have a way to practice so I'll spend a few minutes each day and hopefully soon it will click.
Monday, March 22, 2010
back to the heat
It was wonderful to be out of town, but I'm happy to be back home! Yesterday when we got back to town I went to Kathy's Vinyasa class. I don't get to her class very often because the times aren't the best for my schedule, but I always love it when I am able to go! Kathy & her husband, Gordy, own Urban Yoga Spa and they used to teach the class together but it became so popular that they had to split the class into two.
I had a little bit of a rough class because this weekend I ate & drank too much...which was fun, but it definitely took a toll on my body. I just took it easy and modified a lot of the poses - at least I was there and doing it. It felt really good to be back in the hot room after three days away. Ha ha, I remember how overwhelmed I was a year ago when I first started hot yoga...I never thought I would see the day when I would look forward to the heat. It takes a while to build up tolerance/endurance, but now that I'm used to it, I actually crave it!
The other thing I missed whie I was away was music. The stuido I went to didn't play any music during class and it felt like something was missing to me. At the end of Kathy's class she always plays the song "Imagine" while we are in Savasana (Corpse Pose) and everyone sings along. Don't laugh, I know it sounds cheesy but it's not. We're not talking Karaoke...just singing softly while lying down on our backs. It's beautiful - it seriously makes me tear up every time.
I've decided the next thing I want to learn how to do - shooting back from Crow to Chaturanga. Kathy was having us try it in class yesterday and I couldn't get my knees off my arms. Every time I tried, my arms would just buckle and I would fall over. I watched other people do it seemingly effortlessly while I felt like the fat kid trying to jump and not actually getting off the ground. I know I can do it - I just need to keep practicing.
This morning I came across this blog and really liked what it had to say about practice: "Crow brings us back to the child’s mind, the beginner’s attitude. ‘If at first you fail, try, try again.’ When kids are learning something new, they fall, the fumble, the look and feel awkward, but they keep trying, they keep experimenting. They enjoy the process of learning so much that once they master it, they want something more to reach for. This is what crow pose gives us. Access to the child’s mind and permission to be messy, sloppy, awkward, and fumbling."
I had a little bit of a rough class because this weekend I ate & drank too much...which was fun, but it definitely took a toll on my body. I just took it easy and modified a lot of the poses - at least I was there and doing it. It felt really good to be back in the hot room after three days away. Ha ha, I remember how overwhelmed I was a year ago when I first started hot yoga...I never thought I would see the day when I would look forward to the heat. It takes a while to build up tolerance/endurance, but now that I'm used to it, I actually crave it!
The other thing I missed whie I was away was music. The stuido I went to didn't play any music during class and it felt like something was missing to me. At the end of Kathy's class she always plays the song "Imagine" while we are in Savasana (Corpse Pose) and everyone sings along. Don't laugh, I know it sounds cheesy but it's not. We're not talking Karaoke...just singing softly while lying down on our backs. It's beautiful - it seriously makes me tear up every time.
I've decided the next thing I want to learn how to do - shooting back from Crow to Chaturanga. Kathy was having us try it in class yesterday and I couldn't get my knees off my arms. Every time I tried, my arms would just buckle and I would fall over. I watched other people do it seemingly effortlessly while I felt like the fat kid trying to jump and not actually getting off the ground. I know I can do it - I just need to keep practicing.
This morning I came across this blog and really liked what it had to say about practice: "Crow brings us back to the child’s mind, the beginner’s attitude. ‘If at first you fail, try, try again.’ When kids are learning something new, they fall, the fumble, the look and feel awkward, but they keep trying, they keep experimenting. They enjoy the process of learning so much that once they master it, they want something more to reach for. This is what crow pose gives us. Access to the child’s mind and permission to be messy, sloppy, awkward, and fumbling."
Sunday, March 21, 2010
San Fran
I had a fantastic trip to San Fran! My husband & I flew down Wednesday night and came home Sunday morning. The UW men's b-ball team was playing in the NCAA tournament in San Jose. We're big Husky fans...we have season tickets to the games, so we couldn't pass up the chance to take a little mini vacation!
We stayed with a friend in San Francisco and then took the train to San Jose for the games (it's about an hour away). Before we went, I looked online and found a yoga studio right by where we were staying and they had a special offer - your first class for $5, perfect! The studio was called Yoga Garden and they have a few different types of classes. I decided to take the Iyengar class because I had never done it before...actually I didn't even know what it was.
Luckily it was a small class (only three students) so we got a lot of personal attention. The main difference between Iyengar and what I am used to is that we used lots of props during class. There were blocks, straps, bolsters (kind of like wedge pillows), blankets, ropes hanging off the walls, chairs, a bar, etc. It was intense! In each pose, we used a prop to help get into proper allignment and go deeper into the poses. I had to check my ego at the door because I had always had a little bit of a negative mentality towards props...like you use them if you're not good enough/strong enough/flexible enough to do it on your own. Boy was I wrong! It was just as much work, if not more work, to use them. The next day I was sore in places I didn't know existed!
Friday I went to an Ashtanga class which basically seemed the same to me as Vinyasa - I'm not sure what the difference is. Again it was a small class, only two of us this time...so apparently people in San Fran like to sleep in. The room was not heated so that was interesting to see how much heat I generated on my own. During the first part of class my hands kept slipping on my mat (which I had borrowed from the studio). I was having a really difficult time staying in Downward Dog. Normally I have a Yogi Toes towel on top of my mat, so I figured that's why I was slipping. I struggled for the first 15 minutes of class and then finally said something to the teacher. She gave me a different mat which had a little more grip to it and that instantly fixed the problem. I wish I had just said something from the beginning rather than getting frustrated with myself. I just assumed the problem was me and I didn't want to admit that I was having trouble. Another lesson in checking my ego.
Saturday I was not able to attend a class at the studio because the classes start later on the weekends. I didn't have time to take a class before we needed to catch the train to San Jose, so I practiced on my own where we were staying. That was actually nice because I was able to do a lot of stretching. After two weeks of consecutive yoga, and two nights of sleeping on couches, I needed a good stretch.
Overall it was a wonderful trip - we got to see a bunch of friends, I tried two new kinds of yoga, and the Huskies won both their games and are headed to the Sweet Sixteen!
We stayed with a friend in San Francisco and then took the train to San Jose for the games (it's about an hour away). Before we went, I looked online and found a yoga studio right by where we were staying and they had a special offer - your first class for $5, perfect! The studio was called Yoga Garden and they have a few different types of classes. I decided to take the Iyengar class because I had never done it before...actually I didn't even know what it was.
Luckily it was a small class (only three students) so we got a lot of personal attention. The main difference between Iyengar and what I am used to is that we used lots of props during class. There were blocks, straps, bolsters (kind of like wedge pillows), blankets, ropes hanging off the walls, chairs, a bar, etc. It was intense! In each pose, we used a prop to help get into proper allignment and go deeper into the poses. I had to check my ego at the door because I had always had a little bit of a negative mentality towards props...like you use them if you're not good enough/strong enough/flexible enough to do it on your own. Boy was I wrong! It was just as much work, if not more work, to use them. The next day I was sore in places I didn't know existed!
Friday I went to an Ashtanga class which basically seemed the same to me as Vinyasa - I'm not sure what the difference is. Again it was a small class, only two of us this time...so apparently people in San Fran like to sleep in. The room was not heated so that was interesting to see how much heat I generated on my own. During the first part of class my hands kept slipping on my mat (which I had borrowed from the studio). I was having a really difficult time staying in Downward Dog. Normally I have a Yogi Toes towel on top of my mat, so I figured that's why I was slipping. I struggled for the first 15 minutes of class and then finally said something to the teacher. She gave me a different mat which had a little more grip to it and that instantly fixed the problem. I wish I had just said something from the beginning rather than getting frustrated with myself. I just assumed the problem was me and I didn't want to admit that I was having trouble. Another lesson in checking my ego.
Saturday I was not able to attend a class at the studio because the classes start later on the weekends. I didn't have time to take a class before we needed to catch the train to San Jose, so I practiced on my own where we were staying. That was actually nice because I was able to do a lot of stretching. After two weeks of consecutive yoga, and two nights of sleeping on couches, I needed a good stretch.
Overall it was a wonderful trip - we got to see a bunch of friends, I tried two new kinds of yoga, and the Huskies won both their games and are headed to the Sweet Sixteen!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
good news/bad news
First the bad news: I took my first fall out of headstand. I literally fell from straight up in the air to flat on my back. The good news: I took my first fall out of headstand. I got over the fear of falling because now I know it's no big deal. At first I thought "oh my gosh, how embarrassing! did anybody see that?" But then I just laughed at myself. Of course everyone saw, but who cares? It didn't hurt, nobody pointed and laughed, and it didn't freak me out and scare me from trying again. Now I feel a sense of safety that I'm going to be okay no matter what. Plus I realized my next step...learning how to gracefully exit from headstand :)
I wish I could say that the rest of class was insightful for me, but it wasn't. I was up late last night and debated on whether to go this morning. I really wanted to just stay in bed but I knew I didn't have time to go to class later today. Usually once I am there, I get into the groove and calm my mind - but today I just couldn't get my mind to shut off. Oh well - I still was there and did it, so day 10 is complete!
Tonight I'm flying to San Francisco and will be there through Sunday. I looked online and found a few yoga studios near where I am staying so I will try to go if the scheduling works out. We have tickets to the NCAA tourney in San Jose which is an hour train ride from our friend's apartment. I don't know if there will be time in the morning to get to class, shower, change, etc. before having to catch the train. If not, I will just practice on my own.
I wish I could say that the rest of class was insightful for me, but it wasn't. I was up late last night and debated on whether to go this morning. I really wanted to just stay in bed but I knew I didn't have time to go to class later today. Usually once I am there, I get into the groove and calm my mind - but today I just couldn't get my mind to shut off. Oh well - I still was there and did it, so day 10 is complete!
Tonight I'm flying to San Francisco and will be there through Sunday. I looked online and found a few yoga studios near where I am staying so I will try to go if the scheduling works out. We have tickets to the NCAA tourney in San Jose which is an hour train ride from our friend's apartment. I don't know if there will be time in the morning to get to class, shower, change, etc. before having to catch the train. If not, I will just practice on my own.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
What if?
Well I'm going to have to pick a new posture to learn because I did a headstand today!!! Woo hoo, I can't believe it!
I was practicing before class this morning and Jo was teaching again. I was showing her how I could lift one leg at a time, but couldn't lift them both at the same time yet. She said just to keep practicing and one day it would just click. She left the room and sat for a moment to think - what if today was the day? what if I just did it right now?
I immediately tried again and was able to lift both legs up at the same time. I still had my knees bent but they were above my hips. I got so excited that I didn't even try to straighten my legs, I just came out of the pose right away because I was in complete shock that I did it!
At this point I decided to move over next to the wall and try again so that I could use the wall to help figure out where vertical was. I got both legs all the way up straight! I did it two more times that way and then once away from the wall!!! This was all before class still, so I ran out front to tell Jo about it!
Then it was time for class - it was Hatha today. I was really excited to do Hatha because I had done 5 days of Vinyasa in a row. In Hatha you do the same set of poses in the same order every class. You do one pose at a time and hold it for 30-60 seconds. In Vinyasa, you flow from one pose to the next each time you inhale or exhale. Every class is different as there is no set order. One of my favorite things about Urban Yoga Spa is that they teach both styles so I have some variety from day to day.
During the first part of class it was really hard to focus because I was so excited about the headstand. I shifted my focus and started thinking "what if" again. What if I held this pose longer? What if I straightened my legs more? What if I balanced more steadily? That really helped me push myself and stay focused.
When we got to straddle forward fold, I thought "what if I went into headstand?" I hadn't tried it during class yet, and I was afraid that I would fall on the person next to me. I also had not tried headstand from straddle forward fold, I had only tried it from crow. But who cares? What if I just tried? So I did - and I did it! Without knocking over into anyone next to me I might add :)
After class I ran and got my phone and had Jo take a few pictures for me. They are kind of grainy because I don't have flash and it's a little dark in the room, but here they are:
Crow
Head down
Headstand!!!
I was practicing before class this morning and Jo was teaching again. I was showing her how I could lift one leg at a time, but couldn't lift them both at the same time yet. She said just to keep practicing and one day it would just click. She left the room and sat for a moment to think - what if today was the day? what if I just did it right now?
I immediately tried again and was able to lift both legs up at the same time. I still had my knees bent but they were above my hips. I got so excited that I didn't even try to straighten my legs, I just came out of the pose right away because I was in complete shock that I did it!
At this point I decided to move over next to the wall and try again so that I could use the wall to help figure out where vertical was. I got both legs all the way up straight! I did it two more times that way and then once away from the wall!!! This was all before class still, so I ran out front to tell Jo about it!
Then it was time for class - it was Hatha today. I was really excited to do Hatha because I had done 5 days of Vinyasa in a row. In Hatha you do the same set of poses in the same order every class. You do one pose at a time and hold it for 30-60 seconds. In Vinyasa, you flow from one pose to the next each time you inhale or exhale. Every class is different as there is no set order. One of my favorite things about Urban Yoga Spa is that they teach both styles so I have some variety from day to day.
During the first part of class it was really hard to focus because I was so excited about the headstand. I shifted my focus and started thinking "what if" again. What if I held this pose longer? What if I straightened my legs more? What if I balanced more steadily? That really helped me push myself and stay focused.
When we got to straddle forward fold, I thought "what if I went into headstand?" I hadn't tried it during class yet, and I was afraid that I would fall on the person next to me. I also had not tried headstand from straddle forward fold, I had only tried it from crow. But who cares? What if I just tried? So I did - and I did it! Without knocking over into anyone next to me I might add :)
After class I ran and got my phone and had Jo take a few pictures for me. They are kind of grainy because I don't have flash and it's a little dark in the room, but here they are:
Crow
Head down
Headstand!!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
learning to observe rather than judge
Yesterday marked day 7 of my 60 day challenge. I went to a 90 minute Vinyasa class and Jennifer was instructing. This was my first 90 minute class for the week - the rest of the classes have been 60 minutes.
We worked hard for the full time, but we also did a few minutes of meditating at the beginning and end of class. Jennifer talked about our ability, or rather inability, to sit still. Often times when we try to sit still we end up fidgeting, adjusting our clothes, adjusting our hair, redistributing our body to get more comfortable, etc. It's really hard to not move!
She challenged us to not judge ourselves for not sitting still, but to just observe our thought patterns and our behaviors. This was also hard! I immediately started critiquing myself - I'm not sitting straight enough, I'm not breathing deep enough, I'm thinking too much, etc.
The thing that stood out the most was not the thoughts themselves, but the negative association I had with them: I'm doing bad, I'm not doing it right, I'm not doing it as good as that person, etc. I was being really hard on myself and all we were doing was sitting! Once I realized that, I almost laughed at how ridiculous my thoughts were. It gave me a new perspective into acceptance of myself and experiencing a present moment. I can observe things as just the way they are - I don't need to analyze everything as good/bad/right/wrong every second of the day.
This morning in class Mandy was teaching and she read a quote from a book that went something like...'to forgive is to set a prisoner free and then to discover that the prisoner was yourself.' It resonated with me in sort of a loose interpretation by applying it to myself instead of others, but it seemed to fit with what I was thinking yesterday. Letting go of my self-judgment (or forgiving myself) is incredibly liberating (setting the prisoner/myself free).
After class I applied that to my headstand practice. Each attempt I made, I tried to just observe what happened rather than judge whether I was doing good/bad/right/wrong. If I fell down, it wasn't 'bad,' it just is what it is: a fall. It was really interesting - I actually felt more confident and in turn felt stronger and more balanced. I was able to lift one leg up into the air! I did it a couple times with each leg against the wall, and then I even did it away from the wall. I was amazed that a simple change in my thoughts had such a big impact on my results. Looking forward to learning more!
We worked hard for the full time, but we also did a few minutes of meditating at the beginning and end of class. Jennifer talked about our ability, or rather inability, to sit still. Often times when we try to sit still we end up fidgeting, adjusting our clothes, adjusting our hair, redistributing our body to get more comfortable, etc. It's really hard to not move!
She challenged us to not judge ourselves for not sitting still, but to just observe our thought patterns and our behaviors. This was also hard! I immediately started critiquing myself - I'm not sitting straight enough, I'm not breathing deep enough, I'm thinking too much, etc.
The thing that stood out the most was not the thoughts themselves, but the negative association I had with them: I'm doing bad, I'm not doing it right, I'm not doing it as good as that person, etc. I was being really hard on myself and all we were doing was sitting! Once I realized that, I almost laughed at how ridiculous my thoughts were. It gave me a new perspective into acceptance of myself and experiencing a present moment. I can observe things as just the way they are - I don't need to analyze everything as good/bad/right/wrong every second of the day.
This morning in class Mandy was teaching and she read a quote from a book that went something like...'to forgive is to set a prisoner free and then to discover that the prisoner was yourself.' It resonated with me in sort of a loose interpretation by applying it to myself instead of others, but it seemed to fit with what I was thinking yesterday. Letting go of my self-judgment (or forgiving myself) is incredibly liberating (setting the prisoner/myself free).
After class I applied that to my headstand practice. Each attempt I made, I tried to just observe what happened rather than judge whether I was doing good/bad/right/wrong. If I fell down, it wasn't 'bad,' it just is what it is: a fall. It was really interesting - I actually felt more confident and in turn felt stronger and more balanced. I was able to lift one leg up into the air! I did it a couple times with each leg against the wall, and then I even did it away from the wall. I was amazed that a simple change in my thoughts had such a big impact on my results. Looking forward to learning more!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Feel the burn
Yay, I made it to class! I didn't think I was going to because I was skiing in a race at Stevens Pass during the day. There is a sauna in my condo building so I was planning on doing yoga in there on my own in the evening. However, I got back to town just in time to make the last class of the day.
The ski race was called the Big Mountain Battle and it basically was a skiing scavenger hunt tracked with GPS. My friend, Kristen, and I did it last year and had a blast so we decided to do it again. They gave all the teams a map of the mountain and a list of various checkpoints you had to reach. Then it was up to you to decide what route you wanted to take to get there. Part of the challenge was having to hike to a few of the checkpoints while carrying your skis. Between the hiking and skiing non-stop for three hours, I was exhausted when we finished!
I then rushed back to town so I could make the last yoga class and I told myself "I've worked hard today already so I can take it easy during class today." Ha ha, just kidding...Jo was teaching again and someone requested that we work hard! I guess they missed my mental memo :)
Then I had a decision to make on whether to take it easy anyway, or to work hard. One of the things that is great about yoga is that every person can work as hard or easy as they choose. I definitely think it's important to listen to my body so I don't end up injuring myself, however I think we are all so much stronger and more capable than we think we are. The only way to really discover new limits is to keep going when we want to give up because right at the time when it gets challenging is where the real work begins. If we always back off when things get hard, we will stay right where we are at. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that - some people love staying in their comfort zone and they have no desire to branch out. That's just not the way I am - I get bored if I'm not continually learning.
I worked hard all through class and I was definitely feeling the burn in my legs! There were lots of times when I wanted to back off, but I managed to make it through. I also practiced my head stand prep again - I am now consistently putting my head to the ground from crow without having to touch my feet down. Now that I am feeling solid, the next step will be to start lifting my legs up.
The ski race was called the Big Mountain Battle and it basically was a skiing scavenger hunt tracked with GPS. My friend, Kristen, and I did it last year and had a blast so we decided to do it again. They gave all the teams a map of the mountain and a list of various checkpoints you had to reach. Then it was up to you to decide what route you wanted to take to get there. Part of the challenge was having to hike to a few of the checkpoints while carrying your skis. Between the hiking and skiing non-stop for three hours, I was exhausted when we finished!
I then rushed back to town so I could make the last yoga class and I told myself "I've worked hard today already so I can take it easy during class today." Ha ha, just kidding...Jo was teaching again and someone requested that we work hard! I guess they missed my mental memo :)
Then I had a decision to make on whether to take it easy anyway, or to work hard. One of the things that is great about yoga is that every person can work as hard or easy as they choose. I definitely think it's important to listen to my body so I don't end up injuring myself, however I think we are all so much stronger and more capable than we think we are. The only way to really discover new limits is to keep going when we want to give up because right at the time when it gets challenging is where the real work begins. If we always back off when things get hard, we will stay right where we are at. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that - some people love staying in their comfort zone and they have no desire to branch out. That's just not the way I am - I get bored if I'm not continually learning.
I worked hard all through class and I was definitely feeling the burn in my legs! There were lots of times when I wanted to back off, but I managed to make it through. I also practiced my head stand prep again - I am now consistently putting my head to the ground from crow without having to touch my feet down. Now that I am feeling solid, the next step will be to start lifting my legs up.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Taking baby steps
Yesterday afternoon I went to yoga a bit early so that I could chat with the instructor, Jo. I told Jo that I wanted to learn how to do a headstand and asked her advice on how to get started. She explained that there are two types of headstands: the traditional headstand, Salamba Sirsasana, and the tripod headstand. Salamba Sirsasana is a supported headstand in which your palms can be flat on the mat or cup your head, and your forearms are on the ground next to your head. You come into Salamba Sirsasana from Dolphin pose. In tripod headstand, your hands and your head form a triangle on the ground. You can come into tripod headstand from Crow pose, Bakasana, or from Straddle Forward Fold, Prasarita Padottanasana. I wasn't sure which one I wanted to learn, so I had her show them both to me. Jo said that one isn't necessarily easier than the other - it's different for every person so she advised to try them both and see if one felt more natural than the other.
I decided to start with Tripod headstand from Crow. The first step is being solid in Crow and then lowering your head to the mat without letting it thud. This was definitely scary - I felt like I was going to fall flat on my nose! I tried it a few times and keep wimping out by putting my feet down. Jo reassured me that I was on the right path - I just needed to be patient and keep practicing. During class I tried it a few more times and I started to become more comfortable until my arms got too tired. Then I reached a point where I knew I was done for the day and I just let it be. I didn't try to keep pushing myself - I acknowledged my work and then let it go. I didn't dwell on not being able to do it perfectly like I had hoped, but rather I smiled knowing that I was one baby step closer to achieving my goal.
This morning I went to class early again so that I could practice. Jo recommended using the wall initially for support so I tried that. It definitely helped put me at ease because I didn't feel like I was going to fall over. I successfully was able to lower my head to the ground from Crow without putting my feet down! Woo hoo!!! It was so rewarding to see that just the few minutes of practice I did yesterday translated into my body today. That boosted my confidence way up so while I was still feeling the adrenaline I moved away from the wall and did it on my own. Yay! Now I can't wait to go back and do more! I still have a long way to go until I will be in the full tripod headstand so I need to pace myself - it's hard for me to be patient. I'm always trying to get to the end goal as fast as I can so I have to remind myself to relax and enjoy the journey.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about how yoga translates to the rest of my life. Where else in my life do I need to be more patient and keep practicing? Where do I want to give up when things get challenging? Where do I avoid trying something new for fear of failing?
It's all about baby steps. I know I'm not going to visualize something and then have it pop into reality the next day. I listened to a recording by Brian Johnson of PhilosophersNotes.com this morning and he said if we "work diligently, patiently, persistently and playfully we are bound to be successful." I really like that :) The other thing he said is "99% is a bitch but 100% is a breeze." Basically, he was saying that if you commit 100% to a goal, it is actually easier than if you are less committed because you get rid of the internal debate. You no longer listen to the little voice in your head making excuses not to do something. I completely agree with this. When I tell people that I go to yoga every morning at 6 a.m. they think I'm crazy and say "oh I could never do that." I try to explain that it's easier to just go every day without thinking about it or debating it. If I just make that part of my daily routine, then it takes the struggle out of the equation.
I'm am now through day 5 of 60. Tomorrow I will be out of town for the day so I won't be able to attend class. However, I am still committed to doing an hour of yoga on my own when I get home.
I decided to start with Tripod headstand from Crow. The first step is being solid in Crow and then lowering your head to the mat without letting it thud. This was definitely scary - I felt like I was going to fall flat on my nose! I tried it a few times and keep wimping out by putting my feet down. Jo reassured me that I was on the right path - I just needed to be patient and keep practicing. During class I tried it a few more times and I started to become more comfortable until my arms got too tired. Then I reached a point where I knew I was done for the day and I just let it be. I didn't try to keep pushing myself - I acknowledged my work and then let it go. I didn't dwell on not being able to do it perfectly like I had hoped, but rather I smiled knowing that I was one baby step closer to achieving my goal.
This morning I went to class early again so that I could practice. Jo recommended using the wall initially for support so I tried that. It definitely helped put me at ease because I didn't feel like I was going to fall over. I successfully was able to lower my head to the ground from Crow without putting my feet down! Woo hoo!!! It was so rewarding to see that just the few minutes of practice I did yesterday translated into my body today. That boosted my confidence way up so while I was still feeling the adrenaline I moved away from the wall and did it on my own. Yay! Now I can't wait to go back and do more! I still have a long way to go until I will be in the full tripod headstand so I need to pace myself - it's hard for me to be patient. I'm always trying to get to the end goal as fast as I can so I have to remind myself to relax and enjoy the journey.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about how yoga translates to the rest of my life. Where else in my life do I need to be more patient and keep practicing? Where do I want to give up when things get challenging? Where do I avoid trying something new for fear of failing?
It's all about baby steps. I know I'm not going to visualize something and then have it pop into reality the next day. I listened to a recording by Brian Johnson of PhilosophersNotes.com this morning and he said if we "work diligently, patiently, persistently and playfully we are bound to be successful." I really like that :) The other thing he said is "99% is a bitch but 100% is a breeze." Basically, he was saying that if you commit 100% to a goal, it is actually easier than if you are less committed because you get rid of the internal debate. You no longer listen to the little voice in your head making excuses not to do something. I completely agree with this. When I tell people that I go to yoga every morning at 6 a.m. they think I'm crazy and say "oh I could never do that." I try to explain that it's easier to just go every day without thinking about it or debating it. If I just make that part of my daily routine, then it takes the struggle out of the equation.
I'm am now through day 5 of 60. Tomorrow I will be out of town for the day so I won't be able to attend class. However, I am still committed to doing an hour of yoga on my own when I get home.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
60 day yoga challenge
I signed up for the Girl Power Hour 60 day yoga challenge. GPH is a social networking group for women in Seattle that meets once a month to share ideas, build connections and make new friends. I just found out about GPH this week so I have not attended any of the events yet. However, I'm looking forward to meeting some new people and sharing this experience together! The group is committing to practicing yoga every day for 60 days. For the most part I will be attending classes at Urban Yoga Spa. However, there are a few days when I will be out of town so I will practice on my own on those days.
Today is day 4 of 60 and so far I am off to a great start. For the first three days I attended the 6 a.m. class. I know it sounds painfully early, but I find it easiest to attend the morning class so that I am done for the day before I have time to find any excuses for why I can't go. However, this morning I couldn't get my legs to drag me out of bed, so I will attend a class after work.
I have been practicing yoga for just over a year now. I typically go to class 3 or 4 days a week so I am interested to see how my body adjusts to going daily. I have been debating over whether to set any specific goals to achieve during the challenge - like learning to do a head stand. Part of me says that doing 60 days of yoga is enough of a challenge in itself, so I don't need to add more stress. The other part of me says that's just fear talking and making an excuse so I don't have to fail trying. I've always been a perfectionist - I don't like doing things that I'm not good at. While that may keep me safe from failing, it also limits my ability to succeed.
Alright, I've talked myself into it. I am going to learn how to do a head stand in the next 60 days! I know it's not going to be easy, but it's going to be so exciting when I finally do it. I remember when I first tried to do crow pose. I pretty much fell on my face and thought I would never get it. However after patiently practicing, I finally got it and it was the best feeling in the world. So I know that I can do this!
In my first 6 months of yoga, I saw rapid progression as I became stronger, increased my balance, flexibility and endurance. Over the next 6 months, I hit a plateau and I have remained in my comfort zone. In class, I know what I can do and what I can't do and I've been content to stay within that zone. However, yoga is a life-long practice. I know there is always someplace else my body can take me, so I intend to keep pushing my boundaries and discovering new potential.
Alright, so now that I've set my goal it's time to make a game plan. The first step is to make my intention known. This afternoon at class I will talk to the instructor and ask how I should start practicing. Then, each day before or after class, I will spend a few minutes practicing for head stand. Whew! I'm feeling lots of emotions right now - both nervous and excited. It's hard to sit still at my desk thinking about it - I just want to go now and start working!
The other thing I will be doing over the next 60 days is training for a half marathon that I will run on May 9th. This is my second time doing a half marathon - the first was in 2008. I was able to run about half of it, but then my knees started hurting which made me walk a larger portion than I would have liked. Since then I have been going to the chiropractor and I bought insoles for my shoes that seem to be helping my knees. I also think increasing my flexibility through yoga will have a positive impact on running.
So that's the plan...yoga, head stand, half marathon...it's going to be an interesting 60 days to say the least!
Today is day 4 of 60 and so far I am off to a great start. For the first three days I attended the 6 a.m. class. I know it sounds painfully early, but I find it easiest to attend the morning class so that I am done for the day before I have time to find any excuses for why I can't go. However, this morning I couldn't get my legs to drag me out of bed, so I will attend a class after work.
I have been practicing yoga for just over a year now. I typically go to class 3 or 4 days a week so I am interested to see how my body adjusts to going daily. I have been debating over whether to set any specific goals to achieve during the challenge - like learning to do a head stand. Part of me says that doing 60 days of yoga is enough of a challenge in itself, so I don't need to add more stress. The other part of me says that's just fear talking and making an excuse so I don't have to fail trying. I've always been a perfectionist - I don't like doing things that I'm not good at. While that may keep me safe from failing, it also limits my ability to succeed.
Alright, I've talked myself into it. I am going to learn how to do a head stand in the next 60 days! I know it's not going to be easy, but it's going to be so exciting when I finally do it. I remember when I first tried to do crow pose. I pretty much fell on my face and thought I would never get it. However after patiently practicing, I finally got it and it was the best feeling in the world. So I know that I can do this!
In my first 6 months of yoga, I saw rapid progression as I became stronger, increased my balance, flexibility and endurance. Over the next 6 months, I hit a plateau and I have remained in my comfort zone. In class, I know what I can do and what I can't do and I've been content to stay within that zone. However, yoga is a life-long practice. I know there is always someplace else my body can take me, so I intend to keep pushing my boundaries and discovering new potential.
Alright, so now that I've set my goal it's time to make a game plan. The first step is to make my intention known. This afternoon at class I will talk to the instructor and ask how I should start practicing. Then, each day before or after class, I will spend a few minutes practicing for head stand. Whew! I'm feeling lots of emotions right now - both nervous and excited. It's hard to sit still at my desk thinking about it - I just want to go now and start working!
The other thing I will be doing over the next 60 days is training for a half marathon that I will run on May 9th. This is my second time doing a half marathon - the first was in 2008. I was able to run about half of it, but then my knees started hurting which made me walk a larger portion than I would have liked. Since then I have been going to the chiropractor and I bought insoles for my shoes that seem to be helping my knees. I also think increasing my flexibility through yoga will have a positive impact on running.
So that's the plan...yoga, head stand, half marathon...it's going to be an interesting 60 days to say the least!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)