Sunday, December 8, 2013

Winter is here!

It is snowing the first real snow of the season and I am inside doing what else than... yoga!

Solid half hour today.

Mixed it up with some crescent lunges (the kind where your knee is on the floor) and felt no pain on the knee. Also, did some Utkatasana Chair Pose with prayer twists. I have to give myself props for that. Don't usually do chair sits, but I think they're going to be back again soon. I have grown since I first started seriously practicing this summer, and am looking to challenge myself more.

Full lotus was the easiest I have ever had. No bind yet... not sure how on earth that's going to work... :-P

Put on Pandora's Trip-Hop station. Started off with Massive Attack's Teardrop and it was amazingly timed to my breath. Awesome sauce.

There is no flattering picture for Yogi Sleep Pose which I hope to one day achieve, so I'll leave you with this:


Gonna eat dinner, and get back on the mat before bed.

I love this journal because not only is it a record of my journey, but it serves as inspiration to continue with all the things I enjoyed about my practice.

Namaste.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Thankful for the day.

Thankful for the friends in my life. That can be you too! Drop me a line and say "hi!"'

I went slow again today. Not satisfied, though. Totally going to hit the mat again sometime before bed.

Am I the only one that gets major ADD when putting on Pandora? I think the Trip-Hop station is perfect, but since I don't know what's up next I want to listen to the music instead of practice.

Who else needs a particular playlist?

My "ok" yoga sessions are an hour long... my phenomenal ones last usually two hours. I only have one hour playlists (DOH!). Sure, I could get up and put the next one on, but that's not the same.

I'm working on a couple of poses:

My crow isn't quite taking off, but I can feel the potential. I get grounded through my palms. I feel the energy in my core.

Slowly, working on wheel. One day I lifted a couple of inches off the ground instead of futile pushing. I wonder if I will one day fully express the position, or if I am slowly creeping there, millimeter by millimeter.


...And then I remembered I forgot to do Bridge Pose.

Another pose I'm excited about is Bound Lotus. I usually forget to do Lotus, or don't because I find it a little painful to get my feet in position, but today wasn't so bad. Add a bind. Add a forward fold -I'll get there eventually. It's a seated pose, so I'll bet anything I'll remember to do it from now on.


And then what are commonly known as the splits: Monkey God Pose...



I used to be able to do my left... now I can do... NEITHER! :-P

One day. (Just gotta keep practicing!)

Namaste.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Slow Down

Just had a great hour-long session. Nothing spectacular to report on, just staying on my mat.

I went to a class where we had Michael Jackson's Thriller playing and for reverse warrior we did "Thriller Claws." I loved it. This is just to illustrate that I have playful practice; I like to move at a fast pace and feel strong.

Today, however, I put on my traditional playlist and went slow. It wasn't as satisfying, but I was able to do more poses without breaks in between. I let my practice flow.

Now, while less satisfying, I feel more accomplished; I had truly used my hour playlist to it's fullest. However, I didn't quite do all my favorite poses. That's ok. I'm going to be back soon.

Smiles and light. Namaste.



Saturday, November 16, 2013

Feeling light, graceful, and beautiful. Namaste.

Tonight I left class feeling energized, light, graceful, and beautiful.

There's nothing like that feeling. I feel as if I could start ballet with that feeling.

I go to the Community classes at Core Power Yoga and find them essential to keeping my progress fresh. It's nice to see/feel my progression. I feel stronger. I feel the increase in flexibility. I can feel eventual progression towards Headstand. My Chaturunga is slightly more parallel to the floor.

Honestly, when I had a Groupon in February, that was the best month of 2013. Right now, I'm taking advantage of these classes to keep me focused for a full hour. I don't quite have the discipline I'd like to have for long sessions or short, intense ones. With the cold setting in, I don't want to get out of bed, and find night sessions much more satisfying after I have warmed up the body.

My favorite poses, Plough Pose and Shoulder Stand (AND Plough is suggested for insomnia):




Some goals I'm looking forward to:
+ Increasing core strength for Headstand and Crow.
+ Mastering Crow.
+ Different expressions for Shoulderstand and Plough Pose.

 Namaste!

Friday, November 8, 2013

Howdy!

Welcome back to another edition of Yoga I Did Today.

Last night, instead of having a potentially awesome session, I stayed in bed. That's ok. I was genuinely tired, but I'm not quite sure if it was my mind or my body.

I'm a little disappointed with how it went today, but I also tried a different location. I get distracted with new surroundings.

I'm NOT overall disappointed because I know yoga will be there for me anytime. :-T Today I need to be productive anyway, and perhaps tonight will be amazing.

I'm going to do my best to get everything done and empty my mind to be completely present.

Good luck with your practice and happy Friday!

Friday, November 1, 2013

Smile! :-D

Had a nice hour long session before calling my long-distance pseudo sister. Oh, how I miss her.

Anyway, I feel like my practice has been somewhat re-energized. (For a while there, I wasn't wanting to do yoga at all.)

This is how I imagine an amazing yoga session:


The reality:


Just smile. I didn't mean anything by it. I definitely have a more playful practice. -And it shows in my life.

Enjoy your PRACTICE!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Welcome to my yoga journal!

I'd do a little bit about myself, but what do you really need to know? (My life is pretty up in the air now, anyway! ;-) ) All you need to know is I have an enthusiasm for yoga...

Today I did about 30 solid minutes of yoga. I'm definitely excited, although, surprisingly, I don't feel accomplished: I was able to "make my Crow take flight." It sort of clicked... No 'aha' moment, just a flow that made sense

And for a little inspiration:

In general this will be reflections of my yoga practice and yoga inspiration. Maybe I will even include ruminations from meditations or just the lifestyle of yoga in general. I find Ayurveda somewhat interesting, so maybe I'll delve into that, but in general, this will have progress updates and yoga porn. ;-) We'll see where it takes me.

Looking forward.

Namaste.