So close!

Guys, I'm so close to finishing the challenge! Four more classes to go! Four more days! AHH! Even if I don't complete the challenge, I should still be proud of myself. I really hope this has cultivated a more consistent practice.

I've started sequencing. I only have about half an hour to forty-five minutes, but I'm excited. It's actually really fun and once you're thinking about the postures, more ideas come to mind. I should try sequencing before hitting the mat at home. I find myself doing a lot of Child's Poses while trying to come up with the next posture after doing my old stand-by's. The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown helps a lot too.

What I think is cool is how you can totally make up a pose that you may not find in a book, but if you know the language, you have a name. Now, I'm not saying Sanskrit, but for example: Supine Twist... Supine Twist with Quad Stretch. I suppose teacher training will teach me what not to do, but I don't expect yoga to be like that. As far as I know, yoga poses are infinite! (Infinitely awesome!)

Getting ready for class tonight!

Namaste

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi by Brian Leaf

So I stumbled upon this book, much like I stumbled upon Yoga Bitch. I suppose they're non-fiction memoirs, but that doesn't really matter to me. I was thoroughly entertained. Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi is even more entertaining than Yoga Bitch!

The back blurb will tell you everything you need to know... actually more. It's just a genuinely entertaining book that doesn't need a description. And well, if you like yoga, even better!

Challenge Update

Haven't gotten too creative at home lately, but I have been vigilant with the Down Dog Days of Summer Challenge... 12 more classes to go through the 31st.

I'm going to try to meditate more. I need to practice Full Lotus a bit more. I haven't quite gotten to where I was before my knees were injured. There'd be tension, then release as I became more comfortable in the pose... now, it's a sharper discomfort that I don't think I should push through.

Not really much else to update on. Just enjoying yoga in it's myriad forms.

I think once the challenge is over, I'll be less motivated to come to classes, but to practice more at home. I'm looking forward to getting creative. Last summer/late August, yoga pulled me out of a depression, or should I say was a symptom of recovery. Those were joyous mornings.

Namaste.

Yogi or Yogini?

If I'm correct, the answer to all this is Yogin.

This isn't really a big deal, but what do you consider yourself? A Yogi or a Yogini? Is it because of your gender or simply your sex? Do you consider how you like to practice?

Yogi is for masculine energy, and Yogini is for the feminine energy:

Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and nighttime. 

Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime. 

(via Wikipedia)

What's not to say a practice can't evolve. I would've definitely called myself a Yogi last year, but this year I'm more a Yin, Yogini. I love watching Meghan Currie videos (if you haven't YouTubed her, do it now!), and that lovely woman is defintiely a Yogini, but she remixes (fast-forwards) her practice into one with Yang energy.

What would you classify yourself as?

Living the Yogic Lifestyle

I am not perfect.

I am nowhere near perfect.

I drink. I smoke. I own and wear leather. I have Emu (sheepskin) boots. I enjoy sex.

Well, that's really it. I guess it comes down to the yogic principal of ahimsa. The hardest thing for me is smoking. With yoga being a practice of focusing on your breath, I can't help but feel like a hypocrite when I light up. (Although, I go a little easier on myself, since it's pure tobacco.) It doesn't help when all your friends have been doing it with you for years with no intention of quitting.

Admittedly, this all began before the idea of "yogi" became a bit of an aspiration. I've always had an inner hippie, but due to lack of time and education, that languished. But here I am now. I have the time to become a conscientious consumer. I want to become more eco-friendly and eco-conscientious. I want to consume less. I definitely have a shopping problem. How I plan on fixing that is by only shopping at thrift stores. I love leather, but now, I will try to only buy secondhand. The book, Wear No Evil has made being an eco-conscious fashionista a tangible reality.

I still apply chemicals to my body almost everyday in the form of makeup and perfumes. I have moved on to Simple face wash with simpler, hopefully less toxic (to myself and the environment) ingredients.

I want to eat healthier. Slowly, I have begun -eating raw avocados with seasoning. Grocery shopping more, eating fast food a little less.

The philosophy of Jainism holds a fascination in my heart, but it is so ascetic, it's not really tangible for myself here and now.

Yoga has brightened my life, and in turn has caused me to think about ahimsa more and more. I think just the word non-injury could be a great focus of my practice.

Namaste

Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan

I recently read the book Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan.

This is a great starter book for someone looking to be more eco-conscious with their clothing choices.

In short, Eagan lists out an "integrity index" of sixteen factors to be wary of when purchasing clothing. She says to focus on 3-5 aspects in order to be realistic, style being the first factor to consider.

For me, I personally like reduced water usage, biodegradable, local, and secondhand. If there are causes I would like to support, the first one that would come to mind is Charity: Water, or any other organization dedicated to clean water, and reducing water usage. It turns out a single, cotton t-shirt can use massive amounts of water to create and dye. I will now look for vegan leather that is a byproduct of the meat industry or at least is secondhand. For one, it's biodegradable, and two, pleather contains myraid chemicals. I would much rather see a trashed leather jacket naturally wearing out, than a pleather one living indefinitely in a dumpster. In general, I mostly shop at thrift stores, and try to support Made in the USA items. Even more locally, I would also like to support Chicago artists and companies. And I love thrifting. It's the thrill of the hunt. I've found some great things while thrifting. It's just an added bonus that I'm giving these items a second lifecycle.

In short, it's not that hard to be SOMEWHAT eco-conscientious after reading this book:

You're eschewing fashion for the sake of fashion, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice it.

For more check out: noevil.com

And buy the book!

All things yoga related, today.

Ahh. Today is a blogging day, so here's a general updatement of anything yoga:

Been doing good on the Down Dog Days of Summer Challenge. I'm at 15/16 classes, with a class I'm going to tonight, so 16/16 really. Not bad. When it comes down to it, you can miss 20 classes or do a class every weekday and skip the weekends. This challenge has really got my motivation up to go to class. Can't wait for Core Restore -the restorative, Yin class- tomorrow!

Went to my first Level 3 due to a double sticker day. Really liked it. It was very well paced for it being a 75 minute class. I was exhausted for the rest of my day though -perhaps also due to lack of sleep?

I stumbled upon a fun little book called, Yoga Bitch by Suzanne Morrison. It was in the Yoga non-fiction section of the library (it's definitely fiction, but if it wasn't, it would've had to be the greatest yoga book out there). But I was glad I found it anyway.

Downloaded the Yoga Sutras and re-checked out the Bhagavad Gita. I've already read the Bhagavad Gita, but the version I currently have is more what I was looking for.

AHH! Can't wait for class tonight! Might go to the library, too!