I am so excited that today marks the start of my 9th week of daily yoga. 8 weeks of practice have brought me far, and I am so happy that I have made this commitment, and stuck to it!
Tonight, I practiced on my own. I mixed basic Sun Salutations with a few things pulled from a variety of the DVD's I own. I basically made a yoga mix tape in my head.
It felt great to indulge in only the things I really enjoy, only the things that feel exceptionally good to my body. One of my favorite moves is from Rodney Yee's Power Yoga. Lying on your back, you rock back and forth up to sitting and back down gently, and then you expand the movement to rock all the way from Plow to Seated Forward Bend. It feels wonderful. I hear a lot of popping and cracking, but not in a worrisome way. In fact, I think my back might be realigning itself the way the chiropractor would!
To end, I used some of the breathing and restorative exercises I've been doing a lot of this last week. That wrapped my practice up in a neat little bow, and now I'm feeling really good. Strong but relaxed - that's the goal, right?
Namaste
Showing posts with label Power Yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Power Yoga. Show all posts
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Jello Legs
I got behind in reading my Meditations from the Mat. Tonight, after an hour of Power Yoga, I caught up. While I appreciated everything I read, none of it stood out to me as particularly special, and none of it got my mind thinking in any one specific direction.
So, I've got two things to mention. One, I thoroughly enjoyed my practice today, and now I have jello legs from it being such a good workout. That's such a good feeling!
Two, yesterday I went to a wonderful concert, "Two Native Voices". Keola Beamer, a Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist, and R. Carlos Nakai, a Native American Flutist, joined forces to create something beautiful. While I listened to the guitar, I was mesmerized. While I listened to the flute, I was intrigued. But when I listened to the third set, where they joined the two together, I couldn't help but envision myself practicing flow yoga to the music. The two sounds together created such harmony, and my mind went straight to yoga. There was something magical about it, and I can't wait to get the CD and start practicing to it. I feel very lucky to have been exposed to such beautiful, artistic native music.
Namaste
So, I've got two things to mention. One, I thoroughly enjoyed my practice today, and now I have jello legs from it being such a good workout. That's such a good feeling!
Two, yesterday I went to a wonderful concert, "Two Native Voices". Keola Beamer, a Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist, and R. Carlos Nakai, a Native American Flutist, joined forces to create something beautiful. While I listened to the guitar, I was mesmerized. While I listened to the flute, I was intrigued. But when I listened to the third set, where they joined the two together, I couldn't help but envision myself practicing flow yoga to the music. The two sounds together created such harmony, and my mind went straight to yoga. There was something magical about it, and I can't wait to get the CD and start practicing to it. I feel very lucky to have been exposed to such beautiful, artistic native music.
Namaste
Monday, September 14, 2009
Right Action
Today's Meditation from the Mat is so good, I wish I could quote the whole thing! I am really enjoying this book, and looking forward to working through it with the same enthusiasm I have for a good fiction novel.
The entry today is all about the right path, the right action, and working towards knowing ourselves, and what is good for us.
I've heard it talked about so much on shows like Oprah, and in magazines, and I truly believe that the ability to say 'no' is a very empowering thing. We are raised, at least as women, to give as much of ourselves as we can. The more we are able to do, the more successful we are. As a person who loves to volunteer, I always feel a little guilty saying no. But I'm getting better at it.
In the last week, I've been exercising this ability. And I'm really working on not feeling guilty about it, as long as I'm saying no for the right reasons. If I'm saying no to avoid overextending myself, to avoid a precarious situation that I don't think is right for me, or to enable someone else to act and think for themselves instead of relying on others, then these are all good times to say no.
But I'm not saying no to yoga of course! Even with my arm hurting, and feeling a little run down from all the stress of the last week, I'm saying YES to yoga, which is of course saying YES to myself!
Today I practiced with power yoga again. It's amazing how a few 'easy' days to let my arm rest have shown their effects in the rest of my body. But it felt good to do a slightly more vigorous routine, though it was far from difficult. I'll build back up to that, and feel great while doing it!
Namaste
The entry today is all about the right path, the right action, and working towards knowing ourselves, and what is good for us.
I've heard it talked about so much on shows like Oprah, and in magazines, and I truly believe that the ability to say 'no' is a very empowering thing. We are raised, at least as women, to give as much of ourselves as we can. The more we are able to do, the more successful we are. As a person who loves to volunteer, I always feel a little guilty saying no. But I'm getting better at it.
In the last week, I've been exercising this ability. And I'm really working on not feeling guilty about it, as long as I'm saying no for the right reasons. If I'm saying no to avoid overextending myself, to avoid a precarious situation that I don't think is right for me, or to enable someone else to act and think for themselves instead of relying on others, then these are all good times to say no.
But I'm not saying no to yoga of course! Even with my arm hurting, and feeling a little run down from all the stress of the last week, I'm saying YES to yoga, which is of course saying YES to myself!
Today I practiced with power yoga again. It's amazing how a few 'easy' days to let my arm rest have shown their effects in the rest of my body. But it felt good to do a slightly more vigorous routine, though it was far from difficult. I'll build back up to that, and feel great while doing it!
Namaste
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Power Yoga Vinyasa Flow
I feel good! And strong! Tonight, I did an intermediate Rodney Yee DVD - Power Yoga Vinyasa Flow. It was challenging, but it felt fantastic. I haven't been in Wheel pose (a full back bend) in a long time, so that was a nice change.
Huffing and puffing into that back bend reminded me of days when I could do back bends, walkovers, and all kinds of other gymnastics positions all day long without batting an eye. Where does that flexibility go? And when did I start to feel so heavy? I don't remember ever thinking 'Oh Gosh, my arms might collapse under my own weight' when I was a kid. I could walk around in a back bend like an inverted crab, and never felt too weak for it.
More importantly, where does that confidence in our bodies go? I never doubted myself, the thought of it didn't even cross my mind. But now, I'm filled with doubt. Will I be able to get up onto my head? Can I push up into the position? Can I hold it? Can I extend? Will I collapse? Doubt, doubt, doubt!
I did it though. It wasn't my prettiest back bend, and not my strongest. But I did it, and afterward, I think I was probably glowing with pride. Tonight my confidence got a boost, and self doubt got a swift kick in the ass.
Thank you Yoga!
Namaste
Huffing and puffing into that back bend reminded me of days when I could do back bends, walkovers, and all kinds of other gymnastics positions all day long without batting an eye. Where does that flexibility go? And when did I start to feel so heavy? I don't remember ever thinking 'Oh Gosh, my arms might collapse under my own weight' when I was a kid. I could walk around in a back bend like an inverted crab, and never felt too weak for it.
More importantly, where does that confidence in our bodies go? I never doubted myself, the thought of it didn't even cross my mind. But now, I'm filled with doubt. Will I be able to get up onto my head? Can I push up into the position? Can I hold it? Can I extend? Will I collapse? Doubt, doubt, doubt!
I did it though. It wasn't my prettiest back bend, and not my strongest. But I did it, and afterward, I think I was probably glowing with pride. Tonight my confidence got a boost, and self doubt got a swift kick in the ass.
Thank you Yoga!
Namaste
Sunday, August 30, 2009
2 Weeks!
Today marks 14 days straight of yoga and blogging, and it feels fantastic!
I switched things up tonight, and walked my dogs for about a mile right before I practiced. This was a good change for two reasons. One, the dogs were relaxed and quiet after their walk, instead of trying to get my attention. Two, I was warmed up and limber from being outside walking in the warm, humid air.
I've realized that Angus is obsessed with my yoga mat. It's old, and I've been wishing for a new one. I think I'll cut this one to size for his crate, and replace it with a new, eco-friendly mat for me. Angus has hip dysplasia, and we have a tile floor, so I'm sure he will really appreciate the repurposed mat.
I practiced with Power Yoga again tonight, and marveled at just how much stronger I feel after only two weeks! An Anusara teacher I admired in Florida used to say that when you lunge, you should push forward with the back leg and pull back with the front leg, pulling strenght upward from the center, into the heart. The concept made sense to me before, but I'm just starting to actually feel the difference. The strength in my legs seems to be taking the strain off my knees in deep lunges, making it easier to hold the poses longer, and with what feels like better form.
I can't wait to see what the next two weeks bring!
Namaste
I switched things up tonight, and walked my dogs for about a mile right before I practiced. This was a good change for two reasons. One, the dogs were relaxed and quiet after their walk, instead of trying to get my attention. Two, I was warmed up and limber from being outside walking in the warm, humid air.
I've realized that Angus is obsessed with my yoga mat. It's old, and I've been wishing for a new one. I think I'll cut this one to size for his crate, and replace it with a new, eco-friendly mat for me. Angus has hip dysplasia, and we have a tile floor, so I'm sure he will really appreciate the repurposed mat.
I practiced with Power Yoga again tonight, and marveled at just how much stronger I feel after only two weeks! An Anusara teacher I admired in Florida used to say that when you lunge, you should push forward with the back leg and pull back with the front leg, pulling strenght upward from the center, into the heart. The concept made sense to me before, but I'm just starting to actually feel the difference. The strength in my legs seems to be taking the strain off my knees in deep lunges, making it easier to hold the poses longer, and with what feels like better form.
I can't wait to see what the next two weeks bring!
Namaste
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