Today was another wonderful day. I've definitely kicked whatever was making me feel bad a few days ago, and now I'm feeling strong and energetic.
Since today was another Zumba day, I was concerned with being stiff for yoga. I paid extra attention to the stretching portion of the cool down, and after walking home, I continued to stretch some more. I also had a massage scheduled today, but I'll get to that in a moment.
Zumba was so much fun - good friends, good music, and good laughs. It's *almost* possible to forget it's exercise! I'm getting more confident with the routines, which means I can enjoy the class more instead of trying to hard to keep up. And while I feel like I'm getting better at the cardio portion, I'm also sweating more than ever. I'm not sure I understand that, but it feels good, so I'm going with it.
When I went to my massage appointment, I asked her to focus on my back, between my shoulder blades. As she started working, she said it was obvious I hold everything there, emotionally and physically, and that I need to learn to let things go. At first I was slightly uncomfortable. I'd never met this woman before, and while she was very good at the physical portion of a massage, she didn't have a comforting demeanor about her. I felt like she was judging me, and I didn't like it. After a few tense minutes, I let it go though, and focused on relaxing.
Tonight I did another version of the Solar Flow Matrix, this time with a build up to shoulder stand. I'm not able to do a full shoulder stand yet, but I am definitely feeling a difference as I work on the poses to build the base. I'm not pushing myself to hard, and I don't feel bad that I can't complete a shoulder stand yet. It used to bother me in class when I couldn't do a shoulder stand at all, while everyone else perfected theirs. But no more. Just feeling the gaining strength makes me feel successful and full of purpose.
When I read today's Meditation from the Mat, it all came together. Here's what stood out to me. "Only when we act without judgement can we truly flourish in our lives... Before our bodies can open, they must first let go; the clenched and guarded muscles must relax. But the mind must let go first."
How's that for all of my concerns for the day coming together into one meditation? I could practically tie my day up in a bow! When I relaxed, trusted, and respected my body, I was able to enjoy Zumba more. When I went for a massage to work out tightened muscles, I was cautioned that I needed to let the emotions go first. And when I practiced yoga tonight, I realized how invigorating practice can be when you accept where your are in your practice, and don't judge yourself unfairly.
I'm going to bed tonight feeling strong, confident, and relaxed. :)
Namaste
Showing posts with label Zumba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zumba. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Somewhere in the middle
Tonight, I practiced with my favorite Yoga DVD - Shiva Rea's Solar Flow. I had a productive day today, and I felt like I had the energy for a challenge. And Solar Flow can definitely be challenging!
I used the Matrix feature on the DVD, focusing mainly on the balance poses flow. This DVD is awesome because it accommodates so many levels, and gives you so much to grow into. On most of the balance poses, I stay at the first phase. But I am proud to say that tonight, I managed a new phase in the split balance pose. While I still can't do the whole shebang, I am stoked that I am just one phase away. I surprised myself, and I am so happy about it.
What makes me happy about all of this is that I see that I'm somewhere in the middle, and making progress. I'm no expert by far, but I've come a long way from the beginner phase. And while most people would look at Shiva's amazing arm balances and think 'no way', I'm getting to a place where I'm thinking 'someday'. And hopefully someday soon!
I ended with a longer shivasana than usual after my hard work, complete with puppy kisses to tell me it was time to snap out of it. Now it's time to hit the sack, because I'm meeting a friend for Zumba in the morning. I've got a massage scheduled too, and I think I'm going to need it!
Namaste
I used the Matrix feature on the DVD, focusing mainly on the balance poses flow. This DVD is awesome because it accommodates so many levels, and gives you so much to grow into. On most of the balance poses, I stay at the first phase. But I am proud to say that tonight, I managed a new phase in the split balance pose. While I still can't do the whole shebang, I am stoked that I am just one phase away. I surprised myself, and I am so happy about it.
What makes me happy about all of this is that I see that I'm somewhere in the middle, and making progress. I'm no expert by far, but I've come a long way from the beginner phase. And while most people would look at Shiva's amazing arm balances and think 'no way', I'm getting to a place where I'm thinking 'someday'. And hopefully someday soon!
I ended with a longer shivasana than usual after my hard work, complete with puppy kisses to tell me it was time to snap out of it. Now it's time to hit the sack, because I'm meeting a friend for Zumba in the morning. I've got a massage scheduled too, and I think I'm going to need it!
Namaste
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Varied Thoughts Today...
Today, I've got several things I want to write about, so I'm going to try my best to organize them.
First, the practical. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to a Zumba class with a great friend. I love this class - it's high energy, high impact, and makes me sweat buckets. I am starting to see though, that Tuesdays and Thursdays are not my best yoga days. By the time I get around to yoga, I'm tight and tense. I'm not sure what I think about this. Zumba is great for my body, and I think it's doing good things for me in the cardio department. But I don't like that it tightens me up. Maybe I need to come home and stretch more, or walk into the gym after and stretch there. I definitely can't do yoga right after. I'm way too worn out for that. So that's something I'll be mulling over in the near future, and working on.
Second, the practice. I am still feeling under the weather today, even though I did manage to make it through Zumba this morning. I remembered an article in Natural Health about Yoga for specific ailments, so I went and dug it up. I did the routine for headache relief, and it was wonderful. It didn't involve a lot of movement, so I started with sun salutations on my own, then transitioned into this routine. It mostly focused on expanding the chest and focusing on breathing, based on the premise that headaches are often caused by short, shallow breathing. My spine feels longer now, my neck more relaxed, and my headache has lessened.
Third, the philosophy. Today's "Meditation from the Mat" talked about the shift in perception that must occur before you can reach the renunciation phase of yoga. It says, "The furniture of our life gets moved, and we are forced to pay attention... We look at our friends, our habits, our choices, and see them all in a new light, as our old assumptions fall away... When we are ready to let go, we will do so with relief." This was a powerful passage for me. I can relate it to so many things in my life.
I can specifically remember feeling relieved when I finally made the decision to go vegetarian. My perception had shifted, and that shift had caused unhappy feelings before I made the change. Making the change, and letting the unhappy feelings fall away felt freeing. So many people think that being a vegetarian is about restrictions and rigid guidelines. But I feel the opposite away completely, and this passage helped me to put that into perspective.
I think my perception is shifting again. I'm looking at the things I encounter every day, and often participate in, and realizing that they are not enjoyable, and not conducive to the way I want to live. I made a decision this week to let some things go, to take a step in the opposite direction, and already I feel relieved by doing so. Some changes can be made with a simple decision. This is not one of them. So it will take time and effort, and I think practicing yoga daily will help me achieve the results I want.
Namaste
First, the practical. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to a Zumba class with a great friend. I love this class - it's high energy, high impact, and makes me sweat buckets. I am starting to see though, that Tuesdays and Thursdays are not my best yoga days. By the time I get around to yoga, I'm tight and tense. I'm not sure what I think about this. Zumba is great for my body, and I think it's doing good things for me in the cardio department. But I don't like that it tightens me up. Maybe I need to come home and stretch more, or walk into the gym after and stretch there. I definitely can't do yoga right after. I'm way too worn out for that. So that's something I'll be mulling over in the near future, and working on.
Second, the practice. I am still feeling under the weather today, even though I did manage to make it through Zumba this morning. I remembered an article in Natural Health about Yoga for specific ailments, so I went and dug it up. I did the routine for headache relief, and it was wonderful. It didn't involve a lot of movement, so I started with sun salutations on my own, then transitioned into this routine. It mostly focused on expanding the chest and focusing on breathing, based on the premise that headaches are often caused by short, shallow breathing. My spine feels longer now, my neck more relaxed, and my headache has lessened.
Third, the philosophy. Today's "Meditation from the Mat" talked about the shift in perception that must occur before you can reach the renunciation phase of yoga. It says, "The furniture of our life gets moved, and we are forced to pay attention... We look at our friends, our habits, our choices, and see them all in a new light, as our old assumptions fall away... When we are ready to let go, we will do so with relief." This was a powerful passage for me. I can relate it to so many things in my life.
I can specifically remember feeling relieved when I finally made the decision to go vegetarian. My perception had shifted, and that shift had caused unhappy feelings before I made the change. Making the change, and letting the unhappy feelings fall away felt freeing. So many people think that being a vegetarian is about restrictions and rigid guidelines. But I feel the opposite away completely, and this passage helped me to put that into perspective.
I think my perception is shifting again. I'm looking at the things I encounter every day, and often participate in, and realizing that they are not enjoyable, and not conducive to the way I want to live. I made a decision this week to let some things go, to take a step in the opposite direction, and already I feel relieved by doing so. Some changes can be made with a simple decision. This is not one of them. So it will take time and effort, and I think practicing yoga daily will help me achieve the results I want.
Namaste
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