Category Archives: Yoga

lighting up the whole sky

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Tonight, I went on my fastest 1.5 mile run yet. Then, I came home and knew that I needed to immediately do yoga (it’s a quick post-run yoga that really stretches you out so you’re not sore the next day.)

I have done this particular sequence several times after runs, and I find that it really has me focusing and stretching all the muscles that tighten soon after I do my yoga, sit down, and relax for the evening. Taking that twenty minutes does wonders for me feeling crappy the next day.

Because Jeff and I were doing laundry tonight, I need a fast dinner pre-laundromat (oh, the days when we can have a house and laundry at home!) So I cut up a sweet potato into crinkle fries, seasoned with olive oil and curry, stuck it in the oven at 400, and went to do my yoga.

After it was over, I realized that after the Namaste, and the reminder that all beautiful yoga videos come out of Canada, there was a quote that I had never noticed/seen before, either in this video or around the Internet:

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth
“You owe me”
Look what happens with a love like that
It lights the whole sky

And so, I leave you with that, to interpret how you see fit. I think it’s a lovely thought, and it energized me on this Wednesday night.

Happy almost-Thursday, my friends.

Namaste.

ever dreamed we even could be.

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Hello friends! I am writing to you from the sun porch of my parents’ house in Chicago. It is 19 degrees here, but the sun is shining and I have a big cup of coffee and a golden retriever at my side, and so I am a happy camper.

So my 25 days of yoga didn’t go as planned (does anything?) but I am happy to report that I am OK with that. So what happened? Well, I missed my first day because I was out too late for a holiday party – which I have mixed feelings about. I think that holidays should be fun, but obviously health should come first, so I think there needs to be a sense of balance in both things so that my exercise doesn’t fall aside when the busy season rolls around.

Then, as is frequent during this season, I got sick, and it was all over. I could barely breath, work, sleep, and pack for the Midwest, let alone also add in yoga, so I didn’t. I listened to my body, rested, slept, and headed to see my family.

I started up my yoga again yesterday, newly healthy from my bout with a terrible cold, and it felt good to be back – especially because this cold made me very achy. I hope to get yoga in a few more days while I am here on vacation, but I am not going to sweat it. I am going to set up another 25 day challenge, and while I might not complete that, either, that is OK. Doing your best is sometimes the best you can do.

These challenges we set up for ourselves are a representation of who we want to be at our very best, but often are unreachable, or unrealistic. I am learning from this challenge, and think I’ll take a “25 days of yoga in 30 days” approach next time around, which is how the challenge works at my yoga studio – and now, I see why. Some days, when you’re home from work sick and just focused on getting up to drink enough water, yoga isn’t logical. Or a run, or a walk, or Pilates, or whatever your exercise is.

I also learned during this challenge that some days during the 12 days in a row I did yoga, that some days an hour and a half of yoga was what my body craved – and some days, I needed a 30 minute restorative-focused, meditative sort of class. And that’s what I love about yoga – it can be whatever you need it to be!

How about you guys – how are you with setting challenges for yourself? Do you set yourself up for failure, or do you do whatever it takes (other priorities be damned!) to get it done?

Drinkers and jokers // all soul searchers

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Happy Tuesday, everyone! We’ve made it through Monday with flying colors, and for that I am happy. There is a week and a half until I head to Chicago to see all of my family, and any day that flies by to make that closer is a a good day in my book!

Today is my 9th day of my 25 days of yoga, and so far, so good. It helps that Jeff has joined the challenge, too, so when I have to hit the mat I have often had a friend to do so with – hitting the mat when a warm couch and lovely Christmas tree standing by can be hard, but flowing with loved ones makes it that much easier.

As we fly into a week of holiday dinners, parties, and general merriment, I am doing my best to pre-schedule the yoga to ensure it happens in a timely manner. I have been switching from longer classes that are an hour plus to shorter 25 minute classes depending on my schedule, and cycling through backbending, headstanding, core strength, foot balances, etc., to keep my body from getting overtired of the same old thing while continuing my practice.

It also helps if I have a class picked out before I get home, so I know what I’m headed into and can mentally prepare for whatever’s coming at me – be it lots of vinyasas, or a particularly hard class with warrior 3 into half-moon into triangle.

How are you all doing this holiday season? Are you keeping from getting burned out, and are you finding time to exercise?

 

let your bones crumble.

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Happy official Christmas season, everyone! We’ve trimmed our tree, made holiday cookies, put the duvet on the bed, and are watching the temperatures drop around here as we dive into December.

christmastree

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of our Los Angeles family, surrounded by delicious food, people, conversation, and of course, learning cups from Pitch Perfect. Now, it’s back to the grind for a few weeks before a trip back to Chicago to see the family.

Before I head back to the midwest, I’ve decided to do 25 days of yoga, off of Jeff’s idea to do 25 days of running. I think this’ll help me get back into the swing of things after the crazy that was this past long weekend – crazy eating, crazy working on the blog, crazy decorating for the holiday! I started off tonight with a “Progressing to Headstand” class and even had Jeff help me out during partner-work, since our wall space is limited.

Are you guys doing anything to stave off holiday weight-gain/general tiredness now that there are holiday cookies about and the sun is going down so early?

This is a physical truth. This is not an opinion.

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The title of this post is something my yoga teacher said tonight about twists, and about using yoga to help in your physical self. It was slightly startling, because of how true it was: the physical benefits of poses are as true as any fact you’ve ever been told from a doctor.

I went to yoga to a class focused on opening up the shoulders/upper chest, combined with restorative poses. I have been exploring a lot of new yoga classes, and the ones I am taking now once a week are Iyengar yoga. This, combined with my recent foray into Drishti yoga has taken my practice deeper, allowing me to really trust my body’s strength and give it the muscle memory needed to perform certain poses.

My vinyasa flow has gotten more focused, and recent upperward dog has really clicked for me, as has chaturanga. I finally am focusing on every movement within a flow, not just the end game. I am understanding the connection between my shoulders, elbows, heels, and hips.

My teacher, Jay, consistently reminds us that we control our parts. Our bodies are controlled by us, and we can get our bodies to do things for us, to support us. This lesson has helped deepen my practice and has helped me to get toned as I venture to lose some weight to be a healthier me.

I love yoga because every class is about the current moment. Every moment spent on the mat is a moment for yourself, a moment for your body, your brain, your heart, your spirit. I love every class because I am constantly learning, and relearning, and revisiting, and really understanding how to ask my body (and mind) to do what I’d like them to do.

Yoga also clears my mind and relieves stress, and is such a good full body workout. It’s never a workout I dread. I don’t even really consider it a workout, but something necessary to my life, like eating and breathing and laughing. The more yoga I do, the happier I am. The more time I set aside for me, the better quality time I spend with others.

I’d love to hear about your yoga journeys as I progress in my own – what types of practices you have, how often, what you love and what you don’t, your favorite poses…not that we’re supposed to have favorites…

Namaste.