New Year of Yoga
As promised, I started a new 30 days of yoga series for the new year. I’m also only like four days in. I know, I know, it’s over half way through the month, I should have done more than four days of yoga, but I’m doing it at least, and that’s what counts. No, it’s not every day like the challenge implies it should be, but I think I can actually get through all of it this year by going at my own pace.
The thing about last year’s yoga experience is that it was harsh. I know it was designed to push me, to challenge me and stretch my body and knowledge over the course of the month, but after awhile it kind of took the fun out of it. I was progressively less and less excited about getting on the mat each day. I resisted getting up as long as I could, and sometimes made excuses to put it off doing the yoga all together. It was especially hard on days when we had to get up and get ready. The videos weren’t a consistent length and there was no way of telling how much time I would need to do the yoga and get ready in the morning. And then I started falling behind. I didn’t know if I should keep with the videos or go ahead and do the day I was on. And then I fell further behind and started missing days in a row and, after about 20 days I just stopped all together. I didn’t get back on the mat for a long time after that.
I enjoyed the yoga, though. I like doing sun salutations and tree pose. I like the stretching and the soreness and the work, I just can’t handle it every day. So I’m hoping doing it at my own pace, when I find the time will help me keep into it through the full 30 videos. I know that this is relying on my own motivational skills, which are somewhat lacking, and I have a feeling the closer we get to moving the worse off I’ll be in terms of keeping up with it, but we’re going to try it this way and see how it goes. And thus far, it hasn’t been too bad.
Day one was a little rough and I was a little sore afterward, which I was only half expecting. Having not done yoga for many months it wasn’t quite as easy to get back to as I had anticipated. Once my mat was actually out, though, motivating myself to get on it became ten times easier. Funny how that works. That extra step of pulling out the mat and the towel to keep it in place and setting them both up made the whole thing seem munch more daunting but when I can just sit down and turn on the video it’s much easier. It took me a little longer than I would have liked to get to day two, but we got there and it was a little better. It was the ab/core stuff that got me. Apparently my core needs some work.
Days three and four were closer together with the end of last week and beginning of this week. Day four was comprised mostly of sun salutations which I really enjoy. It’s a flow that I can follow easily and know what to expect without looking at the video. One thing the instructor I’ve been following has been working on this year herself is guiding more with her words and less with the video so her viewers don’t have to try and watch the screen while in forward fold or downward dog or any other number of awkward positions. She’s been doing a good job thus far. If you’re looking for some home yoga videos to watch check out Yoga with Adriene, She’s pretty awesome.
I’m super excited about getting back into yoga, and hopefully keeping up with it, this year because I’m also hoping to get into rock climbing more this year as well and the two seem well suited for each other. I can build up my strength and flexibility on the mat and then use it on the wall. I had wanted to get more yoga in than I have before this Friday when I got climbing with some friends of mine. We’re going to a gym near-by that I’ve never been to, but have heard good things about. I’m excited to check it out. I’m hoping this can be a new hobby for my husband and me and I’m also hoping that it will motivate me to keep up with the yoga.
One of my big goals for the 30 days of yoga is to learn enough to be able to do it without the videos. I suspect it might be easier to get on the mat if I can listen to a podcast or something while I’m doing yoga so I don’t feel like I put everything on pause to do it. It’d be cool to be able to do yoga on my own like a big kid. I’m not sure if that’ll be a thing ever, but we’ll see. I know I tend to do better with instruction and I’ll probably still tend towards the yoga videos, but I’ve got to run out sometime, so best learn to do it myself while I can.
Still, I think the 30 days videos will keep me busy for a while. I’m hoping to get up to two or three videos a week, which is roughly every other day. I plan to get on the mat today, but that’s never a guarantee that it’ll happen. I also might take down the Christmas tree, finally and perhaps do some more packing. If I take down the tree I can get at the pictures behind it and pack them up. I have to find a box that’s big enough for the big frames. The one I picked first was perfect for the little ones, but not so good for the larger pictures. But now I’ve wandered off. Anyway, I’m liking the yoga thus far and hopefully I can keep it up more consistently from here on out. Have a lovely day, my friends.
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