Blog Pose

Looks like Nik & I are better at doing yoga than we are at blogging. :) In case you've been reading, and in case you doubted our success at this challenge, I can say with conviction that we haven't failed!! We're 35 days in, and there have only been a few small bumps on our way to total success.

Things I've noticed:

- I need to start believing my arms are strong enough to hold me.
- I'm both afraid of and compelled by being upside down
- I'm more focused
- I'm calmer
- My insides are quieter

Now, I need to interject here. This "quieter, focused, calmer" thing -- well, you often hear yogis talking about this. Yoga teachers, especially. "Doing yoga regularly will help develop your sense of focus, concentration. You'll be more able to deal with whatever life throws at you... blah blah blah." What does this mean in real life? For me, it means the little voice that pops up when I'm nervous, out-of-my-element, or trying to figure something out and loud-whispers, "Wrong!" or "You're going to screw this up . . ." or "What if ________ happens!!??!!" -- it doesn't really go away, but I seem to be more able to convince it to shut up, or that it's wrong entirely. So, on with the list:

- I'm committed to doing a handstand within the next 5 years
- I believe I can keep trying for 5 years without getting too mad
- Singing mantra makes the body feel good
- Deep breath work helps me sing easier
- I've spent about 20 hours in the last month really examining the tops of my feet.
- I like the tops of my feet
- It's hard to find a good yoga mat. New yoga mats are slipperier, too, so it's hard to tell if your new mat is better than your old one.

I found a pod-cast (free) and Iphone app ($3.99): Elsie's Yoga Class. It's a yoga teacher who live-records some of her classes. It's truly like being at a class. This solved my problem of being very tired of my yoga Warrior Video with Sting's wife. Now, I have about 80 classes to choose from -- varying lengths, challenges, and focuses (foci?).

About twice a week, I've been going to Five Elements studio, which I mentioned earlier. Juliet is spiritual and nurturing and always able to put together a thoughtful class. I recently bought rose oil and aryuveda incense from her. She's teaching me about aruveyda principles and helping me love my life even more.

So, no more talk of failure! Yoga is going well. I haven't lost a lot of weight. I don't feel like I'm even that MUCH better at yoga than when we started. However, my clothes fit a bit differently and mostly, my mind is more stable. I can almost do half-moon pose. I still hate revolved triangle, but I keep trying.

So, yoga's either teaching me insanity (doing the same thing over and over with only slightly different results) or persistence.