31 Days of Yoga

So I'm not much of a bandwagon person, but when there is a good idea, I jump on it. Using Google Reader, I now follow about 70 blogs- not all of them are good, and I'm deleting some of them as I figure out they're not interesting to read. But one new one I found and like is Carrots and Cake she is doing a 31 Days of Yoga challenge. I've always wanted to like yoga, and most of the classes I've taken just haven't hooked me, most likely because I go once and then give up on them. So trying different classes, DVDs, online, etc for just 20 minutes a day sounds relatively easy and enjoyable. Especially trying out the Yoga Online free 20 minute audio classes. I can download them to iTunes and print out the pose guide to follow along. And I like the audio because they're pretty good at describing what the next pose is, and I'm not craning my neck to see the TV. I have tivoed Namaste Yoga from FitTV and it's porn with a yoga twist- soft music, closeups of scantily clad women in odd poses exerting themselves. The one I did on Sunday was almost too annoying to continue, mainly because I'm sweating and shaking and giving the stink eye to the models instead of concentrating on the yoga.


So it's March 3 and I've done three classes, and my favorite so far is the Gentle Hatha Yoga #1. I like the slower, more stretching and breathing yoga better at this point. I can feel the extra weight I've put on and the strength that I have lost since I stopped going to the gym, but at the same time, I'm working on the breathing and being okay with where I am. I have a mantra: "this is where I am right now and I'm okay," so when my mind starts yelling that I've let myself go, I was a lot stronger last year, why are my arms shaking, I hate downward dog, blah, blah, blah. I just repeat "this is where I am right now and I'm okay." That doesn't mean I want to stay here forever, I'd like to get stronger and fitter, more flexible and at peace, but hating is not the way to get there.

This is where I am right now and I'm okay.