30 DAYS OF BLISS... #3

I didn’t sleep well…Maybe I was excited for my first 6am class…??? It was easy getting up today. I think it has to do with the fact that I’m a morning person and I’ve never pushed the snooze button. The split second my alarm goes off I’ve jumped out of bed already. There actual times where I will wake up 5 seconds before my alarm goes off. The roads were wet and relatively empty so it made for a quick drive to the studio. There were only 10 people in class this am…still a little shocked with the amount of seriously dedicated yogi’s in Burlington. Just a quick question…have you ever been in Savasana and actually fell asleep only to be JOLTED awake with one of those falling dreams…ya…me neither. I’m also glad my stomach wasn’t the ONLY one making those funny “I’m hungry” noises. I guess when there’s only 10 people in the room, there’s a lot more of an echo. The instructor, Doug started us in plank…common…really?!?! GOOD MORNING ABS! Not only did we start in plank, we stayed there for a good 3 minutes. Moving to standing series we did a good series of high lunge, runners lunge and even the stretch I really needed, low lunge which my psoas thanked me for! This was a really great practice because we did a lot of the postures I felt I had been missing due to a different practice. We did my favorite, Trikonasana, Extended side angle and even a lunge with a prayer twist. I’m pretty sure I was smiling throughout the entire practice. I have to say being able to do Pigeon EVERY class is truly a highlight! Tomorrow and Friday will both be 6am classes so I’m ready and hopefully it will be this easy to get up EVERY day. I’m questioning why I’ve never done this before; I’m also reminding myself its ONLY day3. Have a SAFE and Happy Halloween everyone!

30 DAYS OF BLISS... #2

Today was hard since my body was feeling the effects of yesterday’s practice; especially my deltoids, a direct result of the chaturangas. Although I was tired and sore, I went and got through it…I mean this IS only day two. Again, late morning class and there were 30 people in it! Very impressive and GREAT energy! Today’s class made me miss my Hatha flows. While a Hatha practice I feel elongates my muscles with every posture because of the flow through different variations for each pose, Moksha uses more of your breath to hold the posture and really engage the muscle. After standing series all I wanted to do was a wide legged forward bend. Another noticeable attribute of the Moksha series is during my favorite pose Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or Pigeon pose. In a Hatha practice we keep the toes curled under of the foot that’s stretched out behind you for stability and protection. In Moksha the top of the foot is on the floor and the foot is stagnant. While in the pose as much as I know I’m supposed to be concentrating on my own body, I had to look around and Yup! I was the ONLY one with my toes curled under. I’m not saying Moksha is wrong for teaching it this way and I did give it a chance, but I personally know the benefits of the ways I was taught and will continue to curl the toes under as that feels best for me. One of the fantastic things I love about a Moksha practice as opposed to a Hatha practice in the mini Savasana’s after standing series (laying on your back and closing your eyes aka Corpse pose). These are exactly what I need to catch my breath, tune in and get myself and my abs ready for the crazy amounts of planks and dolphin planks we do each class class. Tomorrow will be my first 90 mins 6am class before work…This I feel will be the most challenging. #1 Getting out of a warm bed and #2 trying to stretch muscles first thing in the morning can be complicated.

30 DAYS OF BLISS... #1

I’ve decided to challenge myself! 30 days of yoga for 90 mins a day! The 90 minute part was not by choice…all the classes that I'm taking just happen to be that long. I don’t mind it though, because 60 minutes is way too short of a class for me personally and that’s only because in teacher training our yoga classes were 5 hours long…so you get it. The Moksha Yoga studio's usually have 30 day challenges but I JUST missed it. I'm looking at this as more of a positive sign because I really do need to do this on my own and I think that it makes it an even BIGGER challenge when your only support system is your mind. I know I can do this! I’ve decided to do this for many reasons. Not only do I miss yoga, but I miss the way my body and mind feel. I’ve unfortunately become “too busy” or since I’m being completely honest LAZY lately and I just can’t take it anymore. It’s gotten to a point where I feel LOST! I can’t describe the feeling, but I know when it happened and I know myself well enough to know how to get myself back! Not many people do, so I need to take advantage of this skill. That's it...I have 30 days to find myself again! If you noticed I haven’t blogged for quite some time…this is a complete result in loosing myself. I plan to blog EACH and every day throughout this challenge. Not only will this challenge my mind and spirit, but my body too. I haven’t done this much yoga in a year and I am craving it! Actually, I haven’t done THIS type of yoga (Moksha) in 6 years! This was the very first studio I went to and the very first yoga I ever tried. This yoga is what made me fall in love with the practice, the life, the feeling and everything that comes with it. Today was my first class. I was planning to start November 1st, but why wait? With this crazy storm, it’s hard to pass up an opportunity to be inside a room that’s 34 degrees. If you’ve never done yoga, or even Moksha yoga, here is a quick description. Moksha Yoga is a set series of about 40 poses done in a hot room. It was founded in Toronto, Canada in 2004 by yoga teachers Ted Grant and Jessica Robertson. Each class will contain most of the postures and will lead you through a standing series, floor series and will end in Savasana. My class today was from 1130am to 1pm and surprisingly there was about 28 of us…I swear no one works here in Burlington LOL! What I noticed most about my body was the loss of flexibility and strength in the most oddest of places. One, being my feet. During standing series and such poses as Warrior 3 and Dancers the arches of my feet became very sore and tired. Obviously I need to work on balance too. I haven’t lost any flexibility in my hip flexors or thighs which is a plus. What I missed most about hot yoga was the incredible feeling of sensitivity your body goes through during a practice. Everything is heightened and the smallest bead of sweat that rolls down your shin is felt by every nerve…OH and the SWEAT! I missed that SO much! I am very excited to see where I will be in 30 days, mind, body and spirit! Wish me luck…Thanks for following along!