Day 49 of Yoga

Dec 16, 13 Day 49 of Yoga

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It is early in the morning. I am awake. One of the dogs woke me up and now I am enjoying writing–trying not to think about how tired I am going to be if I don’t get back to bed. I’ll go to yoga in a little while but for now, it is so quiet and peaceful that I am loving writing. Tomorrow is my 50th day of yoga in a row. It has been such a lovely journey. This week I finished Moksha Yoga studio’s 30 day challenge, but because I began a 21 day challenge that overlapped, tomorrow will be 50 days for me.  It has been fun to be on a shared journey with my new yoga friends. But now I feel like I am back on my own journey–isn’t exercise always a solitary journey? It seems I am always trying to find my way with exercise and peace in my soul. One of the best parts of this 50 days of yoga, is that for the last 49 days I have never felt guilty about not exercising. I haven’t felt like I “should” be doing something different. I have known what fitness I am doing and when every day. It has worked for me and has lightened the psychic load for me. My parents tithe financially, that is, they give a set amount each year to charity based on their income. I once asked my dad why they did it. He said, “I never have to wonder if I give enough.”  The idea of that is fascinating and I have experienced this 50 days of yoga with parallel peace of mind about exercise. I never have to wonder if I am doing enough. Knowing I am doing enough has illuminated some of the bad advice I sometimes get, too. I saw a kinesiologist who suggested I do some cardio. “But I do yoga every day,” I said, stunned. “Yes, but that is just stretching,” he replied. “Have you ever taken...

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After Day 28 of Yoga

Nov 25, 13 After Day 28 of Yoga

Posted by in Fitness

I have been doing yoga now for 28 days straight.  I started with a 21 day challenge and then signed up for a 30 day challenge that was starting near the end of my 21 days.   I just completed day 28 and thought I would give you an update about what is happening with me now. First and foremost, I have lost 7 pounds.  While the first part of the challenge was about tolerating the heat, now I can focus on diet, and I can make it through most of the physical parts of the yoga practice.  I have added in the Fast Metabolism Diet  and it is a great fit with the 30 day challenge. I am starting to feel muscles all over my body.  It is exciting to see muscles growing.  I am feeling peaceful toward my family and more in control of my life in spite of the huge time commitment of the challenge.  I am feeling more gentle with my family–more connected with Mel.  I have noticed that I am craving more time with the boys.   Getting up early to do yoga and my rush into the kitchen just in time to do lunches keeps me from morning snuggles in bed and getting them up and dressed.  Doing some afternoon classes might be a good idea but those times continually get sucked up by something else.  The early morning class is the one reason this is successful.  Nothing gets in the way of a 6:30 class.  I love that! I am now able to do most of the poses.  I feel strong and vibrant as I move from pose to pose and I am better and better able to participate in each one.  I hear the voices of the teachers from the previous days of classes in my head as I stretch into each pose trying to get each angle right, to stretch my body to make the best possible pose. I feel like it is happening.  I...

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