I like the way that a month is such a compact, neat little package of time. It is not so tiny as to seem insignificant, nor so infinite as to seem unattainable. I can imagine myself doing something, consistently following through, for a month. It seems possible. And I've often heard that you can set the foundation of a habit if you can make it through the first month. I like that -- the sense that meaningful change is possible in my life, if only I can stick to my guns for this little package of…
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Added by Chris on July 3, 2009 at 7:29am —
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June has come to an end, and with it, Yogadiva's Sun Salutation and Meditation Challenge. This challenge involved starting each daily practice with the same number of sun salutations as the day of the month ... one sun salutation on the 1st, two on the second, and so on until you get to thirty on the 30th. Daily practices ended with half a minute of meditation for each day of the month, building to 15 minutes today, the last day of the month.
I actually completed* the challenge, and I feel grea…
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Added by Chris on June 30, 2009 at 4:48pm —
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Well, June is underway, and so is Yogadiva's June
Summer Sun Salutation and Meditation Challenge. I am really enjoying it so far. Yesterday was June 6th, so I did six Sun Salutations on the front end of my practice, and three minutes of meditation at the end. Later this evening, it'll be seven Sun Sals. And 30 SS / 15 minutes meditation by the end of the month? Sweet.
In the spirit of full disclosure,…
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Added by Chris on June 7, 2009 at 4:57pm —
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I was checking back in to WoYo after a looong time away, and Yogadiva's June
Summer Sun Salutation and Meditation Challenge caught my eye. The more I thought about it, the more psyched I got. This is perfect for me right now. My in-class yoga has been steady, but my home practice has become rather spotty. Nothing like a little challenge to get things going again! And the meditation aspect is cool, too.…
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Added by Chris on May 29, 2009 at 3:10pm —
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This afternoon was my first Tuesday class of the year. It is a gym power yoga class, and I love it dearly! This was the first yoga class I ever walked into, over a year ago. I still can remember my anxiety over whether I would fit in, whether I could keep up, whether this was right for me. And I sucked. But the teacher and students were so accepting, so encouraging, even complimentary in a "not bad for your first time" kind of way. I knew right then that I could do this, that yoga was going to b…
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Added by Chris on January 6, 2009 at 9:41pm —
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Two practices today! I did a shorter one when I woke up, and then went to my normal Monday class later in the day. I was happy to discover that the warming up and stretching from my home session seemed to carry over and make my class so much better. Right from the beginning, I felt more flexible and at ease, and most poses were deeper and more relaxed. All in all, a great yoga day.
In addition to daily yoga, I am trying to eat a little better this month. But I am an avid nibbler, so I have to b…
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Added by Chris on January 5, 2009 at 9:10pm —
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Well, it's 11:21 PM, and I just now wrapped up my practice for the day. My *intention* is to do my yoga first thing upon waking, really, but so many things conspired against me today! Warm bed. Too close to breakfast. Too soon after breakfast. Church. Lunch (too close, then too soon). Then, yard work - well, not really work ... I got a leaf blower as a gift and had great fun spraying my son with leaves, knocking his remote control airplane out of the sky, cleaning the street, and perhaps coincid…
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Added by Chris on January 4, 2009 at 9:42pm —
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I *do* intend to establish early morning as my regular home practice time (really, this time). To help this along, I've sort of decided to do yoga first thing, even on days when I know I'll be practicing again later in the day. I hope the consistent repetition of hopping from bed to mat will become habit after a few weeks.
So today, even though it's a class day, I got up early and headed down to the dungeon (aka my lovely practice space). But since it's a class day, I took it easy and put on a…
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Added by Chris on January 3, 2009 at 5:04pm —
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I woke a little early this morning and hit the mat around 5:30. I hope to make this my regular time for home practice -- before the workday begins and before my carefully planned schedule disintegrates into the normal daily chaos.
I'm going to have to get used to jumping out of bed and immediately getting active. I felt pretty stiff this morning, and my focus just wasn't with me on the mat. I'll give it a few more days and see what happens.
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Added by Chris on January 2, 2009 at 8:26pm —
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A successful start. I finally made it to the mat after dinner, and had a nice relaxed practice.
I'd gotten out of the habit of practicing at home for some reason, even though I really like home practice as a complement to classes. I enjoy having the freedom to choose poses for myself, as well as being able to take all the time I want in a pose to feel what I'm doing.
My practice consisted of few sequences I remember from class -- sun salutations, warrior sequence, and a balancing sequence.
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Added by Chris on January 1, 2009 at 7:06pm —
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So I've found a new use for my yoga mat! The other day, we were taking a carload of goodies to church for coffee hour, including several trays and platters that my wife put together. Often, these will slide around the back of the station wagon or van while in transit. This time, my mat was in the car from my last class, so I unrolled it, and presto ... a totally slip-free trip.
I feel like the Martha Stewart of yoga ... um, unless she herself already does yoga ... I have no clue.
Anyway, I am…
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Added by Chris on December 24, 2008 at 2:43pm —
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I had class with one of my yoga teachers today for the first time in a couple of weeks. She introduced the session by telling us that she would be doing modified versions of many poses, and no down dog, since she wasn't supposed to raise her right arm above her shoulder. Turns out she had strained her rotator cuff, and got a shot of some sort, and had to let things heal. Class went well anyway ... she's great. After class, we were curious about how it happened. Apparently, she was putting in a b…
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Added by Chris on August 4, 2008 at 7:55pm —
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I went back to the doctor for a follow-up visit for the lump I had on my back. The good news is that the infection was totally gone. The surprise was that this meant he could go back in and try to remove the source of the problem so it won't recur. So now I have a little bit bigger incision to heal, and I can't put pressure on, twist, stretch, or otherwise disturb my back for a while. I may have to modify my practice ;-) But this is a small problem that will be over soon, thankfully.
I think I'…
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Added by Chris on July 16, 2008 at 7:26pm —
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It finally happened! Today in my power yoga class, for the first time ever, I actually did *everything* the teacher asked without having to pause in child's pose to rest. After almost nine months of class ... I was so excited! Actually, I realized about halfway through that most of the toughest sequences were done, but I quickly banished that line of thought (didn't want to jinx it).
It may not happen again for a while, but for today, I feel great!
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Added by Chris on July 15, 2008 at 7:07pm —
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Well, I guess it had to happen at some point ... I spaced out my practice on Saturday. It was such a wonderful day, though! Shopping in *two* different hardware stores all morning -- maybe I DO like shopping. Then lunch at Red Lobster. This is not a usual place for me, but we've been watching "The Next Food Network Star", and contestant Kelsey made a…
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Added by Chris on July 14, 2008 at 4:59pm —
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I attend a power yoga class at my gym on Thursdays. Because the gym is small, only two yoga classes are offered each week. And because there are only two classes, both try to accommodate all levels, from first-timers through intermediate. Usually this works out fine, with the teacher demonstrating different levels for each pose, like plank with knees down as well as up, or triangle with hand on knee or shin as well as on mat, or cobra in place of up-dog in a flow series.
We had a few new studen…
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Added by Chris on July 13, 2008 at 6:39am —
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This evening I started a Chakra study at our local community center. Our teacher is offering this as a special 6 week summer session, with each week focused on one or two Chakras. I have been very excited about this class since it was first announced, since this teacher is into the spiritual and mental aspects of yoga. That is a side of things that I really don't know very much about, although I sense that there is a lot there to learn. My other classes have been geared more toward the "fitness"…
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Added by Chris on July 9, 2008 at 8:21pm —
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The other day I was practicing along with a YJ podcast with Jason Crandell. The practice felt really good, and I felt like I was finally living up to his suggestion to work "thoroughly, diligently, meticulously" through the poses, at least for this particular podcast. I finished feeling tired but refreshed at the same time, if that makes any sense.
Afterward, savasana was a special treat. As I focused on my breathing, I recalled something I heard somewhere ... to pause at the end of each out-br…
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Added by Chris on July 7, 2008 at 4:25pm —
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Practice tonight was 30 gentle minutes from a favorite DVD. The session was called "unwinding muscle tension", but the mental unwinding was really the best part. After a couple weeks of worry over being very uncomfortable with my back to the mat, the doc has sorted me out, I'm healing, and I'm relieved to be able to practice normally. I actually feel good laying on my back again -- yay! The best part of this is that I can get back to class next week, which I had been avoiding. I was pleasantly s…
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Added by Chris on July 3, 2008 at 10:26pm —
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You know it's been a bad day when you'd rather have the doctor cut a hole in you than go to yoga class. I had been ignoring this little lump on my back all month, but last week it got all big and red and angry. All of a sudden the yoga mat was not my friend (and savasana ... forget THAT torture). The sofa was not my friend. My comfy internet cruising chair ... nope. Not even bed. And July was coming!!!
I tried class yesterday, thinking that I would just skip anything involving my back to the ma…
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Added by Chris on July 1, 2008 at 7:37pm —
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