Some Like It Hot...

Some Don't.

So one of my loyal blog readers has pointed out that I have not been updating this regularly. I apologize. You can infer that on the days where I did not blog, I was not having a great yoga day. There have been some good days and some bad and I have missed 2 days (both yoga and the greens+). I made up for one of them by taking 2 classes this Tuesday and it encouraged me to keep going. Less than two weeks left of the challenge and I'm excited! So far I have learned that forcing myself to go to the studio on those days where I really don't want to go (and I usually end up getting there super late and am in a mad rush) really are those days that I feel so great when it's done and appreciate that I went.

Earlier this week I felt like I was cheating by opting for a relaxing 60 minute YIN class instead of an intense 90 minute Moksha (Yang) class. Tonight I again opted for the relaxing late night YIN class, and on day 18, I think I finally understand why I am doing this challenge. The teacher said something that really helped me. She said "don't go anywhere without your breath". She also told us to keep breathing inwards until you could feel it in your collar bone. For some reason, these two little tips were all I needed to hear to completely clear my mind and focus on my breath for the entire class. This is why I am doing yoga. I want to achieve this clear state of mind, where we can let go of thoughts from the past and thoughts about the future and just enjoy the moment. If I start thinking of something else, I try to remind myself "don't let this moment pass you by". Cliché, yes. But it works. Yoga is really about so much more than just the postures (asanas), it is about being connected to yourself and being mindful in everything that we do. So tonight when I mindfully reached for my water bottle, I was able to stay in a meditative state and not get distracted by the nice lululemon shirt that the girl in front of me was wearing or start thinking about what I was going to do when I got home and what I was going to cook for lunch tomorrow.

So my summary of the challenge so far is that 30 days of yoga is hard, but worth it. There is no need to push ourselves to the max and no need to punish ourselves for missing a day. We do what we can do and if we feel good, then it's worth it!

Stay tuned for more updates!
~A