End of Yoga challenge...

The 30 day hot yoga challenge is over. I completed 29 classes...and got sick at the end of the month! But, I've decided that 29 is a success. I feel much stronger and more flexible. My skin is softer and my excema is gone (from all the sweating!)
I think I'll come up with a new challenge for November. Then, maybe I'll continue with a new challenge each month...I'm not committing to that, but maybe. I don't like to say "I'm going to do ___ every month" because I like to change my mind and don't want to beat myself up about that. It's healthy to change your mind, keeps it interesting.

Namaste.

Sick today

I was pretty excited to be on track to finish the 30 day challenge tomorrow. I did a double yesterday and only needed to do 2 more...today and tommorrow at noon was the plan. This morning I woke up sick...I'll leave out the gorey details. I tried to rally and "feel better" to make it to noon class, but it just ain't happening. I'm bummed. I know I can still finish the challenge, but errgh.

Catch up!

Ok, so I took Sunday off too. I'm just not a morning yoga gal. So, this week I have some making up to do. Yesterday, Monday, I did a double, going to noon and 8:15pm classes. It went fine. I was pretty exhausted last night but it was hard to sleep because my muscles were sore. We did 300! crunches in the 8:15 class...a bit excessive if you ask me! "Hate me now, love me later." That's what the teacher said about it...we'll see about that love.
Only 5 classes to go to make it to 30!

Birthday Yoga Break!

It's my birthday..woohoo! I'm taking the day off of yoga. Was gonna attempt the 8am class but, as usual, my stomach is bothering me. So, now I'm on schedule to do whatever I want. I think I'll get dressed and go shopping. Dave (my husband) comes home from a trip out of town today!

One week to go!

Noon power hour. Felt good. New goal...get knot out of my butt. I've discovered that I hold my stress in my right butt cheek. Glen suggested massages & I'm already getting those. I'm going to stay after class for the next week and stay in pigeon pose for 10 minutes per side. I don't know why it won't let go, but I'm going to try my best to unhinge the dern thing.

Quad Killer is back

Day 22- Yep, sheeee's baaaack. DJ (which I learned today is actually Deejay) lead the noon power hour today. We stayed down in chairs, warrior 1 and warrior 2 till our little quads were screaming. OK, it wasn't as bad as when I took her class 2 days in a row... that hurt. The crowds seem to be dwindling, which is nice. Only 8 more sessions to go by Oct 31st, no problemo.

Tired nooner

After doing a "double" yesterday I was pretty tired. So, I did the noon power hour today. For the first time I positioned myself in the back row. It was nice to be kind of hidden. I also didn't have my contacts in so everything was nice and blurry. I've been working on trying to stretch out my hip/lower butt muscles, so I did a pigeon pose for ever. It felt nice. Since I've been out of class today I've been tired. I think I'll take a nap.

Days are blurring together...

Day 19 and 20- classes #18, 19, and 20- yesterday's noon hot yoga was hot and crowded. I felt good though. Today the class size was a lot smaller and it didn't seem as hot. I felt strong and concentrated on my breathing. Tonight I'm going to the 8:15 power class. I feel that I need to get a few doubles under my belt to insure that I finish this thing. I'm about 2/3 of the way done with the 30 day challenge and I can see how the interest could wane. If it wasn't for those shiny stars that we get to stick on the progress chart everytime, I don't know if I'd make it (50% kidding.)
My muscles (especially my butt!) are a bit tired from today's earlier class. We'll see how tonight goes. I'm going to go a little easy on myself.

Sittin' one out

Day 18- Saturday, early (8am) hot yoga class. It's just not my thing getting up that early to do yoga. I felt queasy and dizzy, probably due to low blood sugar...not sure. The class was packed! So, I guess I'm alone in feeling like this is too early. Glen was the teacher, he's my favorite. He just really explains everything well and sprinkles little stories and tips through class.

Day 19- Skipping! It's 7:26 am and I just can't get there today. My stomach is bothering me and the thought of that with another early morning class is too much for me today. I feel a little guilty because now I'll be down a day. I will have to do at least one double this week. But, you gotta do what you gotta do, so I'll stop beating myself up now.

Friday... going gray.

Day 16 of Hot Yoga challenge. Something about doing yoga every day is making me think differently. I feel more relaxed and ready to take on whatever comes my way. Gray hair...it's on the way. In the past I have from time to time thought about letting my natural hair color grow out but have never made it past the 1/2 inch mark or so. Now, I'm determined to grow out my color and I'm 99% sure it's all going to be gray. It's a scary thought and one that will be met with much resistance from family and friends. My mom often makes comments about how she will color her hair forever and how we (my sisters and I) can't go gray or we'll look older than her. Well, she is a cute little 72 year old who is in fantastic shape, but I'm pretty sure I will still look younger than her. When I mentioned my idea to my friend Sophia the other day, she said, "you won't do it." I do have a supporter though, my good friend and neighbor, Julie. She'll be there to help me the whole way through (she promises) and, even though she doesn't have a freakin' gray hair on her head, it's good to have a pal like her.
So, while I definitely notice the physical changes during this yoga challenge, I wasn't aware of the mental stuff I'd be going through. So far it's all good.

Flowers...how random

Not to change the subject (do blogs have to stick to one subject, because I'm fixin' to break that rule if it exsists), but I love to take pictures of flowers. Here are a couple.

Ooooh, yoga and a massage!

Class #15, I'm halfway done with the 30 day yoga challenge! Today's noon power hour was nice...there were less people than there have been lately. Somehow that makes it feel less hot. Our teacher was new, it was just her 2nd time teaching power yoga. She, Piper, was really good. I really don't know how the teachers do it. The room is close to 110 degrees and they have to keep their wits about them for an hour or an hour and a half while describing each pose in detail. Keeping your left and right sides straight in that heat! I can't even imagine. Some of the teachers even do the poses themselves WHILE they explain them to us. I really have a great respect for their abililities.
After class I came home and had a quick shower and then off to get a massage. It's only my 2nd one (I had one 2 weeks ago). It was great. My body is slowly deciding to give in and let her massage out the knots. I'm going to go back in 2 weeks. I think that the yoga challenge is helping with that too.

Doing a Double

Days 12 and 13 of challenge-
Yesterday, day 12, I decided to "do a double" and go to yoga twice. My schedule this coming week is a little complicated and I am planning ahead in case I need to skip a day. So, I went to noon power hour. It was pretty crowded, I'm thinking Fall brings in new people. During the summer the noon class was about 15 people strong, now it's probably 50. It seems like when it's crowded, it's hotter. But, I did fine and felt great after class. Then my friend Sophia and I went to the 815pm class, also a power hour. I was tired going in, but did pretty well. Afterward I felt refreshed, but still tired.
Remember, they claimed the 30 day challenge would "change your life"? The changes that I've noticed so far are: my skin is much nicer, softer, and the excema that I had on my fingers is gone. I've also gotten stronger. Now I can do a few pushups where before I couldn't do any!

Day 13, today. Now I've finished 14 classes, almost halfway done. Once again it was crowded. I had the same teacher today at noon that I had at the 815pm yesterday. So it felt like she kind of did the same moves this time...which wasn't bad, I just noticed it. The teacher, Marva, made us do an extra 45 crunches in honor of her 45th birthday. She does NOT look 45, so after class I asked her to be sure and she is!

A bump in the road

Day 11 of hot yoga challenge. Last night I decided to do the 8am class today (Sunday.) It was an hour and a half "regular" hot yoga class. Since I skipped yesterday I figured today would be a breeze. Wrong. About 2/3 through the class I started feeling queasy and dizzy and felt my mind begin to panic. It felt extra hot (although I think that was just in my head) and I had a hard time convincing my brain that I'd be fine. I sat out of a few poses, trying to regain my composure. By the end of class I was ready to dash out, slowing down to bend down when I felt so dizzy that I might pass out. Afterward I felt better pretty quick. I have decided that there are a couple of reasons why I had such a hard time. As the instructors often say, your body is different everyday. That alone could explain today. But, I feel like maybe my diet (including that yummy lemon drop from Gino's restaurant) or the fact that I got a flu shot yesterday may have been factors....who knows. Anyway, I survived and I'm ready to get back to noon power yoga tomorrow.

Day off??? Is that allowed?

It's Day 10 of 30 day hot yoga challenge. I don't know if I'm going to make it to class today! Fortunately, I'll still be on track. The challenge is 30 yoga sessions in 30 days. I've already done a "double" completing 2 classes in a day, last Wednesday. Originally I planned to do the challenge by only doing classes Monday through Friday and doubling a couple each week. Last weekend I did both Saturday and Sunday, so I'm good to go.



How does hot yoga really feel? It's hot. Duh. But, you can go into the heated room and enjoy it or hate it. To me the heat is now relaxing, kind of like a warm day at the beach. I've never been a huge fan of sweating, but it doesn't bother me at all during yoga. In fact, when I'm dripping I imagine the toxins just falling out of me. Some of the poses are uncomfortable, but the sequence is organized so as so stretch and strengthen every part of your body...and mind. That's the "regular" hot (or hatha) yoga class. Lately I've been doing mostly "power" yoga...a whole different ballgame.

The poses done in hot yoga were designed and organized over 30 years ago by a yogi named "Bikram." The same 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises are done during each class to this day.

So, power yoga is still hot...same room as regular hot yoga... but it doesn't follow Bikram's plan. It is a yoga flow type of class which is virtually constant movement. There is a focus on strength building including lots of ab work, back strengthening, and poses that tax larger muscles, like the quads. It feels almost like a combination of hot yoga and aerobics. It's hard. And, it's rewarding. In 9 days I'm already feeling stronger and can do a few pushups (we'll count tomorrow) where I couldn't do any before.

It's kickin' in now...

Day 9 of hot yoga challenge. I have done a hot yoga class each day from October 1 through today (the 9th) and I even did it twice on Wednesday! I figured that way I'd have some "cushion" in case I need to miss a day later in the month (but I'm not planning to miss any!)



The only really tough part in the first 7 days was committing to the schedule. Hot yoga classes are either 1 hour or 1 1/2 hour and it takes me half an hour to drive each way. Also, a shower is REQUIRED afterward since you look like you just climbed out of a sweat lake...no exaggeration. So, a minimum of a 2 hour commitment is needed for each class. Since I own my own business, and have a dedicated employee (thanks Valaree!), I have the opportunity to "sneak out" for the noon class each weekday. Other than the schedule, it just felt like I was doing a lot of yoga!



On day 8 I felt it. Our teacher on the 7th and 8th was DJ, a beautiful blonde who missed her calling as a drill seargent, instead choosing to "guide" us poor souls through our practice. I'm half kidding, and I'm sure on day 30 I'll be thanking DJ for my awesome quad muscles! For now, I'm sore. Usually I don't feel tired and sore after class, so I thought maybe I had just overdone it. (Ya think?)



On day 9 I was still feeling day 8 and getting worried. Would I be able to complete the challenge? My quads were crying out for rest. One reason I decided to try the challenge was the "it'll change your life" promise made by the studio director, Glen. Now I'm realizing that he wasn't clear about whether it would change your life for the better or worse! Hmmm...
Day 9s instructor, Liz, zoomed us through the class, and, thankfully, wasn't as focused on quads as DJ. My worries drifted away as the class came to an end....I think I'll be fine...just a road bump.

Hot Yoga 30 day Challenge

I started doing hot yoga in January this year. Hot yoga is yoga done in a studio that is heated to about 110 degrees and is uber humid. (I don't know the technical way to explain humidity, but uber is about how it feels!) As soon as I tried it, I loved it. An hour and a half of posing in positions that my body never thought it would attempt, and finding myself soaked with sweat about 15 minutes in... where is the love in that? Strangely, after my first class I felt as though I had just had a warm bath and a massage. I was both tired and energized. And, I was proud of myself for accomplishing what I thought I wouldn't be able to. I've talked friends and family into trying it too, and most of them have continued with me and on their own.
Each year (maybe twice) they have a 30 day challenge...30 yoga classes in 30 days. I had heard of it when I first started and thought, 'those people must be crazy!' Well, who's the crazy now? October is the "challenge" month. So, while I'm starting this journal about 1/3 through the challenge, I'll recap the whole thing.

Since I'm new to blogging, I'm not sure if I'll be snubbing blog etiquette by doing 3 blogs in one day, but I just want to get "caught up" and move on from here. So, my next blog will be the first in my "yoga challenge" journal.

Blog Virgin

Its my first blog. I know I'm a little late to the party, but I'm here now!
I'm jumping right in. My next post will be more interesting, you just wait.