I got back into the hot room today, as promised. It had only been 4 days since my last class, but it felt like forever. I was surprised at how good I felt in class. I didn't feel particularly strong, but I was able to push in new ways I've never been able to. My balance in half moon was so solid that I could get really deep into the posture and feel the stretch, which I normally don't.
The rest of my balance was pretty poor, however, especially in standing bow pulling pose. I keep pitching to the side in that pose, which I think has to do with (surprise, surprise) my hips being out of alignment. I worked on pushing my hips and abdomen flat today. It was a struggle, but struggle is good.
I have been getting that stupid hamstring pain in my left leg again in standing separate leg stretching. I talked to my instructor about it today after class and she suggested keeping my feet closer together to begin, pushing my weight into my toes, and getting my hands under my heels. I will try this tomorrow and see how it goes. It would be nice to actually be able to hold this pose instead of having to huff and puff out of it cause my hamstring is on fire.
Bow was pretty hard for me today, too. My spine felt really inflexible, which is probably due to not exercising it for a while. I also did a decent amount of running in my break from yoga, which I've really felt in my body. My biggest problem in that pose is keeping my weight balanced and my knees six inches apart. I also push the two sides up differently somehow, because one leg is always higher or closer in than the other.
Camel was magnificent. It was so cleansing to feel my beloved spine tingles again. It really is worth the entire class to get that feeling. The floor series is totally the best part of class for me. The standing series always knocks me around a lot. It's much more difficult for me, since a lot of balance is required and I'm not quite there yet. I feel like I get a lot more immediate physical benefit from the floor series, because I can feel the blood rushing through my body more.
Really, the most important thing about class today is that I got there and I completed it. I'm back, and it feels good. I'm taking class again tomorrow afternoon, in the name of staying dedicated to my practice.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Day 60: OK OK I KNOW, this took forever to write
So day 60 has come and gone, but I never wrote about it! Shame on me. I didn't skip the 60th day, in case you were wondering. Here is photo proof:
Day 60 was a tough one. I again took class with Joseph Encinia, and it was pretty much as hard as the one before. I recall feeling pretty out of sorts and maybe a little burned out. It was a pretty crazy mix of emotions when I finished. I may or may not have cried a little bit during final savasana. I got a t-shirt from the studio as a reward for finishing the challenge. It says: "I survived the Bikram Yoga challenge... and I got a new body, new mind, and new life." Best thing about said shirt? It's a size medium. I have never worn a size medium in my recollection. It's pretty close to my body, but it's definitely wearable. Success!
In other size-related news, I checked my scale and I lost around 12 pounds during the challenge. I didn't count calories at all. I found myself wanting to cook good food and eat small portions. It was as if suddenly, my food issues were gone. Gross foods I used to love suddenly were revolting to me.
In still more size-related news, I went clothes shopping (this one's for you, Jen) and was completely unsure of what size I wore so I had to try on a range of sizes to see where I was. It was actually kind of fun and I was astonished to find myself in the lowest size I've worn in my adult life. I dropped 2 sizes over the course of the 2-month challenge, and am now down a whopping 8 sizes since last Christmas. Additionally, I'm 3 band sizes smaller in my bra. Not much change in the cup yet. Sigh.
Since I was on a budget, I had to shop sensibly, but I got a faux leather jacket in hunter green, an awesome grey knit wrap that Jason says makes me look like a theater professor, a couple striped shirts (a go-to in my closet), a pair of fern green cargo pants, a pair of dark wash jeans, a sensible pair of black slacks (which I wore to my homeowner's association meeting last week), and a couple other smaller things. This was my reward to myself for completing the challenge! Jason took me to Spiral Diner as his reward, which was equally as awesome.
So what have I been up to since completing my challenge? A lot, but not a lot of yoga, unfortunately. I was on a big high during the last 15 days of the challenge and after it was over, I had an equally large crash. I felt like I didn't have a solid goal anymore and my attitude started nose-diving. I allowed myself to fall victim to excuses: "I have too much to do today to go to yoga," "it would be easier if I didn't have to drive out to Mockingbird," "I've got to get ready for my upcoming trip, it's okay to let yoga go on the back burner til I'm back." I took a day off, which melted into two. I took a weekend off, which melted into four days off. My food issues started creeping back and I started getting anxiety again. Last night hit and I decided it was time to cut the crap and be real with myself.
I think as we strive to achieve goals, there will always be plateaus. There will come a week where you just say yes to the short-term pleasures (i.e., being lazy on the couch) and say no to hard work. You'll eat more than you should at a meal, or get to class but don't push yourself as hard as you should. These things are almost certain to happen at some point and it's not inherently bad. It's how you push through these things and allow them to be the exception, not the habit, that determines your success. I'm human. I have bad weeks. But something Kasper said in the discussion a couple months ago (paraphrasing, yo) has come to me very recently that has made me re-commit to my practice: "When I do yoga, life is good. When I don't, it isn't. So I do yoga."
I'm going back tomorrow and I'm going every day until we leave for vacation on Saturday (2 weeks in Boston with my family AND I'm becoming an aunt - YAY!!!). On vacation, I am firmly holding myself to my original plan of practicing 3-4 times a week. If I need to get up early to fit it all in, I will do that. One of the things I like best about this practice is being a good role model, so to speak, for my parents. My mom was inspired by my hard work and has gone on her own weight loss journey, which I'm so incredibly proud of her for! I can't go home and allow a bad attitude to thwart their goals. I need to show them that we can all do it - get healthy, stay healthy, and be happy. I'm even going to work on my folks to come to yoga with me, which is going to be a huge struggle I'm not sure will end up bearing any fruit, but that I feel I should definitely try anyway.
I have felt such a negative change in my mood and body since taking a little breather on yoga, and it's been the kick I've needed to go back and recapture the goodness. Thankfully, it didn't take me all that long to figure this out, so I don't anticipate having that hard of a time falling back into it, though I do think tomorrow's class is going to be a doozy. I'll let you know how it goes!
Day 60 was a tough one. I again took class with Joseph Encinia, and it was pretty much as hard as the one before. I recall feeling pretty out of sorts and maybe a little burned out. It was a pretty crazy mix of emotions when I finished. I may or may not have cried a little bit during final savasana. I got a t-shirt from the studio as a reward for finishing the challenge. It says: "I survived the Bikram Yoga challenge... and I got a new body, new mind, and new life." Best thing about said shirt? It's a size medium. I have never worn a size medium in my recollection. It's pretty close to my body, but it's definitely wearable. Success!
In other size-related news, I checked my scale and I lost around 12 pounds during the challenge. I didn't count calories at all. I found myself wanting to cook good food and eat small portions. It was as if suddenly, my food issues were gone. Gross foods I used to love suddenly were revolting to me.
In still more size-related news, I went clothes shopping (this one's for you, Jen) and was completely unsure of what size I wore so I had to try on a range of sizes to see where I was. It was actually kind of fun and I was astonished to find myself in the lowest size I've worn in my adult life. I dropped 2 sizes over the course of the 2-month challenge, and am now down a whopping 8 sizes since last Christmas. Additionally, I'm 3 band sizes smaller in my bra. Not much change in the cup yet. Sigh.
Since I was on a budget, I had to shop sensibly, but I got a faux leather jacket in hunter green, an awesome grey knit wrap that Jason says makes me look like a theater professor, a couple striped shirts (a go-to in my closet), a pair of fern green cargo pants, a pair of dark wash jeans, a sensible pair of black slacks (which I wore to my homeowner's association meeting last week), and a couple other smaller things. This was my reward to myself for completing the challenge! Jason took me to Spiral Diner as his reward, which was equally as awesome.
So what have I been up to since completing my challenge? A lot, but not a lot of yoga, unfortunately. I was on a big high during the last 15 days of the challenge and after it was over, I had an equally large crash. I felt like I didn't have a solid goal anymore and my attitude started nose-diving. I allowed myself to fall victim to excuses: "I have too much to do today to go to yoga," "it would be easier if I didn't have to drive out to Mockingbird," "I've got to get ready for my upcoming trip, it's okay to let yoga go on the back burner til I'm back." I took a day off, which melted into two. I took a weekend off, which melted into four days off. My food issues started creeping back and I started getting anxiety again. Last night hit and I decided it was time to cut the crap and be real with myself.
I think as we strive to achieve goals, there will always be plateaus. There will come a week where you just say yes to the short-term pleasures (i.e., being lazy on the couch) and say no to hard work. You'll eat more than you should at a meal, or get to class but don't push yourself as hard as you should. These things are almost certain to happen at some point and it's not inherently bad. It's how you push through these things and allow them to be the exception, not the habit, that determines your success. I'm human. I have bad weeks. But something Kasper said in the discussion a couple months ago (paraphrasing, yo) has come to me very recently that has made me re-commit to my practice: "When I do yoga, life is good. When I don't, it isn't. So I do yoga."
I'm going back tomorrow and I'm going every day until we leave for vacation on Saturday (2 weeks in Boston with my family AND I'm becoming an aunt - YAY!!!). On vacation, I am firmly holding myself to my original plan of practicing 3-4 times a week. If I need to get up early to fit it all in, I will do that. One of the things I like best about this practice is being a good role model, so to speak, for my parents. My mom was inspired by my hard work and has gone on her own weight loss journey, which I'm so incredibly proud of her for! I can't go home and allow a bad attitude to thwart their goals. I need to show them that we can all do it - get healthy, stay healthy, and be happy. I'm even going to work on my folks to come to yoga with me, which is going to be a huge struggle I'm not sure will end up bearing any fruit, but that I feel I should definitely try anyway.
I have felt such a negative change in my mood and body since taking a little breather on yoga, and it's been the kick I've needed to go back and recapture the goodness. Thankfully, it didn't take me all that long to figure this out, so I don't anticipate having that hard of a time falling back into it, though I do think tomorrow's class is going to be a doozy. I'll let you know how it goes!
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