Yoga Challenge: Reflection Essays – Carrots 'N' Cake

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 07:09 AM

Yoga Challenge: Reflection Essays

1. “Yoga is an ancient art based on a harmonizing system of development for the body, mind, and spirit.” As I took on Tina’s 31 Day’s of Yoga Challenge, I didn’t fully realize what I was getting myself into. As a runner/athlete I know how important stretching is, but what I didn’t know was that Yoga is not just about “stretching”. When I started the challenge I practiced for 20 minutes a day, every day for the first week. I came to realize how WEEK I truly was. I could barely hold any balancing poses, and caturanga push up’s,were nearly impossible. I was realizing that Yoga with time was going to help with my strength and balance,not just my flexibility. I began to light candles while doing my Yoga practice, and through this I felt peace and serenity. A calm that I needed to get through my day. I started to use my Yoga practice as a time to feed my soul and not just my body. I pushed through some harder positions, camel, half moon, and a head stand toward the end, things that I NEVER thought I would be able to do. My core has become so much stronger, and caturanga push up’s aren’t as difficult anymore. The practice of yoga has fed my body,mind and soul more then I could have ever known. I know now that Yoga isn’t just about stretching,it is about so much more and I am so glad that I have discovered what Yoga is for me in each of these 31 days.




2. In my first week of the challenge I remembered this phrase that a yoga instructor had always used during savasana to end each class. It made me feel empowered, joyous and incredibly proud of all that I had accomplished. I often cried during this point in the class and it always made me feel fantastic.

   It wasn’t until I started this challenge that I could really consider my practice of yoga a regular thing. I would sometimes take a yoga class or pull out a yoga DVD once or twice a month, but it was never a consistent item on my agenda. I saw Tina’s post about the challenge and thought that is something I would love to do. Yoga makes me feel good, so wouldn’t it make sense to make it a regular part of my life? In that first week of the challenge I remembered the above phrase and I knew I was in the right place. February had been a hectic month and taking just 20 or 30 minutes each day to practice lifted my spirits and made me feel lighter and less tense. In addition to feeling the emotional benefits of yoga, I also felt the physical effects of a daily practice. Poses started to come easier and I can see the progress I have made in the last month. My breathing has improved and has started to come more naturally. I’m incredibly proud that I did yoga 26/31 days and my body is thanking me for it!

   The ”I don’t have enough time” excuse is not real. Doing this challenge made me realize that I do have time in my life for a daily yoga practice. Taking that time for myself has become an integral part of my day and my well being, so I’m happy to set aside the 20+ minutes I need to practice. I’m looking forward to taking more classes and challenging myself with things like inversions and more advanced poses in the months to come. I am excited to take my daily practice beyond the month of March and employing it each day going forward in 2009.

   
   

3. Although my level of motivation and participation in the challenge has ebbed and flowed, I am proud of myself for practicing yoga for 30 of the past 31 days!  I recorded my practices on a wall calendar, and I must admit . . . that empty square still haunts me a little.  I remember that day, though, and know that there was no way yoga would have fit. HOWEVER, I have practiced 745 minutes of yoga this month, (nearly 12 1/2 hours,) averaging 24 minutes and a couple of seconds per day.  WOW!

   I have noticed improvements in my overall flexibility and general fitness, but I believe the greatest benefits I’ve reaped from this challenge have been emotional/spiritual.  I think the combination of focused, deep breathing and challenging body postures allow me to decompress in a way that is very beneficial to me. I have a high-stress job, (preschool teacher for low-income, high-needs children,) and often struggle turning work “off” when I get home.  Practicing yoga immediately after work has become a crucial part of my weeknight routine!  My evenings have been more relaxed, productive, and focused, and I seriously think I have been sleeping better, too! I am thankful I have developed a new habit – and I bet my chiropractor will be thankful, too!  (I have had chronic/severe back pain for many years, now – and I have been pain-free this entire month!  Woooo yoga!)

   I have always HATED “exercise,” although I love to be busy and active – I love to walk with friends, bike, and explore the wilderness, but have set foot in a “gym” literally less than five times my entire adult life.  I’ve discovered, thanks to this challenge, “exercise” that I actually enjoy!  No longer will the long, cold Minnesota winters be so lazy for me! With that said… bring on spring, and more yoga!




4. During the 31 day challenge I noticed that I really do enjoy and love Yoga but I also realized that I hate having to do something when I am not really up for it. At times, I was not in the mood to do it but I felt like I was letting myself down as well as everyone else doing the challenge so I pushed myself through it but I don’t think that was the purpose of the challenge. I am sure you wanted us to leave the challenge after 31 days, feeling refreshed and vibrant and not hating to hear the words “downward dog” one more time.

   Not to sound like a total “flower child” but I have to say that I have been more content since I started this, I am trying not to let the little things bother me as much and just be more at peace with myself.  I am definitely going to be more consistent with my Yoga practice and make it a point to do it more than just once a week.

   I have come a long way in these 31 days both mentally and physically and want to continue this journey. Who knows maybe my Yoga teacher was right and one day I will be doing head stands. Even if I don’t win the prize, I already gained so much!




5. Although I’ve practiced yoga daily, through this challenge I was able to find new Yoga sites, practices, and myself. I really liked trying new and challenging Yoga practices. In the previous days (before the challenge) I would do similar routine of same yoga moves. But because of the challenging and new yoga moves, I was able to concentrate on each pose. I concentrated on my breathing and balance. What I’ve noticed was that because of my focus on balance and breathing, my days seemed more relax. I’m usually rushed (or feel rushed to do my chores and daily activities) throughout the day. However, with this Yoga challenge, i think I was able to learn to appreciate my body and love my body. I’ve learned that I need to let myself relax and be calm. I need to live for myself and to enjoy every minute of my day. Time doesn’t come back (meaning time doesn’t stop) so I need to learn how to enjoy every minute that adds up as my “life”. Yoga helps me to balance in busy schedule. Namaste!




6. So for my challenge, I did ALL 20 minute yoga download classes. I did everyday but the 29th and 30th, I was sick.  This challenge introduced me to yoga, I had never done it before but was definitely curious. And I fell in love with it! Like a lot of people, I felt like I wasn’t getting a “true” workout unless I was doing cardio and drenched in sweat. For the first week of the challenge, I really didn’t feel like I was doing much, but one morning I was doing sit ups with my legs in the air and realized my thighs are so much more TONED than they were a week before! That was definitely encouraging, and made me want to continue and try more “power” yoga type classes. My goal for the second half of the challenge was to do longer sessions, but being gone from 6 am – 6pm every night made it really difficult to squeeze in with everything I have to do, so I stuck wtih the 20 minute sessions. After each session, especially the Hatha ones, I felt this great refreshed feeling that I have with cardio, but a different type of “refreshed”, if that makes sense! And the “power” in power yoga is perfect, because it really does make me feel powerful! 
    




7. I’m so glad for this challenge! Without it I wouldn’t be anywhere as relaxed as I am today and I wouldn’t have “discovered” yoga. I had tried yoga once or twice in the past but I wouldn’t stick to a consistent practice. It wasn’t my thing – or so I thought. Boy was I wrong!!!! In this last month I have loved the way yoga relaxes me and brings me down at the end of my day or energizes me in the morning. All that stretching and posing has also done wonders for my overall health. In the past I have had a consistently tight IT band that acts up when I try to run. No more! My IT band problem is literally gone. It’s amazing!!! I look forward to years of pain free running now. 31 Days of Yoga also forced me to stock up on yoga DVDs and they’re some of my best fitness purchases ever. Especially the Rodney Yee DVDs. The man is a master!!! All in all I guess you could say I loved 31 Days of Yoga – thanks for organizing it!
    




8. Before the yoga challenge, I didn’t think very highly of yoga.  I thought it was either too low impact to be of any use or too extreme to be feasible for ‘normal’ people.  I relied mostly on running to get my exercise high.  However, due to an injury, I had to cut back on my running this month, so I decided to focus more on yoga.  After experimenting with several types of yoga, I’ve learned that yoga offers something for everyone, and it can be as strenuous or relaxing as desired.  Yoga has replaced running as my source for endorphins.

   This month, I have watched a variety of yoga DVDs, attended about 8 ’real’ classes (of many styles of yoga), and listened to a variety of ’yogadownload.com‘ classes, all of which have helped me to feel comfortable with the numerous asanas.  I love to challenge myself with the asanas — working the edge.  As a result, over the month, I have seen amazing gains in my upper body and core strength.  My planks are more stable, my downward dog is greatly improved, my chatarungas are (mostly) devoid of shaking, and I have begun experimenting with poses that I once thought were impossible (like crow and handstand).  I love the ‘strong’ feeling that I get from yoga.

   Going forward, I definitely will continue to practice yoga.  Although my running injury is mostly healed, I won’t be abandoning my yoga practice for running (in fact, I may be abandoning my running so that I have more time for yoga ) I aspire to do a little yoga every day– and a lot some days I’m excited to see what my body is capable of achieving. 




9. Important lessons learned this month:

   • I do not have to run everyday, and I will not gain 20 lbs if I stop spending hours at the gym (I have not run in 30 days.  I CANNOT BELIEVE IT MYSELF).  Don’t overdo it girls (& boys).  Learn to love your body as it is truly a gift.
   • Yoga is an amazing workout, for the mind, body, & spirit.  I seriously feel like I am in the best shape of my life, and although I’m still kind of  crazy, I feel much more centered and balanced.
   • Yoga classes used to intimidate me as I could not do many of the poses due to my lack of flexibility and strength. I no longer feel this way, and I’m amazed at the changes in my body after just 30 days.  Stick with it folks, and I promise you’ll see improvements sooner than you expect.  It’s amazing what our bodies will do if you train them properly.  Just breathe – you’ll get there. 
   • Yoga works all of your muscles.  For the cardio junkie in me, I need to feel like I’ve gotten in a good workout for the day.  I need to move, and I love a good sweat fest!  I won’t lie; part of me was hoping I’d finish this month with more muscle definition and perhaps weighing a few pounds less.  Both happened, but sometime during the month, I began to care less and less about the physical gains.  Yes, I sweated and I worked hard,  but I got to spend 60 minutes flowing with my breath every day.  I tend to get so busy and caught up in my many to-do lists and projects. Those early  morning hours were some of the only times I felt truly present.

   
   

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