I actually lost sleep thinking about this last night! It's not that I thought I wouldn't be able to do it - I never think that, which means there's always an extra pressure. With all the other yoga DVDs, you can modify depending on how you feel on the day, but with this one, you either did it or you didn't. Pressure!
I felt fairly rubbish when I hit the mat too. The humid weather really affects me, especially when my hormones are doing their monthly thing, so I felt hot and a bit sick. Anyway, I began. It certainly took a while (as in the 36 SS) to get into the same rhythm as everyone in the DVD. It's pretty fast and you just jump right in.
I have to admit, I wasn't 'feeling it' to begin with. I was hoping for a harmonious flow but I felt a bit awkward and twingy. However, I happened to look up at the screen just as the music changed (around number 44). It's brilliantly composed and if it's meant to sound like angels singing, then the composer did a great job! Combined with this sudden, uplifting melody was a huge smile on Travis' face. He was just oozing enjoyment, gratitude, fun and encouragement all in one go and I suddenly wanted to cry! I found myself smiling along with him and my mood changed instantly - incredible. Just shows you what music and someone else's smile can do. The angels disappeared for a while as the music quietened down, but they made a welcome appearance again towards the end.
I can't say it was the fluid meditation I was hoping for but it still had a profound effect. I had such a weird day the rest of the day - so many ups and downs and, no, it wasn't just due to my hormones!
Roll on phase three!
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Day 71 - Woo hoo! I enjoyed 'Yin'!
Well, well. I actually enjoyed 'Yin' today! I think I know why too. It's a little bit to do with the fact that I'm more flexible now, but more to do with being better at meditating on a regular basis. I was able to just chill out today without my head filling with all sorts of worried, stressful thoughts. Progress!
I didn't feel like a run beforehand so just did a little mobility routine before I headed to my mat. I thought about going for a walk or run later but what with work and fetching my car (it's finally back!) I ran out of time. Ah well, I'll have lots of energy for my 72 Sun Salutations tomorrow morning!
The facebook group have reassured me that I will be fine and that the 72 are easier than the 36! We shall see - I'm sure that the extra meditation practice will come in handy again.
Namaste!
I didn't feel like a run beforehand so just did a little mobility routine before I headed to my mat. I thought about going for a walk or run later but what with work and fetching my car (it's finally back!) I ran out of time. Ah well, I'll have lots of energy for my 72 Sun Salutations tomorrow morning!
The facebook group have reassured me that I will be fine and that the 72 are easier than the 36! We shall see - I'm sure that the extra meditation practice will come in handy again.
Namaste!
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Day 70 - Much better today :)
Felt much better today. I started with 'Gentle' and it felt really good. You almost have to think about changing down a gear and then you start to feel the benefits. It felt so good to stretch!
I did some work while I waited for David to get back (my early client had cancelled) to go running. He was running late so by the time we'd driven to Clapham, it was midday and I was starving! We ran in the baking heat which was a challenge but I tried to remain in as meditative a state as possible which helped.
So, I didn't have 'breakfast' until 2pm - fruit, nuts and yoghurt (I know the yoghurt isn't part of the 'raw' but never mind...). I've since been doing more work - and had a shower too, obviously :).
Our new laptop has arrived. David is busy installing all the software that DOESN'T come with it. Such a rip off. He says it's good though. It looks slim and shiny which is where my appreciation starts and finishes. I expect I'll be swearing at it soon when it tries to second guess what I want to do and makes everything take twice as long. Yep, not such a fan of technology :).
Need to plan some client training sessions for later and then more chilled out yoga tomorrow - this time in the form of 'Yin'. Haven't done this one since the first phase so it'll be interesting. Might swim or run first as a warm up. Tomorrow will be hot again so I need to think up lots of reasons to be outside for most of the day!
Getting quite apprehensive about my 72 Sun Salutations on Friday. I'm going to do them early as this is my favourite time. Hopefully my arms will hold out as I haven't done any yogi push ups since Monday!
I did some work while I waited for David to get back (my early client had cancelled) to go running. He was running late so by the time we'd driven to Clapham, it was midday and I was starving! We ran in the baking heat which was a challenge but I tried to remain in as meditative a state as possible which helped.
So, I didn't have 'breakfast' until 2pm - fruit, nuts and yoghurt (I know the yoghurt isn't part of the 'raw' but never mind...). I've since been doing more work - and had a shower too, obviously :).
Our new laptop has arrived. David is busy installing all the software that DOESN'T come with it. Such a rip off. He says it's good though. It looks slim and shiny which is where my appreciation starts and finishes. I expect I'll be swearing at it soon when it tries to second guess what I want to do and makes everything take twice as long. Yep, not such a fan of technology :).
Need to plan some client training sessions for later and then more chilled out yoga tomorrow - this time in the form of 'Yin'. Haven't done this one since the first phase so it'll be interesting. Might swim or run first as a warm up. Tomorrow will be hot again so I need to think up lots of reasons to be outside for most of the day!
Getting quite apprehensive about my 72 Sun Salutations on Friday. I'm going to do them early as this is my favourite time. Hopefully my arms will hold out as I haven't done any yogi push ups since Monday!
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Day 69 - Out of sorts
I felt very out of sorts this morning. I was glad it was just Mountain Pose on the agenda and it actually made me feel more aligned - I felt very wonky when I started. Don't tell me I'm finally getting to grips with it?!
The rest of the day I felt exhausted for no reason - other than that it's almost "lady time" (as someone referred to it in the facebook group) and the weather was humid. That always drains me for some reason. I did a lot of proof reading on the pc which made me even more like a zombie and the brain fug only started to clear once I was traveling to my client this evening.
Both cats threw up today and Bo had problems with her 'other end' again. David has taken the scissors to the relevant area so that if and when there's a next time, it'll be easier to clean! I think they just have fur balls - they seem happy in themselves otherwise.
I'm not being very strict so far with the raw food detox, but I had fruit and nuts for breakfast, some raw veg and hummus for a snack and avocado salad this evening. No booze either, so not a bad effort. If I feel more myself tomorrow, I'll make sure I don't have any crisps (shared a bag with David earlier) or hot chocolate (drinking one now!).
'Gentle' yoga tomorrow which I'll do first thing and then I'll run later on - it's supposed to hit 27 degrees tomorrow AND Thursday!
The rest of the day I felt exhausted for no reason - other than that it's almost "lady time" (as someone referred to it in the facebook group) and the weather was humid. That always drains me for some reason. I did a lot of proof reading on the pc which made me even more like a zombie and the brain fug only started to clear once I was traveling to my client this evening.
Both cats threw up today and Bo had problems with her 'other end' again. David has taken the scissors to the relevant area so that if and when there's a next time, it'll be easier to clean! I think they just have fur balls - they seem happy in themselves otherwise.
I'm not being very strict so far with the raw food detox, but I had fruit and nuts for breakfast, some raw veg and hummus for a snack and avocado salad this evening. No booze either, so not a bad effort. If I feel more myself tomorrow, I'll make sure I don't have any crisps (shared a bag with David earlier) or hot chocolate (drinking one now!).
'Gentle' yoga tomorrow which I'll do first thing and then I'll run later on - it's supposed to hit 27 degrees tomorrow AND Thursday!
Monday, 2 September 2013
Day 68 - Booooo! Last 'Detox' session :(.
Last 'Detox' today :(. I'm so gonna miss this one, it just has something of everything and as Travis says, it is such a, "sweet flow".
I went swimming this morning. Still getting to grips with proper lane swimming and lane etiquette. David and I had the lane to ourselves a lot of the time but a bloke got in towards the end and spoiled our rhythm. I felt like I was in a race - it certainly pushed me, I was exhausted by the end! We did a mile which is what we usually aim for. My lower back felt it for a while because we haven't been for two weeks but it eased off.
Breakfast and work when I got back. I got quite a lot done and we're almost there with our latest project. I had a little nap in the afternoon (that swimming just knocked me out!) and then did my last - sniff - Detox session. My nose was a bit blocked from swimming but apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got David to film one of the flow sequences - some movements looked better than I thought they would, others I was more critical of. Very useful to see though.
It felt strange doing it in the afternoon. I definitely don't get the same feeling of 'unfolding' into the day when I practise in the afternoon. It doesn't feel so spiritual and I don't get the same sense of well-being flow through me like I do in the mornings. It just felt nice, that's all!
Poor little Bo threw up last night and then she managed to get a whole load of poo stuck in her fluff this morning - whilst I ate my breakfast too. Nice. David cleaned up the sick so I got the poo - think I came out worse in that deal. I think she's ok - cats tend to use throwing up as a regular detox rather than it being anything worse. I'll keep an eye on her.
This is my transition week so tomorrow I only have Mountain Pose which I'll do first thing. I've also eaten pretty clean today in preparation for my raw detox. There is a huge bottle of beer waiting in the fridge for me on Friday though :).
I went swimming this morning. Still getting to grips with proper lane swimming and lane etiquette. David and I had the lane to ourselves a lot of the time but a bloke got in towards the end and spoiled our rhythm. I felt like I was in a race - it certainly pushed me, I was exhausted by the end! We did a mile which is what we usually aim for. My lower back felt it for a while because we haven't been for two weeks but it eased off.
Breakfast and work when I got back. I got quite a lot done and we're almost there with our latest project. I had a little nap in the afternoon (that swimming just knocked me out!) and then did my last - sniff - Detox session. My nose was a bit blocked from swimming but apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got David to film one of the flow sequences - some movements looked better than I thought they would, others I was more critical of. Very useful to see though.
It felt strange doing it in the afternoon. I definitely don't get the same feeling of 'unfolding' into the day when I practise in the afternoon. It doesn't feel so spiritual and I don't get the same sense of well-being flow through me like I do in the mornings. It just felt nice, that's all!
Poor little Bo threw up last night and then she managed to get a whole load of poo stuck in her fluff this morning - whilst I ate my breakfast too. Nice. David cleaned up the sick so I got the poo - think I came out worse in that deal. I think she's ok - cats tend to use throwing up as a regular detox rather than it being anything worse. I'll keep an eye on her.
This is my transition week so tomorrow I only have Mountain Pose which I'll do first thing. I've also eaten pretty clean today in preparation for my raw detox. There is a huge bottle of beer waiting in the fridge for me on Friday though :).
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Day 67 - Last Flexibility went well!
Had a huge lie-in this morning after a night of indulging in pizza and wine. I felt surprisingly good when I got up though and went straight to my mat for the last Flexibility session of the programme.
I'm not sure why, but it felt really good today. The standing sequence didn't feel disjointed and I felt more flexible than last time. I can do a yogic squat but it's pretty precarious so can't do the extra twisting and tying my arms in knots. I realized too late that I could actually sit on my yoga block, which keeps my hips open in a comfortable position and I can then do the rest of the sequence. Oh well, I'm sure I will re-visit this one in the future and can play around with it some more then. I kind of want to conquer it - I still really want to be able to do the splits!
I will be doing hardCORE and some meditation later on - in between working at the pc ON A SUNDAY! Ah, the life of a self-employed person definitely has its bad points but the good sure outweighs the bad.
Next week will be a transition into the last phase of the programme. I'm looking forward to doing 'Cross Train' again and glad that 'Balance' remains in the rotation. I'm supposed to do three days of eating raw so I'll try and follow that as closely as possible. Tuesday-Thursday are very gentle yoga days so I need to think about what else I will do. Maybe I'll give my body a bit of a break...ok, who am I kidding, I know that I will run at least once. I will take it easy though.
Planning a swim in the morning and I also have 'Detox' on the schedule. I'd like to do it first thing but don't want to knacker my arms for swimming so might end up doing it later on. We'll see.
Back to work :(.
I'm not sure why, but it felt really good today. The standing sequence didn't feel disjointed and I felt more flexible than last time. I can do a yogic squat but it's pretty precarious so can't do the extra twisting and tying my arms in knots. I realized too late that I could actually sit on my yoga block, which keeps my hips open in a comfortable position and I can then do the rest of the sequence. Oh well, I'm sure I will re-visit this one in the future and can play around with it some more then. I kind of want to conquer it - I still really want to be able to do the splits!
I will be doing hardCORE and some meditation later on - in between working at the pc ON A SUNDAY! Ah, the life of a self-employed person definitely has its bad points but the good sure outweighs the bad.
Next week will be a transition into the last phase of the programme. I'm looking forward to doing 'Cross Train' again and glad that 'Balance' remains in the rotation. I'm supposed to do three days of eating raw so I'll try and follow that as closely as possible. Tuesday-Thursday are very gentle yoga days so I need to think about what else I will do. Maybe I'll give my body a bit of a break...ok, who am I kidding, I know that I will run at least once. I will take it easy though.
Planning a swim in the morning and I also have 'Detox' on the schedule. I'd like to do it first thing but don't want to knacker my arms for swimming so might end up doing it later on. We'll see.
Back to work :(.
Day 66 - Run and Strength :)
Felt a bit sluggish this morning but went out for a run, making sure I started slowly and my body gradually loosened up. The sun was shining - beautiful run!
Very sweaty when I got back so I applied plenty of climbing chalk to my hands and feet (which does make quite a mess but it's worth it) and got onto my mat for 'Strength'. It was very challenging as usual. I still can't complete the second forearm plank sequence but it's because I've just done a one arm side balance and my arms are saying, "enough!"
I'm trying to work out how much of it is in my mind. I've always done a lot of leg strength work and even though my legs feel challenged in this DVD, I somehow know that my legs can do it so keep going. I wonder if I just don't have the confidence in my arms and that makes me give up sooner...
Went into Bromley with David as he was meeting a new client there for a consultation. I sat and read some of the 'Bhagavad Gita' while I waited for him. It's quite deep and philosophical but if you are open to following the line of thought and seriously considering it, it begins to open up a new perspective.
I only did seven minutes of meditation but I did do fifteen minutes yesterday which was pretty good. I think I'm getting better!
Last 'Flexibility' session tomorrow - not too sad about that!
Very sweaty when I got back so I applied plenty of climbing chalk to my hands and feet (which does make quite a mess but it's worth it) and got onto my mat for 'Strength'. It was very challenging as usual. I still can't complete the second forearm plank sequence but it's because I've just done a one arm side balance and my arms are saying, "enough!"
I'm trying to work out how much of it is in my mind. I've always done a lot of leg strength work and even though my legs feel challenged in this DVD, I somehow know that my legs can do it so keep going. I wonder if I just don't have the confidence in my arms and that makes me give up sooner...
Went into Bromley with David as he was meeting a new client there for a consultation. I sat and read some of the 'Bhagavad Gita' while I waited for him. It's quite deep and philosophical but if you are open to following the line of thought and seriously considering it, it begins to open up a new perspective.
I only did seven minutes of meditation but I did do fifteen minutes yesterday which was pretty good. I think I'm getting better!
Last 'Flexibility' session tomorrow - not too sad about that!
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