Reality Yogi: Bummertown (A Lapse In Practice)

I don't want to be that blogger. You know, the one who just drops off the face of the planet after being REALLY amped about something. I feel like I AM not only that blogger, though, but I'm also that GIRL in real life. And I don't want to be her. 

So I need to follow-through.

The upside: I think my path of yoga is the first thing I've REALLY followed through on in a long time. I mean, let's face it, I can track this practice in my life with more consistency and detail then I can track much else in my life.
The downside: After writing almost as many blog entries in one month of 2012 as I did in ALL of 2011, I'm feeling pressured to keep it up. And this week I just haven't felt good. I've been outrunning a cold, and so outside of teaching, work, more teaching, and more work, and trying to stay caught up on my life (and all the while stay sane) I just haven't been able to make my practice a priority. First of all, pranayama is such an essential part of my practice, and I've just been so damn congested that I CAN'T freakin' breathe through my nose. Which is a royal pain in the ass when you're trying to rock some Ujjayi and Nadi Shodhana.

So instead of practicing yoga (outside of teaching all of my classes, and demonstrating quite a bit, which I guess for non-yoga people would be more yoga than they would ever do in a week - so maybe I'm being too hard on myself?) I've been trying to stay on my Weight Watchers plan and I've been drinking Airborne three times a day, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar 1 to 2 times a day, and 2 teaspoons of elderberry syrup 2 times a day. I've also been taking my multi-vitamin and 1000 mg vitamin C every day. And I feel like it's WORKING - I'm not getting any sicker, and I'm not FEELING bad, but I'm not getting rid of this congestion and cough.

All my remedies may never work, though, because I'm also wondering if it's not this CRAZY weather making my body go crazy. This is the mildest winter I have EVER experienced. And for as much as I have appreciated not having to try to drive down snow covered roads that have never, ever seen a plow (the road clearing situation where I live is RIDICULOUS) it's also making feel a little bit anxious.

So I'm heading into the weekend (my Aim True weeks run Monday-Sunday) and I've yet to do a single Kathryn Budig practice. Well, outside of that 15 minute shoulder practice on Monday. Yikes.

But this is the honest, authentic update - this is my reality, and I want to be a reality yogi more than anything.

Maybe tomorrow afternoon I'll be able to practice! I hope so!!

Shanti.

Update: I think I'm going to do a Level 1 Anusara practice with Tara Judelle. It's not part of the Aim True challenge, but it's just what I feel as though I NEED today. xo

Update #2: What I actually did on Friday afternoon was a Moderate/Vigorous online Kripalu class with my YTT teacher, Devarshi. Hit the spot. =)

Aim True - Day 13

Lord have mercy, I'm counting points again.

Yep, I bit the bullet and joined Weight Watchers online this week. I guess my aim really is starting to get a little more focused, and three weeks of solid yoga practice has me ready to make all sorts of little shifts and changes in my life.

I'm pretty good at eating healthy, whole foods. I eat lots of vegetables and whole grains and fish and such. But I'm not so good at portion control or saying no to mindless snacking, and I seem to have lost my touch when it comes to meal planning. I think it's because as of late my schedule has left me without a lot of time for actual meals, unless they are ready ahead of time, which has turned into me snacking all day between classes and working and then eating WAAAY too much at night. And this has left me not feeling my best.

So I've joined Weight Watchers for the 7 millionth time in my life, and I'm counting those pesky little points. Did you know that a Lara bar has six points?!? That's more than I would have expected. Tonight for dinner I had Kripalu Vegetarian Lentil Loaf and Millet Cauliflower Mash. (And some spinach and avocado! Yummy!) I dig that the WW program lets you enter entire recipes and then find out how many points are in each portion. (The Lentil Loaf has six points per serving and the Millet Cauliflower Mash has five points per serving, just in case you were curious!) I have mad respect for the fact that Weight Watchers assigns most fruits and vegetables ZERO points. As a big advocate of vegetables, I think this encourages people to eat more of them, and not bank their points for wine. (Who would THINK of something like that?!? ;)

Onto the yoga.


Heat and Fire Flow
Vinyasa Flow 
Level 2/3
Kathryn Budig

A 2/3 flow class sprinkled with arm balance and inversion goodness. Flow through a well rounded class with peaks of heat and fire the dive into the goodness of forward folds and a well deserved savasana. 

• Posted on YogaGlo on June 8, 2010, I took it for the first time today.
• 13/86 classes completed.
• 7/13 I had taken at least once before.
• Favorite Aim True practices so far:  

• Calm Your Monkey Mind and Master Hanumanasana
• Find the Connection to Your Core

Practice felt good tonight. Really good, in fact. I keep forgetting that I'm feeling better and stronger, and end up pleasantly surprised when the first few sun salutations feel like locking into something I know and understand and not like torture.

I even spent ten minutes after I finished the class practicing Ujjayi breath, and then I spent ten more minutes in seated meditation. My pranayama practice felt REALLY deep and cleansing.

So I'm starting the fourth week of 2012 feeling recommitted not just to my yoga practice but to a healthier lifestyle that honors my physical body. 

Onward!

Oh, October. I adore you.

Madeline. October, 2008. Autumn leaves on Middle Path!

I've been waking up in the BEST mood for the past few days. Even pre-espresso, I just feel GOOD. I feel excited. I feel light and twirly and clear-headed. I just figured out today that OF COURSE I'm waking up in the best mood, and of course I'm feeling generally fantastic all day, every day - IT'S OCTOBER! This is my very favorite month of the entire year. The weather is absolutely perfect: it's not hot, but it's not TOO cold - I can wear jeans and long sleeve shirts (preferably with thumb hooks - I really love thumb hooks) but still get away with my Teva sandals (at least sometimes!) The breeze is decadent and the leaves are starting to turn, the promise of their crunch under my feet in a few weeks a source of blissful anticipation, and it's great weather to do yoga outside, take long walks or drink lattes on the deck. It's also Holiday-Eve - the promise of Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the horizon but it's not stressful just yet. This really is the best month of the entire year, I'm quite sure. If I ever get married, I think I'd like to get married in October. =)

I'm also feeling good because the next three months are an incredible chance for me to really hone my teaching skills before I move back north in January. I am teaching a 90-minute group class at the YMCA on Saturday mornings, I have a few subbing dates set up during the week for another yoga teacher, I have two private sessions a week (and I'm hoping to add a few more - I've been having people sign up for my email list when I teach group classes, and soon I'm going to have a website set up where people can get more information on private sessions) and I lead a weekly meditation group on Wednesday evenings. Meanwhile I'm spending quality time with my beautiful sister (and forcing her to do Power Thought Cards with me every day! Ha!) and my adorable nieces (see photo!!) I've also made a few really close friends here whom I absolutely love spending time with. (For example, my friend Christi, who just started her own sewing business called Thread Head Designs - yes, the reference to the Grateful Dead is purposeful, she's THAT COOL, and also SO TALENTED!! Check her out!) I'm also doing a lot of cooking, reading, and even a little bit of writing. And did I mention that IT'S OCTOBER?!?

I think the best thing, though, is that even in my moments of NOT feeling *this* amazing, I have gotten a lot better at coming back to the breath to find peace in the present. The power of just one inhale and one exhale is sort of mind-blowing. Wanna try? Okay - this isn't a specific yoga breath, per se, but something I started doing even before YTT that I find extremely comforting. I've shared it with a few people who have also found it helpful, so I'll share it with the blog-world now: inhale actively to a count of five, and then continue to inhale passively (just allowing air to go in) as you continue counting to ten. Even if you feel like you have no more room in your lungs, just keep letting air come in. Then exhale actively for a count of five, and continue squeezing out the air as you continue counting to ten. Repeat as many times as needed. If you know Dirgha and Ujjayi breath, you can use them, but you don't have to know fancy-shmancy yoga pranayama, I promise. I do this all of the time when I can't sleep, or just when I feel really off-kilter mid-day and need to come HOME. Let me know if it works for you!

And once again....HAPPY OCTOBER! XOXO