Image by myyogaonline via Flickr

I was going to post this last week but was out of town and didn’t have my stats with me…

The 40 day yoga challenge ended last week. How did I do?

I did 25 days before I got sidelined; first by my sore neck (during which time I did do a class), and then by a cold. Being sick sucks. My last class was on Tuesday February 9. On the 10th and 11th I was at chiropractor appointments. On Friday the 12th I woke up sick (though the sore throat began Thursday morning). Although the worst of it was over in a week, I still had the lingering exhaustion and cough for the remaining days.  I therefore consider the challenge that I did to be a 25 day challenge.

My progress in numbers was blogged on January 29 and February 4. “19 classes in 21 days” became 22 classes in 25 days. If that were one class per day (the “day of yoga” event was three classes on one day) it would translate to classes 80% of the time that I did the challenge. On day 12 I picked up some yoga DVDs and used it almost every morning until the virus hit.

By the end of the challenge, my challenge, I felt great. That last class I did felt fantastic even with a pain in the neck (I was gentle there). My chaturanga was strong.  Regarding the time I missed at the end: While I was sick I told a colleague that of all the reasons to “drop out”, I’m glad it was because I was sick and not because I’d lost interest or momentum.

Yesterday afternoon I returned to town after a week away. I look forward to getting back to class this weekend and possibly a session tomorrow morning. In theory I wanted to get up early and do my own yoga with the backdrop of the Los Altos hills. In practice it didn’t happen. The getting up early part did, but I imagined yoga at sunrise and that I slept through.

The plan is to continue classes at least three times a week and keep up the morning DVD sessions. I also look forward to the next 30 day challenge.

I printed out the schedule for my studios today and am disappointed that my Tuesday 8am class is no longer. People asked for it – later than 6:30am but still before work – but then didn’t show up. Sad. There’s also a class that was on Sundays that I intended to try but hadn’t and now it’s too late. Yes, I need to show up and get others to show up. Alas.

Onward.

Week four started well. This month one of my studios began running a new class on Saturday afternoons. I went and quite enjoyed it. I’ve found my new regular Saturday afternoon class. I went to a class on Sunday at my usual Sunday spot. On the way in a woman wearing a Margarita Activewear outfit started chatting with me, seeing that I was carrying my yoga mat and was donning Margarita from headband to pants. I’m always enthusiastic to talk about Margarita and to someone who’s already a customer. It’s like a secret club, one which I wish everyone new about and would join (the next time my sister googles her company she’s going to find this, I know it, and so I wave to her – my mother occasionally reads my blog anyhow).

On Monday, I woke up unable to tilt my neck to the left. I did a DVD yoga session on Monday morning before work, then went for a massage on Monday evening (I had a gift certificate). My neck didn’t get better. As I suspected, it wasn’t a muscular thing. On Tuesday morning I went to an 8am yoga class before work. I monitored my neck, was gentle on it, had a good class. I really enjoy 8am classes. They’re not too early like 6:30 classes and I still make it to work for 9:30/9:45. Why is 9-5 the standard work day anyway? I wish more studios would do 8am classes and that this studio held them more than once a week. I was told that people asked for a pre-work class that wasn’t as early as 6:30 so the time slot was implemented but then people didn’t show up. Without enough students (I was one of three this week, one of two or three another time) it doesn’t make sense to hold more. Sad. I wish that when people asked for something they’d use it rather than taking for granted. Anyhow…

The pain in my neck increased throughout the day and I made an appointment to see my chiropractor the following morning. I had dinner plans on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday morning I went to the chiropractor who adjusted me and told me to return either that evening or the next day. I had plans that evening – a film screening at Meghan’s that I will blog about this weekend – so I made an appointment to return to the chiropractor this morning. One of my co-workers said that if I needed anything just asked. It occurred to me to acquire a bell and start making outlandish demands.

I felt my neck release twice yesterday evening: Once on the bus on the way to Meghan’s, and then while lying on my chiropractic foam wedge (looks similar to this one) my right shoulder released a little. Still, I returned this morning with less pain and more range of motion.  Now still, less pain and more range of motion but I’m not back to normal yet. I also woke up this morning with a sore throat and during the day got a strange feeling in the past of my nose, the ominous feeling that means that you’re about to get sick unless you do something now (and even then it might sneak by).

If you’re keeping score on my yoga activities: Friday began week 4. Between classes and DVDs I practiced yoga daily from Friday to Tuesday but the neck injury has sidelined me since. It came out of no where. It’s as if I “slept funny”, although I recently attended a Feldenkrais session in which we were told that there’s no such thing; One’s body is supposed to be able to compensate. So my body and/or my subconscious is admonishing me for something. I need to listen and figure it out.

Maybe this isn’t a bad thing. Small set back. Back on the wedge soon before bed (I didn’t use it on Monday or Tuesday out of fear of hurt and although I’m supposed to use it twice daily, 10 minutes per session I shortened the duration last night), a DVD yoga session tomorrow morning, then I’ll try to resume class sessions on the weekend (if I’m not sick).

11 more days to go until the challenge officially ends. Nearly two weeks. I don’t think I’ll do anything differently after that. I’ve got to keep being “yogafied”.

[Update Friday morning: The cold has lightly hit. So far this morning I've taken oil of oregano, Cold-FX, and Thieves essential oil blend. Oil of oregano and Thieves have strong anti-viral and antibacterial properties.]

Update #2: I just found a note that I wrote Tuesday afternoon about that morning’s yoga class. I’d originally intended to reference it in the next yoga blog post:

Tuesday Febuary 9, 8am Yin/Yang class:

First thing in the morning, the heat felt great. My chatturanga felt controlled. I noticed a distinctive difference between postures done on my left, and moves done on my right. In some postures the left felt strong and/or more balance, in others it was the right. In my half moon (?) pose, the only balancing pose, I managed to be in it even momentarily. I felt fantastic during class and after except for the knot in my head that’s been there for 2 days. (Massage therapy didn’t help. It might require a chiropractor to work on it.)

Afternoon: Feeling sleepy.

So there you go.

Be well.

Did that get you singing Bon Jovi in your head and wanting to head bang?

3 weeks complete. 21 days. Half way through the challenge.

That went fast.

I tried two new studios this week. On my way back to the office from the studio that I tried yesterday I remembered having read negative comments about the place in a local blog. I remembered this around the time that I was analyzing the experience in my mind.  I’d already realized what was wrong with the place. What I noticed was basically what I’d read. The small size of the studios and change rooms, for example. I took a mid-day class and left thinking, “I wouldn’t want to come here after work when it’s busy.” The studio had 6 people in it but I think that 15-20 would be the max. There are two women’s change rooms, the second being a converted storage closet. I wonder if complaints resulted in an overflow change room. I also noticed that it was a dry heat. I sweated differently. Someone mentioned this online as well. All the other yoga studios rely on humidity. I’ll go back, but only during the work day when I really want a class near the office.

The other new studio I went to was quite nice. I went with a colleague. We took “team building” to a whole new level. Two words: communal shower. No stall, no curtains. Apparently this studio’s windows make early morning classes beautiful with sunrise.

On Sunday I did a “Day of yoga” benefit. Three classes of various styles. Interesting. I was taken out of my comfort zone, which I always appreciate.

In last Friday’s blog entry I said, “I’ve gone to class 10 times out of 14 days”. Well, now I’ve only missed 5 days of classes in 21 days. This week there’s only been one day that I haven’t gone to a class, but I’ve been doing a morning sessions – 25 minutes or so – to DVD every morning.  With 3 classes on Sunday, I’m almost ahead. 19 classes in 21 days, + DVD sessions (+ 4 this week). With DVD sessions, I am ahead.

On my way back to the office after a class yesterday it occurred to me that I’d done two sessions of yoga that day and it wasn’t even 3pm. Two sessions of yoga sounds crazy. It doesn’t feel crazy having done it, but if someone else said that they’d done it I’d think they were nuts. Even though I did a half hour this morning I was still craving a class during the day. Thursdays are usually my day off because of the schedules. I’m really looking forward to trying a new class on Saturday. I want heat. I want movement. I want adjustment. I want relaxation.

How do I feel three weeks in?

I’m proud of myself for having the discipline. For not having an “all or nothing” attitude. For forming the habit. For taking the time. For making it part of my life.

My balance comes and goes. Last Saturday my “dancer’s post” was almost a “crying dancer” – which doesn’t actually exist – as I almost cried in frustration. I reminded myself that every practice is new. Let this one go. Next time will be a new experience. Earlier this week I decide not to sweat it (no pun intended). If I fall out of a pose so be it. It’s annoying but I can’t be hard on myself. Some days my balance is fine, some days it’s bad, some days it’s in between.

As I build balance I build strength of body and mind. I used to weight lift. I was strong. I’ve lost a lot of that physical and mental strength. With weight training it was appropriate to be competitive with myself. To push. To use negative self talk as a motivator. My inner voice was like a drill sergeant.  It doesn’t work that way in yoga.

I’m receptive to the experience and look forward to where it carries me.

This narrative blog posting format isn’t working for me. It’s starting to look like I’m reviewing studios and classes, which wasn’t intended. I feel uncomfortable even mentioning the studios by name, more so critiquing them. I wasn’t sure what form my blogging would take, but I think I need to talk more about how the process is affecting me while also maintaining it as a log.

Friday January 22, Day 8:
My back was sore on Thursday and more so on Friday. I think it was a result of backbends during Wednesday’s class. Took a restorative class at a studio that I’d never done the class at before. Hoped it would release my back, I don’t l know if it had any affect.

Saturday January 23, Day 9:
Thank you, TTC, for making me miss class. Leaving home at 4:25 should have given me enough time to arrive at the studio, sign in, change and lie down for a few minutes before the start of class. At 5:45 I was still waiting for a streetcar and decided to turn around. Just as I did, a streetcar came my way but I continued the walk home. It takes 20 minutes to get to the studio. Waiting past 4:40 was pointless and I didn’t want to get to the studio just to have to turn around. Meanwhile, three streetcars went the other way.

Alas, I can do a routine at home. Some sun salutations, some downward dog flows, some warrior poses. I might pick up a yoga DVD in the near future.  I generally avoid them because I like personal instruction and adjustments, and besides, I know poses and sequences. A DVD is an option to help with the practice.  I’m considering buying a couple of blocks and a bolster,  even though I can improvise somewhat with pillows and don’t really need props.

Does anyone have recommendations for yoga DVDs?

So how is yoga affecting me?

I still lack balance, flexibility and coordination. My toppling tree topples every which way. I fall out of eagle pose. My tree pose is unstable, more like “tree in a tornado”. I lose control of my limbs.  I’m hopeful that this will change.

Yesterday morning I felt content. Happy. Peaceful. Same thing this morning. I feel good and I feel that I look good (not that I usually look bad). I wonder if it’s the yoga giving me that peace. Tomorrow is day 10, which means 30 days to go. Most yoga studio challenges are 30 days.

I promise I’ll blog about food again.

The first week’s done! How did I do?

Tuesday January 19, Day 5

This is the one day that I didn’t make it. I originally planned to take a one hour class at 8:15pm but didn’t want to be out that late because I was tired. Beyond that it was a combination of finding a class that I was comfortable taking – so level 2 vinyasa was out as was a 75 minute class – and one that wasn’t too late. I made it to a class four days in a row, though.

Wednesday January 20, Day 6, IAM Yoga

Had a lovely Yin Meditation class. A lot of stretching on the floor and holding of stretches. A lot of releasing. The “meditation” at the end wasn’t much of one (it was one of those focus on this part of your body, then that one – bottom up – meditations that I don’t feel count as such), but it didn’t matter because it was such a small component of an otherwise useful class. After class I grabbed some food and drink with the studio owner and had some nice conversation. It was after midnight when I left the bar. As I walked to the subway I strongly missed living in my old apartment, which was right there. I considered the possibility that I wouldn’t make it to a class today, and the thought that this was the result of being tired because I was out late with a yoga studio owner amused me a little.

Thursday January 21, Day 7 (today), Kula
Got out of work too late to make the intended 5:00 and Moksha’s Thursday evening schedule doesn’t appeal to me. Consulting the schedules on my cubicle wall and rechecking online the schedules for some other studios, I chose to take the 6:30 hothour class at Kula. It was my first visit to this studio. A few observations: I noticed that I didn’t begin sweating immediately. Eventually I was, but it was still noticeably less hot than the studios I’m used to. At one point the teacher walked to the part of the room that I was in, the back by the windows, and observed that it was really hot. “Really hot”? That’s “warm” in other comparison to the other studios. I actually checked the thermostat after class and saw that it was set to 36°C (I’ve been told that IAM’s goes to 40°, Moksha Uptown’s between 100-104°F, so 38-40°C) . The temperature suited me fine.

I can’t decide what I thought of the class itself. It was different than the other two studios, more like classes that I’ve attended at non-hot studios. It’s not my studio of choice so far but I am going tomorrow for a non-hot class. Yesterday we talked about change room size and how you don’t want people bumping into each other while changing. “Bumping” is exactly what was happening at Kula. Every few seconds – and I could be misjudging but not deliberately exaggerating – I heard “I’m sorry”…”sorry” or said it as women tried to squeeze by one another, doing their thing with little room to move. There seems to be a choreography required in getting people out from one class and getting people in for the next and a small change room does not make for an efficient changeover. I guess they make do and studio owners have to work within their square footage restrictions. It’s a busy place. Mostly university students, it seems.

So…

7 days, 6 classes. Not bad. I had no intention of going to classes every day for 40 days. Life happens. I figured that if I did 5 or 6 classes per week I’d be good. People that I suggested the challenge to were reluctant, fixated on the number of days, as if daily practice – in a class – is mandatory for success. The idea is to incorporate yoga into your daily life. Carve out some time. Even if it’s just a matter of sitting quietly for a few minutes in a meditation (or pseudo-meditation) or doing a few yoga poses or stretches. I figure that stressing about not being able to make it to a yoga class is the antithesis of yoga. Stressing out about yoga certainly isn’t yoga. Allowing yourself the freedom to do what you need to do, being patient with yourself, yet maintaining the discipline for the majority of time in order to have that “you” time, that’s yoga.

7 days down, 33 to go. My grippy Yogitoes towel is getting slippery on the top side. Could be a sign that it needs to see laundry again.

Tomorrow begins week 2.

Sunday January 17, Day 3, Moksha Yoga

I’ve taken yoga classes all over and I’ve learned what I like in an instructor and what I don’t. Often liking or not liking an instructor a matter of taste- their style, their voice, their tone of voice. At the last gym I belonged to there was one instructor that I couldn’t stand. Her voice was very slow and low. Sometimes it seemed like she was affecting what she thought a “soothing” voice should be. Instead, it grated on me. During class with her (and I can’t remember if I took one with her or two) I had to resist bolting from the room when she encouraged, “Make the pose feel delicious!” My inner dialogue went something like,

“That it. I’m out of here.”
“You can’t leave during yoga. It’s un-yoga-like.”

The word delicious, applied to a yoga posture, seemed wrong. It seemed kind of gross. Void of meaning. Out there. The invisible restraints, the ones in my mind, came out. I share this story on occasion. Sometimes it’s to illustrate how I feel about various yoga voices. In the past, when I was still a gym member, I told it to people who were considering her class. Some people liked her.

I share this story now because yesterday in my restorative class while doing some relaxing pose or another I thought, “This pose feels delicious.” and then kind of felt strange about the descriptor because of that previous experience. In this instance, here’s what “delicious” meant: It felt good. Nourishing. Melty. My body and spirit were content. I’ve now taken two restorative classes at this studio. Two different instructors. Both completely different classes, both wonderful. After yesterday’s class I felt great. Relaxed, contented. Instead of rushing home I sat in a coffee shop reading a magazine and chilled out. Sitting and reading in coffee shops is something I enjoy but tend to forget to do. Instead I tether myself to my laptop.

Restorative yoga is a wonderful thing. I consider it “active rest”. It’s passive stretching, but stretching nonetheless. It’s showing up. You just kind of chill out in the pose.

Monday January 18, Day 4, IAM Yoga (Hatha class)

The opposite of “chilling out”? Whatever the heck today was. There’s hot yoga, then there’s what I now understand “hotter than Hades” means.  The Moksha studio is kept between 38 & 40 degrees Celcius (100-104F). I don’t know what the IAM studio was today but it felt hotter, unbearably so (and I like hot yoga!). My fingers pruned a little. My fingers have never pruned in a class! I left the room again. My form had been sloppy. I’d been taking time outs. Popular consensus today was that the room was hotter than usual. I heard that recently the temperature’s been increased. This will make for an interesting 40 days, especially as I try to do as many classes at that studio as is convenient.

As I’ve said before, showing up is part of the battle.

Scheduling this week is kind of tricky. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do a Wednesday class because of an evening meeting. 6:30am classes are NOT an option. Lunch time classes might be.

I guess that scheduling is part of the challenge.

Ending on a short food note

I made steel cut oats in the slow cooker overnight last night with great results, using Alton Brown’s recipe with a little modification. Using his proportions but replacing half-and-half with table cream (recipe leftover from the weekend), I also omitted the cranberries and used the golden berries that I’d wanted to use up for awhile but needed to find a good use for.  They’re usually too tart for my taste but cooked overnight in liquid they plumped up and became juicy, their tartness slightly cut. Some goji berries were also in the mix, with dried fig and dried banana pieces. The best part of steel cut oats made in the slow cooker is the crust around the edge of the pot. Remembering the tendency for oats to stick (I can be taught, huzzah!) I sprayed the vessel with non-stick spray before use. Tasty, tasty stuff.

Until next time…