31 Days of Power Yoga is back on!

March didn't pan out (what with being out of commission for 4 days, and then some other factors), but I'm happy to say May is on!

I'm still 100% committed to doing 31 straight days of power yoga, and since April only has 30 days, May it is!

I did my Baron Baptiste Putting Posture to your Prayers audio CD at home Saturday and Sunday, and already I feel great. I'm really making progress in "removing blocks" and my back is starting to straight out for the first time in probably 10 years.

I'll stick with my original plan to go to Baptiste Power Yoga studio in Brookline Tuesdays and the rest of the nights I'll do the audio CD at home to save on time and money.

However, I bought a Groupon for one month of unlimited yoga at a studio near my work, so I think this may be the month to activate it. The Groupon was $50, so I need to go just 5 times this month to really make it worth it. Going to a yoga studio will really help keep me motivated.

Wish me luck! I'm feeling very good about my 31 days of power yoga the second time around :)

Doctor's Visit Put a Kink in My Plans

So...I've had to take several days off thanks to a visit to the doctor's office (nothing serious- just a routine procedure, but unfortunately I have some stitches I have to be careful with). Stitches come out Thursday morning and then I'll be back in business! Actually, might make an attempt to do yoga tonight at home. Elizabeth's going to the studio without me, and I'm very tempted to go, but I'd hate to get all the way to Brookline and then realize I can't do yoga without ripping my stitches out.

Wish me luck tonight!

I absolutely want to commit to my 31 Days of Power Yoga, so I'm debating doubling up on weekend days to make up for my missed days. Thoughts? Another option I'm considering is doing regular yoga (but not necessarily every day) up until my birthday on March 28th, and then starting 31 Days of Power Yoga on my birthday. That would be equally symbolic- doing yoga for the first 31 days of being an old lady ;)

Getting More Flexible Every Day

Day 3- I decided to eat dinner first since I was starving when I got home at 7:00. Eating before doing yoga is not the best idea, but I've found that really only applies to doing it in a heated room. What happens if you do? You get a little queasy. Not such a fun feeling if you're in a packed studio with no easy escape route. Good news- it always passes if you just ease up on your intensity for a minute.

I'm already starting to feel more flexible and feel the stiffness in my spine go away. As yoga instructors like to say "remove blocks."

I've been thinking more and more about my goals for my 31 days of yoga. Like I said in my first post- it's a combination of improving my health (lose 10 lbs., improve my posture, deal with stress better) and my practice (become more flexible, improve my endurance and strength, achieve wheel).

Wheel pose is something I've been working up to for a while. I have a curve in the middle of my spine, so backbends have always been a challenge for me. But I know how good the are for my back, which is why I keep pushing through. Recently I've started doing a modification of wheel where I take the backbend, but put the crown of my head on the floor since my arms and back aren't strong enough yet. I'm hoping that by the end of the month I'll be able to do a full backbend.

Seated Pigeon Pose!

Day 2- Tuesdays will be easy for me since I already have yoga scheduled on my calendar. I meet my friend Elizabeth every Tuesday night at the Brookline Baptiste studio for 5:45 class.

I was really excited about tonight since I'm so motivated about my 31 days of yoga. It was a great class, but it was a killer! We did a series of poses that worked just our legs and by the time we got to seated pigeon my endurance was waning. There were 2 times I had to briefly put my knee down in the pose to rest for a minute. Of course I was hard on myself because I never cut a pose short- I always push through and try to focus on the positives. And the instructors always say not to beat yourself up over taking modifications or taking a break, so I did just that and stayed positive throughout the rest of class.

I'm looking forward to Day 3 and the rest of the month! I can't wait to see the transformation in my practice and in my body too.

Using Power Yoga to Celebrate my 30th Birthday!

Image Source: lululemon athletica (Monthly Challenge)

It's finally here! The month of my 30th Birthday! Rather than get depressed about getting older, I decided to celebrate by doing yoga every day and focus on adopting a healthier lifestyle as I move into my "30s"- eek!

Currently I do power yoga once a week with my friend Elizabeth at Baptiste Power Yoga Institute in Brookline. Power yoga is an amazing workout, but since I cancelled my gym membership, this is the only exercise I get during the week, and it's just not cutting it.

I've overhead people at the studio talk about committing to doing a month straight of yoga, and it's something I've always liked to try. Not only to challenge myself, but to see the impact it has on my fitness and overall well-being.

I started this blog (in addition to Birdinggirl.blogspot.com) to hold myself accountable and report back each day on how I'm doing.

Although Baptiste offers great unlimited yoga packages, I just don't have the time to commit to going to their studio every day since I don't live in the Boston area anymore. A while back I bought a CD (Putting Posture to your Prayers), which is an audio recording of Baron leading a class at the studio. This is what I use when I do yoga at home. It's 75 minutes (vs. 90 minutes in-studio), but it's still a very good workout, and mirrors the classes I'm used to. It's not as intense when you don't use a heated room, but it still gets the job done.

Day 1- I found time to do the CD after Steve and I got home from grocery shopping. Missed some of my favorite Monday night shows, but that's just one of the sacrifices I'm going to have to make if I'm going to find 75 minutes to fit in my yoga workout. Plus, considering all the health reports linking time spent watching TV and early death, I'm only doing myself a favor by replacing prime-time TV watching with yoga :)