A few days ago I was venting to a friend that I've been working out but not seeing any results or weight loss. His response was, "You're too hard on yourself." I was a little annoyed. A lot annoyed. I think I had some good rebuttal to show that I'm so so far from my goal and I'm just being honest with myself about how far away from that goal I am. I'm lazy and I eat too much chocolate and I'm not seeing results because I only ran 6 miles instead of 7 on Saturday.
I joined a gym last week....yay!.....and went to a yoga class tonight. Lights off, some hippy earth relaxing music going, teacher's mono tone voice telling me to feel the energy through my fingertips and all I can think is how all the girls in the room are so gorgeous and done up in their bright pink shirts and perfect ponytails. My stomach is feeling round. My arms are tired already?? We just started! That guy in front of me is cute. He's probably looking at the girl to my left though cause she's cuter. And her hair is down and all sexy curly. Mines up in this weird bun thing. I need to clean my room when I get home. It's such a mess. The girl to my right is doing a lot of resting poses, but that's okay because she's probably new. That's cool of her to stick it out even though she's tired.
It suddenly just hit me. I'm so hard on myself. Why am I letting this complete stranger next to me off the hook for taking a break and even giving her encouraging vibes, but I'm talking myself down in a constant stream of insults. Even during yoga - the land of "follow your body's messages, do what you can today, self acceptance and love and meditation" - and I'm criticizing how big my butt looks in the mirror during Warrior pose.
On the way home this song, The Fighter was on the radio and I just rolled my windows down, music up, and told myself I'm a fighter (cause I am) and its okay to have bad days and be tired like I was today but it was NOT okay to let those other thoughts over run my mind. So, this one's a fighter. Let's be nice to ourselves, k?
I've been lacking in motivation lately and kinda hoping I'd get in the mood to be better. My cycle tends to be totally motivated with lots of plans and goals....to burning out, wanting to lay in bed all day.....and back again to wanting to improve. I read the article linked above and I really liked it. It really applies to any form of working out that you choose, not just yoga. I'm a big believer in balance in all things and so I try to go easy on myself when I'm not in the mood to workout. But when it comes to working out....I've never regretted doing it. Its just that initial getting off my butt and putting my tennis shoes on thats the hardest part. Its time to tap into my will power and be like Nike.
When I talk about doing yoga, the response I usually get is that people are curious about it but don't think that they can do it. They think you need to be some kind of zen, granola, pretzel gymnast. Not true.
There's lots of different kinds of yoga and ways of practicing it. The part of yoga that I connect with though is building strength and energizing my body. That may sound strange if you think of yoga as a typical meditation sort of activity. It definitely can be that but the great part about yoga is that its all about YOU making it whatever you want. Its about listening to your body and following that. I just happen to love the strength that I feel when I practice yoga, so that's the part that I share with other people.
My favorite way to practice yoga is by going to a class at a gym or yoga studio. Sometimes you can also find smaller groups that get together. The reason I like a class is because each class is different, the teacher has you doing different moves each time which is great for your body, its inspiring to see what other people can do, and the instructor can help you with your form. I dont know about you but I always push myself harder when I'm with other people.
I don't have the luxury of a class right now so I've been practicing at home. Since I started my 30 day challenge of doing it every day, I've been doing a lot of videos. I like to switch up videos all the time because I get a little anxious when I know what's coming next, but also because like with any exercise you see faster results when you challenge your body to new things. I'm a couple weeks into my challenge of doing it everyday and I'm happy to say I've only missed 2 days so far. I don't feel bad about that either. Some days you just aren't feeling it and thats okay. But even after two weeks I've noticed SO much more strength in my arms. I love that! I love that yoga makes me so aware of my body that I can really feel my improvements. Anyways....I thought I'd show you some videos that I've found that I like. Yoga can be a little intimidating to start at a class, so trying it at home might help you.
Yoga is about recognizing how you feel and not competing with others. Its about doing your best. Try to not get caught up in the fact that you cant do all the poses that the instructor is doing. Especially if you've never done it before, you can feel SUPER awkward. Like falling over on your face awkward. But give it a month or two before you decide you don't like it. It gets better. A lot better.
I've been looking for a lot of videos online and its hard for me to find one that I like. I'm totally picky....I don't like music, I don't like cheesy zen backgrounds, and I don't like it if the instructor is annoying. If I get annoyed, I'm definitely not going to enjoy yoga. So I added videos that I actually like.....but it'd be great for you to search for other yoga videos that you like. There's lots that you can purchase on Amazon or watch for free on youtube.
A couple if you're a newbie:
She is a little bit nutty but this would be a good video to run through once or twice to get familiar with the most basic yoga moves and what they're called.
I also like Jillian Michaels' video for yoga if you're a beginner. It has yoga moves, but in more of a cardio focused workout with both beginner and advanced moves. Its a good way to work up your strength for more traditional yoga. Find it here.
My favorite yoga videos are by Bryan Jones. He has channel on youtube that has so many amazing videos. His videos pass all of my tests: no music, he talks normal, he has a good mixture of quick to slow, and there's lots of challenges to work up to.
Power Yoga - This one is more challenging but great to see what your goals in yoga can be.
This one is the most challenging for me right now but I love throwing it into the mix sometimes to see how I'm growing.
I'd love to hear about it if you try it out - see how you do or if you find any other videos that you love and wanna share. Also there's an awesome group of girls that are into motivating each other to be good to their bodies. They have lots of great ideas if you wanna join the group on facebook. Good luck!
I don't know what got into me, but this morning I woke up and the first thing I did was my yoga for the day. That's pretty amazing since I usually just turn the tv on while I ease into waking myself up, not wanting to get out of bed. But the most amazing part about it was.........
Bind pose! See that photo there? Yep I nailed that pose today.
A few years ago when I first started trying yoga I was about 35 lbs heavier and as beginner as you can get. Most of the moves I couldn't do but just saw them as a goal to work up to. But this pose, something about it bugged me. I couldn't even get close to it. I was in a class and I'd look at the girls in front of me doing it with ease it seemed. I could bend over onto one knee (slightly) and reaching an arm under my leg and up to grasp hands......seriously? Not happening. I felt like my hands were so far away from being able to touch that for the life of me I could not figure out how anyone did it. I must have miniature t-rex arms.
I tried it again today for the first time in quite awhile and was pretty shocked when I felt my fingers touch. Wait? I'm actually doing it? My fingertips weren't just touching. I grabbed hands!
I'm saying this partly to brag because I am so excited!! But mostly as a reminder that it's hard to see how far you've come sometimes when you're in it. One thing that I love about yoga and certain other workouts is that it can be measured and it is undeniable when you've grown and improved. I can feel my strength as I'm able to do more week after week. If you're disappointed with where you're at now, look back at where you've been. If you don't feel like you're farther along than where you've been, start now. Tomorrow look back and see that you're stronger than yesterday.
This video is INCREDIBLE. I've got that t-rex arms mentality right now even after that speech I just gave. But maybe....someday.....I could do something like that? Its pretty inspiring to say the least.
I know most of my friends are brand new to yoga or new to the idea of even considering trying it. I'm putting together some of my favorite videos and hopefully tomorrow I'll have some links for you to try out if your'e feeling adventurous.
I heard about a challenge of doing yoga for 30 days and recommitting to self and outward love. Yes please! There was a period of time that i was consistent with yoga and it did amazing things for me. When I first started the practice I felt awkward, weak, and felt like I belonged at the back row of the class. After about 2 weeks I started noticing changes and being able to do certain poses that I couldn't do before. After a month or two I felt strong, beautiful, and so proud of the person I was being. I connected with yoga and let it do amazing things for my mind and body. Lately I've been focused on weight loss and doing other forms of exercise. While any kind of exercise is great, I'm feeling a lack of motivation. I'm totally in a rut. This 30 day challenge came at the perfect time for to regroup and focus on self love while I'm gaining strength. So excited to recommit to yoga.
A group of beautiful ladies are motivating each other through this challenge and anyone is invited to join. Check out this blog for the source of the goal and to find other's who are committed and writing about their experiences. You can also follow along on facebook if you want to join in the goal.
I'm going to have a hard time doing it every single day, especially on the days when I don't feel like doing anything. I'm committed though. 30 days. This is happening!
