Yoga in the New Year

I started doing yoga one year ago using the yoga mat my daughter bought me for Christmas. I knew it was something I needed to try, but I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to do it. As it turned out, I really enjoy doing yoga and believe that it has helped me in many facets of my life.

My daughter has been my yoga inspiration. She started yoga while finishing up her college experience and began doing it in earnest during her student teaching semester. Now she has graduated to more difficult online classes -- two to three each day before and after school. She would tell you that yoga has greatly increased her strength and flexibility and I'm sure it has improved her overall well-being, too.

One thing I've learned is that yoga works better for me when I do it every day, even for a short practice. I started out last year doing yoga once a day but by the time summer came, I found myself slipping into an "every other day" routine, opposite the days I went to the gym. In retrospect, I lost continuity and momentum by skipping those days. And skipping one day of yoga made it all that much easier to skip more than one, I'm sorry to say.

When the new year came around, I was definitely ready for a re-set, and this time my mindset is to do things RIGHT. I'm enrolled in another free online yoga class with 31 days of practice, each one building on the day before. And as of Day 10, I've kept up with it every single day. YAY!

I've tried videos with a few different online instructors and Adriene is my favorite. I like her sense of humor, the pace of her classes, the way she explains positions, and her holistic approach. Find her website, enroll in her free class, and you'll get an e-mail each day with a link. Or you can go straight to YouTube and start now. It's that easy! 

There's a calendar which helps you keep track of where you are and lists the "theme" for each day. Each class lasts around 30 minutes. I love that I can do yoga in the privacy of my house, with no one but the cats to see me!

 

 Bailey bought me a set of yoga blocks for Christmas. While I managed to practice yoga last year without them, the blocks make it much easier when a particular pose is just out of your reach by "raising the earth" up to you. 

 Even though I can't do everything Adriene teaches in her classes, I'm trying my best and slowly seeing improvement. Thanks to my daughter for the yoga inspiration! If it weren't for her encouragement, I probably never would have tried yoga at all. 

 Here's to finishing this 31-day class and continuing on with my yoga journey! If you're curious about yoga, give it a try! You have absolutely nothing to lose...and potentially so very much to gain!

jp