Daily Yoga Challenge - Days 0-1

Day 0
Technically this isn't a day in the challenge since I made up the challenge on 8/28, and I took this class on 8/25. I'm not including it. However, I did notice a few notes I wanted to make about the experience.

Sunday, August 25
Took a class at the gym with Jen
Duration: 1 hour
Level: Intermediate

It was hard getting back into yoga after spending so much time away. It had probably been 4+ years since I had taken a class. I found myself sweating a lot (like more than when I take a spin class!), and afterwards I felt my muscles were very loose. I joked with Jen that I was undulating rather than walking to the car.

Move I loved: Pigeon
It always feels amazing to me to stretch my hips.
Bonus move I loved: Bridge
I was able to hold this for a long time with no discomfort. It felt really fabulous on my lower back, but the next day my butt was paying the price!


Move I need to work on: Lunges
I really need to strengthen my butt. I consider myself to have pretty strong legs, but a non-existent derriere.
Move I am excited to work on: overall endurance
Random observation: How does one wash a yoga mat? They perform all manners of sweaty aerobics in this studio. Hmmm...
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Day 1 Wednesday, August 28
Intro to Ashtanga Yoga by Kino MacGregor (MyYogaOnline)
Duration: 28 minutes
Level: Beginner

This was very very basic. She explains yoga in a way I like by talking about each word or movement and what it means. When you get right down to the poses though, they are very beginner. The video ended with a 5 minute meditation so it was really only 23 minutes long.
Move I loved: The OK sign used during meditation or while in the cross legged position. I had no idea that it meant unification of the individual soul with the divine soul. It makes sense, but I have never heard that before. Yoga isn't just for health. It is also bringing me closer to God.

Move I need to work on: Chandrasana
I've been doing this move wrong all this time, and I had no idea. It is like the 2nd half of a push-up. Plank is the first half of a push-up where your arms are fully extended. Chandrasana is where your arms are bent at a 90 degree angle, but your stomach and knees do not touch the floor. Oops. I was just kinda laying on the floor.
Move I am excited to work on: Lifting off the ground during lotus. The instructor Kino said it took her 3 months to get her butt off the ground in this position. I want to do it in one month!

Random observation: The ceiling fan in my living room hangs down really low. That is problematic if I want to keep my hands in tact.

Caution: Challenges ahead!

There are a lot of challenges coming up in the fall. I don't mean that my life is going to be difficult or anything like that (I hope it isn't!). I mean some of the games I've done in the past like DietBet are coming back.

DietBet, for those of you who don't know, is a pledge to lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks. Everyone throws in some money at the beginning, and the people who complete their bet split the pot at the end. The website has different games going on all the time, but I participated in a celebrity hosted game by Biggest Loser stars Hannah Curlee and Olivia Ward last March. I have met them, and they are just the most precious women EVER! I love their hearts. Anyway, I'm going to join their Diet Bet #3 which starts in 11 days.

Another challenge I'm interested in is a 30 day photo challenge. These have been around since the days of MySpace, but I've never done one. I recently bought a new cell phone, and it has a good camera, so I'd like to try it. I pinned one to Pintrest on the Best Friend Bucket List page, and I may try to convince Jen to participate with me. I just think it would be more fun to see how we each interpret the challenges (especially since we normally share a brain!).

Finally, I've been trying to incorporate more yoga (see previous post), and I decided to join My Yoga Online. It's only $9.95 for a monthly subscription. I figure I would spend more than that if I bought 1 DVD. They have all kinds of videos and routines along with message boards, etc. They accepted Paypal too, and that kinda sealed my decision. I'd like to try different kinds of classes and keep track of what I like and what I need to work harder on. I'd also like to do it every day for 30 days! I'm a little lame on follow-through, so we'll see if I keep at it!

31 Things To Do This Year

I recently had a birthday (hint: my new age is in the title of this post!), and while I don't believe in making New Year's Resolutions, I'm cool with birthday resolutions. Here are 31 things I'd like to do in the next 359 days in no particular order.

1. Go somewhere I've never been before.
2. Go to at least 1 UT football game this year. I need to celebrate the Butch Jones era!
3. Have my dishwasher installed. It's just sitting there not plugged in. NOT HELPFUL!
4. Sell my house.
5. Spend the holidays doing something I want to do. Usually I get roped into visiting other people's families. BTW, your crazy family is only endearing to you. To outsiders they are barely tolerable. Please don't inflict this on others on Christmas Day!
6. Get back into church.
7. Read more books and see more movies that are not necessarily "my style".
8. Go someplace where I need to dress fancy. I have so many clothes and heels that are neglected because of my mundane lifestyle!
9. Forgive and forget.
10. Get more pedicures, facials, massages, whatever. I used to treat myself all the time when I was young. Now I could actually use the maintenance.
11. Make my home a place that I enjoy being. Too often I use the kitchen table for a catch-all or pile things in the garage.
12. Enjoy time away from work without worrying about work.
13. Write. Write. Write. Revise. Then write some more.
14. Try Indian food.
15. Learn something. I love taking classes. I want to acquire new skills!
16. Explore my city like a tourist. I grew up here, but there are tons of things around Knoxville that I've never done or seen!
17. Downsize my stuff.
18. Rediscover my love for yoga. I took a class yesterday, and today I'm stiff. I used to take 2 or 3 classes a week and never felt anything but wonderfully rejuvenated. Gosh, I miss those days.
19. Have quarterly game nights with my friends.
20. Pay off some bills. I'm looking at you, Student Loan!
21. Get outside.
22. Do activities that make me uncomfortable. Not terrified (like skydiving) but out of my comfort zone (like indoor skydiving).
23. Figure out what I want out of life. I should know by now, but I don't yet. I'm pretending that's normal.
24. Cook more. I'll start on this just as soon as #3 is taken care of.
25. Remember to call DirecTV and have ESPNU added to my channels. (I need something I can mark off today. It makes me feel accomplished.)
26. Give my cat his hairball medicine on the regular so I'm not awakened by the sound of him hacking at 4:00 AM.
27. Learn to use a sewing machine once and for all! I'm really good at it for 5 minutes until I break the thread, need to change the bobbin, or otherwise destroy it.
28. Wear my jewelry. I have a ton of it. (It's all fake. Don't get excited, thieves.) I just never remember to put it on in the morning.
29. Never fight via text.
30. Be nicer to my mom. She's really good to me, and sometimes I take my frustrations out on her.
31. Blog more often!

Five things to love about August

August is by no-means my favorite month, (Hello, October? I love you.) but it is pretty great. Have doubts? Dig this:

1. Your summer tan has kicked in. Usually by August I have a gorgeous glow that has been earned both from working and playing outdoors. This year it is not quite fully developed, but I still have another month.

2. There are no national holidays. I love holidays, but in the retail (or resale) business they are pretty much consuming. August is great because you can celebrate the smaller things that may have been overlooked in a more jam-packed month. Tennessee's tax free weekend is intended for back to school, but I see it as a version of summertime Christmas except I only buy presents for myself. It is practically my duty to buy clothes, shoes, and office supplies that I don't need! Also, my birthday is in August which is great because hardly anyone has plans otherwise. What is there to do in this heat anyway?

3. Fall is coming. It seems wrong to look ahead when I'm all about celebrating the present, but sometimes I can't help it. You can feel it on the breeze. The mornings and evenings are cooler. The mosquitoes have all died from heat stroke. Kids are back in school. In June and July it's easy to take it for granted, but by August you know the summertime is coming to an end.

4. Football is here. Preseason games, high school games, and finally on the last day of the month, University of Tennessee games. I love football. Why? People can sit for weeks and analyze what will happen. They can use past stats and prior meetings, but in the end it all comes down to heart and talent. You never know what is going to happen in football, and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes that's a very bad thing.

5. It is the month of possibilities. You could make straight As this year and keep your locker organized. Your team could go undefeated. You could start your Christmas shopping early. You could start your diet early so you'll have earned a "cheat day" by Thanksgiving. Maybe you'll become a better person. Maybe you'll try harder at work. Summer is ending and it's time to get down to business. Maybe this will turn out to be the best year ever. You still have time!