The search so far...

Let's get everyone up to speed... 

Technically, this is day 32. Got my Vinyasa in this morning (complete report will follow later today). So what have I learned after 32 days of yoga? 

• I have horrible balance in the morning making morning practices more challenging. Some mornings it's a miracle I can stand in mountain pose but seem to do Warrior 3 fine... It doesn't make sense but accepting the state of balance my body is in at the time is a good lesson. A tough lesson... you have to push the ego out of your head... but a good lesson. 
• Along the same line, I may have an AWESOME practice one day and an awful one the next. 
• I am allowed to go to yoga every day.
• Practicing at a studio is more fun than practicing alone. But sometimes you need to practice alone. It helps you get in the habit of leaving your ego off the mat even when no one else is around.
• Yoga requires courage. The courage to get up early and practice even though you know mornings are tougher. The courage to try a new class or style. The courage to try a new pose or a variation of an old pose. And sometimes the courage to surrender to Child's Pose when you need it. 
• Don't forget to breathe. This is a big one for me. Whenever the instructor tells me how to breathe, I seem to forget what breathing is and how to do it properly. I hear "Inhale, Upward Dog, Exhale, Downward Dog" and when I get to Downward Dog my lungs are like "Um... could I get some new air in here? You've been holding your breath for a good 30 seconds." I think I am getting better at it but I am forever a work in progress. 
• Handstands are not that scary. In fact, I'm getting to the point where sometimes I crave that weird upside-down feeling. 
• There are so many lessons I have learned in yoga that are absolutely applicable to other areas of life. And I love it. 
• After a certain amount of time, little muscles you never think about will become more alive and they will surprise you when you're doing something you've done 100 times. For example, little muscles in my shoulders surprise me when I do Triangle Pose. 
• In addition, it is very therapeutic. I have a shoulder issue that was really starting to bother me towards the last quarter of last year and I will just say it doesn't bother me anymore. Various back issues I've dealt with have also eased up with this new consistent practice. 
• On the flip side, my big toes hate me. Basically, right now, the bottoms are ragged. Being a runner, I'm no stranger to have gross feet, but with the drier winter weather, a new yoga mat and a tendency to hold poses on my toes instead of the ball of my foot, my feet are really not happy with me. I keep meaning to go get some cocoa butter and saran wrap so I can try to moisturize my feet and wrap them up. I'm also working on using the balls of my feet more and giving my big toes a break. 

So yea... I feel like we're caught up on the big things here. Detailed report of today's Vinyasa class will follow later this evening. :)

Namaste.

How I do a Headstand... 

Ready...

Set...

GO!