CELEBRATION!
The 40 Days of Yoga ended pretty well. (It actually ended a couple of weeks ago. I'm just posting late.) Our last meeting ended with us talking about what we took away from the process. Here were my thoughts:
1.) Physical improvements
I'm WAY stronger in my arms than I've ever been, even more so than the barbell class I used to take at the gym. Who's ready for Spring? My arms are! (I would totally post a cute top from Anthropologie here, but I gave it up for Lent. Not joking. I was slightly obsessed.)
2.) Exercise as a priority
My thighs are tighter (another physical improvement). I have pretty strong legs, but I've never called them "tight." When I was a kid, I did ballet and jazz, and they were probably tight then, but who cares or notices when you're 12? No one does, and it's so great! Then you turn 15 and you...kind of...care. Marching band (yep, I said it) kept my legs lean in high school, only I really didn't appreciate my slammin' body then because I only KIND OF cared. Then you go to college and care a little more, but you're not even into your twenties enough to feel the need (or appear to need) to work out yet. After that, you graduate and decide to join a gym. So you start working out a couple times a week to keep the weekend beverages off of your thighs and midsection, but you can still do Taco Cabana or pizza late night after dancing (which counts as a work out...maybe even two if you go out twice in a weekend...highly likely in my case). THEN you turn 30. And you think, "What HAPPENED?" I found myself upping my work out schedule to 3 days a week for maintenance...maintenance of sanity and to keep my body healthy.
Now I'm 34 and I dance less. I go to Taco Cabana late at night less because I go dancing/out less (don't judge the fact that dancing is so closely linked to TC). And ok, I still eat pizza. I want to care about my health. And my husband. And my job. And my masters. We don't even have a dog, so kids would clearly rattle our schedule. Todd and I believe that making exercise part of our lives now is so important to the health of our future family. Both of us chose to make exercise a part of our lives after college, so it has become something that we love to do after 10 (ok, more than 10) years. We both spend a portion of our budgets on it. (Yep, separate "fun budgets." It's the best thing ever when I buy shoes and he says how awesome they are!) We talk every day after work about who is working out, what type of exercise we are doing, and then what we want to do for dinner. I know that having kids is going to change EVERYTHING, so for now, we are concentrating on our lives NOW. And right now, we can keep our exercise schedules a high priority.
3) Being non-reactive
The 40 day program taught me to control how much I react in life. Think about how reactive you are during the day. I spilled my coffee!! Crap!! Anger sets in, and I'm shorter with my students in the morning. That's a small example. I have been hit with some really cruddy days lately in my personal life, and if I were to react to them like I used to, I'd be a basket case. We all have our hardships in life, and my beliefs tell me that there is something good in store! Yoga practice has helped me to take things in, allow them to sit for a while, and then react less or differently or not at all. I ought to measure my blood pressure, actually. It runs in the family. Here's how yoga helped me: For 75 minutes, I push my body into postures, some of which are enjoyable, and some of which are down right HARD. It doesn't really matter if I'm "good at yoga"...there is no real measure of good or bad when it comes to yoga. The mere fact that I CAN do yoga with my body is something we celebrate at practice! The mirrors are covered so I can concentrate on my own body. I take from practice what I need for that day. Some days I need child's pose. On really powerful days, I can actually get into crow. (YES! FINALLY!) With the poses, I used to find myself wanting to quit or make it easier on myself. My legs would shake, I'd sweat like crazy, breathe uncontrollably, and think the teacher was so hard. (In kickboxing, I'd actually verbalize this--"OH MY GOD I'M DYING" -- a little dramatic, yes? Todd helped me turn that phrase into "THIS IS WHERE CHAMPIONS ARE MADE! He's so positive, it's sick, isn't it? :) I love it!) But the teachers at Yoga Sport are so GREAT. They guide you in the difficulty of a pose and tell you to just let that leg shake and just breathe through it. I concentrated on breathing long, full breaths, and after the shaking ended (ie-after the pose ended...for sure, I will shake the WHOLE time I'm in a pose some days), I'd tell myself how cool I was that I not only survived, but that I held it out! Letting myself not react on my mat transferred to parts of my life. Taking things in stride. That is one big victory.
3.) Perfectionism denied
I was in a meeting with some teachers yesterday, and the counselor described some students as "paralyzed perfectionists." I tend to be a perfectionist. I think I show this "paralyzed" characteristic sometimes. I went into the 40 Days thinking I could do all parts so well. Practice 6 days a week, eat healthy foods at every meal, meditate twice a day.... Well, my high standards were setting me up for disappointment really fast. At the beginning, I'd get down on myself for not going to the studio or for snacking on Valentine's candy. I'd miss entire days of yoga...all parts - practice, nutrition, and meditation. But I always made it to those weekly meetings. I would go when I could and told myself to be happy with that. Toward the end of the program, I learned to be OK with whatever I COULD do. I don't have to do it all. But what I can do, I'll do well.
Besides that, my nutrition portion could have been much better. Todd and I eat out A LOT. And we love it! We do try to cook more, but we do not say we eat out too much. We just enjoy that we CAN. Anyway, it's something I'll work on more next time. Meditation. What meditation? Yeah, that was the hardest part for me, even though I imagine it to be the most restorative part. Again, I'll work on it. What I did get out of the program was enough to keep me coming back for more! I'm already ready for the next time!
We celebrated by practicing together in our new cute pink tank tops that say "If you can, you must," and then changed into dry clothes to visit the wine bar downstairs, Winetastic. We had a great time getting to know one another more closely and of course, drinking yummy wine!
I am ready for the next 40 days. In fact, Angela is doing a Level Two class in May. I am going to sign up tonight! In the mean time, I've signed up for this:
Project 21: The New Challenge Returns
- April 10th – May 9th
- Attend 21 classes in 30 days
- Vote for your favorite charity
SAT FLASHBACK:The number 21 refers to
a) The age when you can legally drink
b) A card game
c) The name of a television show from the 1980s starring Johnny Depp and Richard Greico
d) none of the above
This spring at YogaSport we want you to choose “d) none of the above,” and redefine the number 21! Research shows that it takes 21 days to develop a habit. By creating a yoga habit, you’ll not only impact your own life but also the lives of those on the other side of the globe. Starting on Saturday, April 10th, commit to taking a total of 21 yoga classes in 30 days. Challenge yourself, reach out to others, and be in awe of what flourishes. The proceeds go to a charity that will be drawn from a raffle on the first day.
Last year, after my 1 week for $15 trial period, I started with the 21 Day Project with proceeds going towards Africa Yoga and to help spread the teaching of yoga in Africa. Really cool.
I've come full circle. Yea!
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