Rootless Tree (my beginner's yoga blog)

3 weeks of no meat

2010-02-23T22:23:00.000-06:00

I've been loving the vegetables! All my meals have been vegetarian, and I have to say, I don't crave meat really at all. The one thing is I'll have a cravings for a big hamburger every now and then.

My convenient lunches have all been Amy's. They have been delicious except for garden lasagna. I didn't like that one.

But like every diet, workout regimen, weight loss program, diet pill I've ever tried....I still gain weight. How can I eat freaking veggies and gain weight? WTF?! Not only that, but I went all natural, too. So even the diet soda was cut out. My jeans are really tight. It's hard to zip them.

I can't believe it. I'm a fat vegetarian. I just keep growing. I'll keep going meat-less for a while longer. I hope to get back into working out to combine the two.

I love my yoga, but its nothing compared to hot yoga (bikram). I only had one class last year because it was free and it kicked my ass. I felt so wonderful afterwards. I really wanted to join, but it would cost me about $100 per month. But, as you know, I'm a Yogini on a budget. There is no way I can fit that into my monthly expenses. I'm always in the red. I was jealous when this lady at work said she has been doing the bikram for 8 weeks and has lost 20 lbs. She was already ready to go bikini shopping. Ugh, I wish I could it out for a few months. I told Jason if I got a raise in April (my review time) and it was significant enough, I'd like to join the yoga classes. His response was that when am I ever going to learn that I'm just different from everyone else and that I'll never get to loose the weight like normal people can. I pretty much know in the back of my head that he is right. But it still hurts. You are saying I will never loose weight, no matter what? Should i just give up?

Revisit

2010-01-04T09:55:00.003-06:00

I listed out a pretty big list of resolutions for 2010. I might not succeed at all of them, but I'll at least try. One of the many was to get back into yoga. What happened with that anyway? Well, after doing it for many months and not loosing an ounce of weight, I decided it wasn't the cure to my hypothyroidism and wasn't helping with weight loss at all. I found it must be a waste of time, and I should fill that time with more cardio.

So I went all of late summer, fall and beginning of winter without yoga. I felt fine with that decision but found my muscles tight and stiff has been a problem with my other workouts. I went to see a personal trainer last week as a trial first session. (I found out that I can't afford it, though) But after running on the treadmill, he noticed my feet turn outward which means my calves are super tight. He showed me how to use a foam roller to massage my calves and make them tender. It really hurt, but he was right. I told him I used to do yoga. He told me I really need to get back into it, as it would be great to keep my muscles loose.

I went home and told my boyfriend that my trainer told me I should get back into yoga. I told him I wasn't sure about it. I didn't think I should because it was a waste of time. To me, any workout needed to be productive to loose weight. If it doesn't work, then don't do it. But then he said, "Yeah, but you were happier then." He explained that I seemed more calm, less stressed and so much happier back when I did yoga. As for me, i didn't notice the difference. But if an outsider noticed the difference, then thats a big deal.

One of my resolutions were to be nicer to people. Be more enjoyable to be around. I let stress get to me and then I get depressed and I want everyone to just get far away from me. I really alienate people during bad times. I think yoga will help me with that if my boyfriend believes I was more enjoyable to be around back then. And hell, along the way, I just might loosen up those calves for more treadmill time. Yeah, this yoga stuff will take up more of my time. I mean, this cannot take the place of my cardio. It will have to be in addition to.

So let me drag that mat back out. I'm back. :)

Letting Go Of Emotions

2009-10-13T23:19:00.003-05:00

I had missed my BodyFlow class for a full week because I had been working so many hours last week. I didn't even have any time to catch up on yoga at home. A week felt like months!

So today was my first time back. The hour felt so good, like seeing a long lost friend for the first time in forever. I was so concentrated and felt every part of my body. By the end of the hour, we all laid in savasana and as soon as the lights went off, I closed my eyes. It didn't take long - about a minute into it - I felt a full feeling under my eye lids and warm tears came out of the corner of my eyes and rolled down both the sides of my head and into my hair. I just let go of everything that had built up. I had no problems letting go, it came easy today. A lot of thoughts have been on my mind the past few days and I hadn't had any time to sit and really think about them. I had no time to accept my feelings or find out where they were coming from. So they just came out. It was my 2nd time ever having that happen during meditation. This time it was most intense. My heart felt heavier every time I breathed.

And after it was over, it was over. I got up, cleaned my mat and carried on with my day.

Backbends & Free Yoga Day

2009-09-06T20:24:00.004-05:00

I finished doing my backbends week. Wow. I have a lot to work on as far as backbends go.

Bow pose = hard. I can barely grab my ankles. I'm more comfortable grabbing my big toe. But even with the big toe, I have to squeeze and hang on for life. I try to life up both my thighs and chest, but it feels like I can only get my chest off the ground. I can't see myself in a mirror, but that's what it feels like. And I'm bent so back, it's hard to breathe. It feels like there is no room for air to fit in. But, I can do it, and can hold it. It's okay.

Camel = harder. First of all, why do they call it camel pose? When I bend backwards, I can barely touch my feet, definitely not touching my ankles. I can grab my heels though. The most comfortable thing is if I lay a pillow over my feet, and then I can brace down on with my hands. I have to spend time preparing to bend back. If I don't, I have to come back up and reset. My shoulders have to be flipped back in a certain way to make it work. But I can feel an amazing chest stretch out of this pose. This also doesn't feel like air can get in.

Upward Bow = hardest. Okay, the first day, I got up on my head. The 2nd day, I did the same. But then I inhaled and pushed as hard as I could on my hands, and all of a sudden, my head was off the floor. I kind of was in shock...I'm doing a serious backbend! I held it for 3 seconds, the whole thing kind of scared me because I was so shocked that I was doing it. I shocked myself so much that I immediately went down. LOL I haven't been able to get back up after that. I'll try it out again tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow....IT'S FREE YOGA DAY!!!
Remember me mentioning it forever ago? Yep! I'm gonna go check out a yoga place nearby. I'll admit, I'm very nervous! I'm scared. This little beginner in the big world of a serious yoga place with hot and humid rooms. I'll be visiting Sun Stone Yoga. We'll see. Who knows, I might chicken out. It's hard to do this on my own without any buddy for motivation. :( But this will be the only time I can afford to see a real yoga class, because it's FREE! And you know me, yogini on a budget, right?

I'm now working on Week 4 - Twists. Week after this is Inversions - scary!
---------------------------------------------------------

Now I haven't lost any weight doing yoga. But then again, I haven't really gained much since quitting Weight Watchers, either. And I haven't been mindful of what I eat. I probably should. I'm now working out 7 days a week - yoga, flow, and various cardio classes. It's hard, and it's disappointing. But you know what yoga has done for me besides body and health issues? It has boosted my self esteem. I have no idea what happened, but I don't seem to care about being fat like I used to. I used to be so depressed about my looks. Now I'm treasuring my body. I know my body inside-out now. Don't get me wrong, I still want to loose weight. I'd love to wear a bikini someday in my life. I don't like the way i look - but I've come MILES from where I used to be mentally. And then I saw this in my yoga journal mag:

Yoga Sutra II.6: False identity occurs when we identify with the tools of perception instead of the true Self

I like that.

Jem - On Top Of The World

2009-08-21T16:46:00.003-05:00

An awesome song about meditation. I love it! My fav part is "You can visit anytime, it's there all the time, just close your eyes" How comforting is that? To know it will always be there for you whenever you want it.

And you know what? This meditation and relaxation practice has really gotten to me. I have to admit, at first, I thought "relaxation and meditation? how boring!!!" But I really got into it. It really does make a difference.

Jem - On Top of The World

Too much information
Need to calm down, let go
Breath in peace
Worry and anxious feelings
Need to close your eyes, let go
Breathe and release

All of a sudden the people,
the talking, the telephone,
all fades away
You visit a place in a timeless
dimension where all of your
fears are at bay

You can fly away
Fly like a bird
Across the sky
Above the clouds so high
Moon and the stars
Light up the sky

Presence fights illusion
It's not all as serious as
your mind
Wants you to think it is
Unsure of your future
Need to focus on,
what you want
And something will come your way

All of a sudden the negative
voices and weaknesses
all fade away
You visit a place in a timeless
dimension where all of your
fears are at bay

You can fly away
Fly like a bird
Across the sky
Above the clouds so high
Moon and the stars
Light up the sky

Sun sets low across the bay
A beautiful light
Closes the day
You can visit anytime
It's always there
Just close your eyes

(You know, you know, you
know, you know, you know
If you wanna be, home free,
just breathe
You know, you know, you know,
you know, you know
If you wanna be, home free,
just breathe
You know all you need, all you
need, all you need, all you
need, is to feel connected
You know all you need, all you
need, all you need, all you
need, is to be connected
Slow down, slow down,
what you rushing for?)

Sun sets low across the bay
A beautiful light
Closes the day
You can visit anytime
It's always there
Just close your eyes

Oh sweet! - the MeMe Award!

2009-08-11T23:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Eco Yogini for passing on the MeMe Award to moi! Looks like I need to share 7 personality traits about myself and then share the MeMe Award to 7 other bloggers. I hope that's how it goes, cause that's what I gathered. But since it's bedtime, I'll need to do this tomorrow. So hold on to your britches, I'll be back.

I love BodyFlow more

2009-08-11T22:40:00.003-05:00

Oh today's BodyFlow was my second class and it was just as exciting as last week's! There was a different release today, so it was a new routine all over again. It was so amazing. I felt strong, happy, powerful and relaxed. I was sweating, but loving every bit of it.

The pilates was crazy. We had to do superman on our stomachs and then pretend like we were swimming on the floor. Let me tell you, my core was completely engaged. I loved it, even though it was weird.

But you know what was crazy at the end? Our 10 minute relaxation meditation was different for me today. The gentle music was beautiful, but also had a sad tone to it. I was in another world. My mind didn't wonder, it just focused on my breathing. I was scanning my body, feeling relaxed. But my body felt like it had to let go of something....I have no idea what it was. My mind didn't have any thoughts, but I had this overwhelming feeling of sadness. I think it was sadness. I really don't know what it was. I just got emotional for no reason. My eyes welled up with tears, even though I kept them closed. I didn't cry or anything. Just tears welled up, a tear rolled down my face and that was it. That was all. It was lights-out, so I didn't feel embarrassed because no one can see each other. I think I was more in shock and confused by what that was. Was it my body just letting go of my day or anything else that was sitting on my shoulders without me knowing? I have no idea. Nothing like that has happened before. I have no idea if this is normal or not. Is it? After class, I left just replenished, no feelings of sadness stayed.

Catch up!

2009-08-11T22:36:00.003-05:00

I have finished week 1 of the Yoga Club - Standing Poses. I think over the whole week, the balances are the hardest - tree and half moon. Half moon is freaking scary!

The last day is a rest day, but the day before that is a meditation day. I will admit...I fell asleep. Does that still count as meditating?

This week is Sun Salutations! This week will be fun. But it's Tuesday night and I haven't been able to start on them yet. I've been busy busy busy. But the great thing about the club is I can move at my own pace. I hope to start on week 2 tomorrow after BodyPump class. I might get talked into going to BodyJam class after that, but I don't want to. I'd rather come home and work on my sun salutations.

BodyFlow

2009-08-07T12:55:00.003-05:00

I attended a yoga-based class - BodyFlow! Yay! First of all, I gave myself a huge pat on the back just for stepping foot in the class. I was nervous because of my previous experience in a yoga class. But I met with the instructor and she said there will be hip openers in the class, but she showed me all the other options I can do. I also met a ton of my new classmates. This class was really packed and it was tough to find a spot on the floor. It seems like you get there early and everyone is supposed to sit and chat as one big happy family. You use 2 yoga mats in this class, laid over each other in a cross shape for front/back poses and side/side poses, so you don't have to flip your mat around each time.

BodyFlow is mainly yoga-based, but they throw in some Tai Chi for warm ups and a lot of pilates, too. The yoga poses are basic, but there are some great leg burners in it. You don't really hold poses, but it's moving along to music and you are constantly in motion. But it doesn't go fast like power yoga. Here's the rundown of the class in the whole hour -

Track 1 - Tai Chi Warmup

Track 2 - Sun Salutations

Track 3 - Yoga Standing Strength - (warriors, chairs, triangles and pyramids)

Track 4 - Balances

Track 5 - Hip Openers

Track 6 - Core Work (Pilates and Yoga Core)

Track 7 - Twists and Forward Bends

Track 8 - Relaxation and Meditation (10 minutes with lights out, corpse pose, gentle music and soothing sounds)

Day 3: Warrior 2 & Extended Side Angle

2009-08-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

I went to BodyPump right after work to lift weights for an hour, then I came home and immediately started my Day #3 - Warrior 2 & Extended Side Angle workout 30 mins long. When I started out, my legs were a little tired from all the squats and lunges I did at BodyPump. So it took a couple tries to get my pose down. But it went pretty well.

I still have that ext. side angle and triangle confused. Not really in the legs, but in the arms. In the triangle, the top arm has to extend to continue the whole angle of your body. But in the ext. side angle, even though that outside of your body is the same angle, your arm is goes straight up to the heavens. I have to rethink over and over again which one I'm doing to know what to do with that top arm.

I have to use the block on both poses. Triangle - either I can put my hand on the lower part of my shin or on the outside of my foot on the block because my hand just doesn't reach the floor without me getting out of my pose with my legs. Ext. Side Angle - It's strange that even with my leg bent at 90 degrees, my hand still can't reach the floor very well. It feels comfortable that way, too.

There is a different way of doing Triangle, which I did today. Towards the end, I put my arms behind my back and grabbed the opposite elbows. Face one side, do a slight back bend and then flow over the side, hanging over. This felt so awesome!! My chest was open from having my arms stretched behind my back and I just breathed. With each breath, my chest would rise against my thigh that I was laying over. It was such a different feeling than just regular Triangle. I liked it pretty well.

I got to try Legs Up The Wall again. This time I used a rolled up blanket under my lower back instead of just laying flat on the floor. My feet still had a tingle, but it wasn't near as bad as yesterday. I felt more comfortable in this pose today. I also adjusted my Hero Pose to sit higher with a block under my blanket. This took all tension out of my knees and no cramps in my feet.

What is awesome about home practice is you can make your own adjustments to see how they fit specifically for you without the embarrassment of taking an easier way out. And I don't have to worry about an instructor coming over to adjust me into a pose that I don't feel right in.

VID REVIEW-- Yoga Burn with Rodney Yee

2009-08-05T13:50:00.005-05:00

Ouchie-Wah-Wah!

This workout goes sooooo sloooow! I would think slow=easy, but that is not the case! You are in constant motion, but it goes so slow between poses and you don't get a chance to really hold a pose. This keeps the muscles completely engaged the whole entire time. Your mind is all in trying to be in full control of every move. There were parts where I was shaking. Some places I couldn't move that slow, so I would go a little ahead. This was not easy and it will take a ton of practice to get this workout down. The workout is broken down into small sequences that are repeated at least 3 times. So if you didn't get it right the first round, you get a chance to correct yourself the next round and so on.

Toward the end, there is a lot of slow stretching, and when you go through round 2 or 3 of the sequences, you can get even deeper in the stretch. And you want to know what? I discovered my toes with my fingers when bent over in staff pose...YEP! I haven't ever been able to do that!! And with my legs spread wide, I was able to touch the bottoms of my feet with my hands! I just held on to my whole foot...Oh yeah -- I touched my feetsies! Now I know this isn't a big deal to the people that are wrapping their legs around their bodies twice and then touching the head with their toes...But you know what, this is huge for me! This is a milestone!

And you know what else? I didn't think I'd finish it during the first round of this dvd, but I did. I definitely patted myself on the back for that!

Overall, I don't think this wasn't super fun like cardio/power yoga. Maybe the slowness of it all kind of made it boring for me. But I know it's super beneficial. This way I can really concentrate on my poses and get it right. My muscles were sore the next day. And during the workout, I was sweating pretty well. Not as much sweat as cardio yoga, though. But I can definitely see this as a great boost to my metabolism and a super great way to work on your flexibility (something I really need)

Day 2: Mountain & Triangle

2009-08-04T20:53:00.003-05:00

The whole workout involved all of the week 1's standing poses, but concentrated more on Mountain and Triangle.

Practicing Mountain while keeping in those 4 corners of my feet in mind really has changed how grounded Mountain feels. I really didn't know there was so much to consider while doing this pose. And pretending like my thumbs are under my armpits to keep them lifted really changed a lot too. It really feels like my head just floats. I don't feel my neck at all. It's a strange thing to notice, but I like it.

I kept getting Triangle and Extended Angle Pose slightly mixed up. I had to keep thinking about the shape of the Triangle would have to make straight legs, so that means the Extended Angle has the bent leg. Even while doing Triangle, I kept thinking about bending that front knee. I'm sure there will be plenty of practice during this week to get this down. Especially since tomorrow is all about Warrior and Ext. Side Angle. I do need the block for both poses, but I'm really close to getting to the floor, too. I think I'll make sure I get these two perfect before moving to the floor.

There were two poses that I had never done before - Half

Moon & Legs Up The Wall. Half Moon is pretty hard to balance. But I'll get plenty more practice on Friday. Legs Up The Wall looks like it feels great in the video instruction. But it took me a while to scoot my butt up against the wall. My mat pretty much sticks to me and followed my butt to the wall and bunched up there. Oh well...I got my legs up there. I kept my feet and legs active, engaged and energized. With my hands, I pushed down on the tops of my thighs toward the wall. That part felt good. But even just holding it there for a minute or two, my feet started to tingle and go to sleep. I didn't like that part at all. I might try to keep my legs bent and feet against the wall tomorrow. Maybe that will help. I asked the question in the forum and will see if there is a solution.

Hero's Pose wasn't a complete new one, but I had only done it once before. I got a cramp in my left foot immediately and felt a lot of tension in the knees, so I bunched the blanket up so I can sit higher and my feet would be straighter. That felt a little better. Or maybe I should have moved my feet out to the sides more? I don't know if I'll get to sink lower with this pose over time. It didn't really feel comfortable for meditation at all. It felt too tight.

Overall, I like the instructional videos for my first week. They are extremely informational and very descriptive in every single part of the body. I loved it! I think the mp3 workout may have moved a bit too fast for the first workout. I fell a little bit behind with all the new things I had to think about. I'm sure I'll get them all down well by the end of the week.

Day 1 - Strong Foundation

2009-08-04T11:12:00.003-05:00

I thought I really wouldn't learn anything during Week 1 - Standing Poses because the list of poses are things I already know. But just in day #1 of Week 1 is learning to have a strong foundation in your feet - Intro into Standing poses.

I thought - "oh this is going to be boring. Just stand balanced with your feet parallel and right under your hips. That's it. That's all there is to it."

Wrong. I had no freaking idea there were 4 corners of the feet. And if someone said, "find the 4 corners of your feet" I would have guessed the first corner would be the big toe. Wrong. It's actually the big mound directly under your big toe. And then I got the speech about spreading your toes - especially your pinky toe to the floor (thats another corner). And I didn't know I can elongate my feet, but I can. I can make the inside and the outside of my feet longer to create the other 2 corners. Once I learned the 4 corners and was well aware of them, I felt way more stable. There was definitely a downward force of energy

But I had to bend over and spread out my pinky toes in order to pay close attention to them. That was a bummer. I need some of those toe stretchers!

I did it! I Joined the Gaiam Yoga Club!

2009-08-03T16:54:00.002-05:00

Remember back in the day ....like 2 weeks ago, I was screaming about joining this club?

I couldn't see myself spending the money for it. But Allstate decided I was still a safe driver, so they sent me another rewards check of $40. So I decided to put that towards the $65 Yoga Club for 12 week training program.

I also randomly saw Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn at Ulta when I was there to get some hair conditioner. I thought it was fate, so I bought it. lol I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on checking it out this evening after work. Now I know what you are thinking --- "Steph! That's an intermediate level!" I know! I know! I'm not ready for it, but I want to try it and hope to grow into it. I want something I can work through and continuously seek the challenge. I don't want to conquer it in a week and then it become to easy and boring. It may take quite a while before i can get through the whole workout. I hope it rocks! Will have a review later.

stress relief

2009-07-31T20:44:00.003-05:00

My wrist is feeling fine and dandy today! I felt fine by going without my hand wrapped. I knew it was a very mild sprain, but I'm still surprised by how fast it has gotten better. It mainly throbs at night and in the morning, then by noon, it feels like nothing is wrong at all. Still I'm doing the new modifications that Eco Yogini had suggested. The dolphin was completely new to me. It took a couple adjustments to get it right but it felt good after a little bit. I couldn't really straighten my legs on this very well, but the effort counts. I also tried the puppy which felt awesome! I felt like I could lay like that all day. lol

Yesterday was completely stressful at work, then some really expensive bills came in the mail during my lunch hour and worried the hell out of me. I came home from work, just on edge. I was about to explode. Jason wasn't home, so I took advantage of the time to roll out the mat and relieve some stress. I didn't use a video or mp3 this time. I just did the poses I really liked. Then I did some nice twists and stretches that just eased me. I relaxed to meditation and immediately Jason came home. Seeing me clearly in my own world, he still decided to want to talk to me about what to cook for supper. I was highly irritated and just got up from my mat. Yoga really de-stressed me, but as soon as I left the mat, it all came back.

I went a whole hour doing some serious house work without saying a word. Jason realized something was wrong, so he grabbed me to hug me. I immediately burst into tears and let the whole day out. I was just so frustrated with everything. The cry made me feel better till the next day.

This morning was more stress at work. I was about to snap at everyone. I was trying to get a hard project done with everyone around me asking me when I was going to finish other projects. Everything was "ASAP!" By 12:30, I freaked out and came home for lunch. I drove in absolute silence, which even though is calming, it's really a bad idea. Rather than focusing on music, I was thinking about how awful the day has been. I got home and couldn't find my keys in my purse. I dug and dug. I got so pissed off that I threw my purse to the ground. Then I picked it up again and dumped it all over the ground to finally get my keys. I was cussing the whole time. Then I was pissed off at myself for doing that, then I had to clean up the mess. I closed the door and immediately rolled out my mat. This time I had a whole hour in complete silence to do whatever yoga poses I wanted and then spend some time to meditate all alone. Finally!

Let me tell you, this is the first time I realized how much of a difference it makes. I felt so much better and looser afterwards. I went back to work, was in a good mood, focused on my work and got it done at a calming pace. I made it through the rest of the day with no probs. I came home in a good mood. And I have to owe it all to my lunch hour. I think I'm still surprised. I really didn't expect it to do that much for me!

Sun Salutations

2009-07-29T09:25:00.003-05:00

That's all I can do this morning.

This is day 3 of no yoga and no workouts of any kind. My neck is still a little sore, but my wrist is constantly throbbing all day and all night. This really limits what I can do as far as working out. I was getting used to doing some sort of workout every day of the week - whether it be yoga, bike riding, combat, weights, etc. Yesterday, I could just feel myself getting fatter. Especially since last weekend, Jason and I had $40 to buy groceries for the full week.....you think any of it was healthy? No. Because healthy means expensive and unaffordable this week. So here I am, injured, eating unhealthy food and sitting on my butt so I can get better. Not only do I feel fatter but without yoga, I can feel a difference in my energy and attitude. Blah.

So I woke up this morning, my wrist throbbing. I felt I needed to do something so sun salutations it is, then. Instead of placing my hands on the floor, I grabbed my ankles and hung there for a while. The rush gave me a good energy boost to start the day. I was bummed that I didn't get to practice my downward dog. I have noticed my heels getting much closer to the floor lately. I guess it will be a long while before I can do it again.

I wonder if I can get some twists in without turning my neck much. hmm.

Blog Template Woes

2009-07-27T10:34:00.000-05:00

That's what I get for picking out a fancy-schmancy template. I was notified that there was definitely error in trying to leave comments. Well no wonder why no one was leaving me comments (well...I hope that was the reason)! LOL

So Rootless Tree is going plain white until I find a template that I like and works.

Thanks ya Yogaforcynics!

Owweee :(

2009-07-27T07:58:00.000-05:00

I hurt myself yesterday. :(

That's the danger of beginning yoga on your own. There's no teacher that says, "Don't do that! You'll hurt yourself!" And I definitely found that out yesterday.

I woke up with a stiffness in my neck. But I loosened it up, woke up for a while and went straight into my fav cardio yoga video - Cardio Burn Yoga with Patricia Moreno!

If you can recall in my past post about that vid, I was having some problems doing side planks as it was a new way of doing them to me. My wrists would get shaky. With some great advice, I would arch my hips upward and it made a world of difference. But yesterday was a weaker day so I thought it would be a great idea to just do my side planks up on a yoga block. That way I would be more at an angle and more weigh is distributed to my foot. Brilliant Idea!

So I went onto my right side, right hand up on a block, left hand in the air and it worked perfectly. Then we moved to our left side, I went to put my left hand on the block and it didn't land right on top of it. It went on the side of it at an angle to where my hand just rested on the corner of the block, at an angle. A pain hit my wrist but it immediately went away. So I held the pose there for a while because the foam block let my hand sink in a little.

I guess adrenaline was going for this workout because I continued on with more planks and no pain at all. No pain came on until a few hours after the workout. My neck was sore on my left side. I thought it was how I slept on it because it was stiff that morning. I kept massaging my neck throughout the day, thinking it would just loosen up and go away.

Then by last night I had to take a hot shower with the water hitting the back and side of my neck. It was pretty sore. I was still thinking I slept on it wrong. It didn't occur to me that it was that side plank until my wrist started throbbing. My wrist had this ache that wasn't super painful but it was enough to be super annoying. I can move it and bend it all ways, but even having it straight, it just throbs.

I couldn't go to sleep last night because of it. I had to hold my neck a certain way to take the pain away, but the wrist was just throbbing like a huge alarm, no matter what. I would hold and squeeze it to relieve the pain. For some reason, that worked. So I got up and found some wrap to wrap my wrist and a little further down my arm, took some ibuprofen and went to sleep.

I woke up this morning with major pain in my neck! I can't move it to the side without it really hurting. What the hell have I done?! Now I'm really downing the ibuprofen! And for some reason in the middle of the night, in my sleep, I took off the wrist wrap. It was on the side of the bed, on the floor. My wrist wasn't in pain, though. But the more I moved my neck, the more I tried to loosen it up, the pain started coming back to my wrist. So now I'm pretty sure the wrist and neck are directly related to the same injury.

Way to go, me! I don't know how long this will put me out. This goes to show I really should join that yoga club thing and learn all poses in great depth. Or maybe I should have taken those expensive classes so I can get a teacher to tell me not to use blocks on side planks. Geez!

Yogini on a Budget #2

2009-07-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

Live in the Dallas area? Classes are freaking expensive here! The cheapest I can find is $130 a month - holy crapola! How do these people afford this? This must be why I always see rich people do yoga. lol

Well, this is one of the reasons I do home practice. I do pay $27 a month to my local gym that does a classic yoga class and a BodyFlow class. I'm working up the guts to go to one.

But we should all get a chance to at least experience a real yoga community and a REAL yoga class, right? At least once? What about FREE?!

On Labor Day (September 7th) in downtown Dallas, it's the 3rd Annual FREE DAY OF YOGA! Wooty!!!

This isn't some random studio offering a day for free. Nope. This is the full yoga community of the Dallas/ Fort Worth area getting together to offer their services as free classes all day long. Beginner? Great! What a great way to try out yoga and see if you like it. What if you are experienced? Great! What a great way to try a different kind of yoga you haven't tried before! They will have all kinds of styles - such as Ashtanga, Bikram, Iyengar, Jivamukti, Kundalini, Power, Tantra and Vinyasa Yoga

If you come the night before the Free Day, you get to meet all of the instructors. Maybe there is one you connect with if you are in search for one. They will also have mini yoga workouts and demonstrations. There will be door prize drawings by tons of yoga and fitness sponsors.

There are 175 classes on this day! Check out the huge schedule!
http://www.freewebs.com/dallasfreedayofyoga/2009schedule.htm

Hell, they even have that new crazy stuff - Tree Yoga

VID REVIEW-- Exercise TV: Cardio Yoga with Meaghan Townsend

2009-07-25T19:24:00.000-05:00

I <3 Meaghan Townsend on Exercise TV! I've sampled many of her yoga vids so far. Today, I did her Cardio Yoga - and woooweee it was tough for me, but I loved it!

I use Excercise TV a lot since it's on my On Demand and online. I can try out so many latest workout vids that change out every month and if I likey - I can buyie. :)

This was only 20 mins, but geez, 20 mins was all I needed! I was sweating up a storm even with the fan going at full speed. This was my first time trying out a warrior three. So that was my biggest challenge. And she doesn't make you just hold the pose, she makes you hold it, then bend your standing leg into a squat and stand back up several times while holding the warrior three pose. Whoa! I'm not ashamed to admit....I tipped over several times. I couldn't even hold it still without squatting down. Looks like I need to work on that one. There was A LOT of leg work and core work. Warriors and lunges with tons of side to side arm swings and chest opens. The one arm burner was the pushups with just one foot and switch. It was fast pace, tough for a beginner, and was drenching. And no wonder why it was tough - it's Intermediate level - yikes!

What I love most about Meaghan is she isn't so traditional yoga with yoga speak. Sometimes it's not all about serious yoga face with show off on how much you know and can do. It's all about enjoying yourself and having fun. YOGA SHOULD BE FUN! She's great at showing it with her personality and smile. She's a great talker and can tell you exactly where you should feel it. If your legs are burning, she knows it and she tells you to just hold it a bit longer. The pain is only temporary, right?

My On Demand says it's only available for a week longer. But you know what? I like it so much, I want to buy...how much you think it is? Only $2.99, yal! Saaweet!

Yogin

2009-07-25T01:30:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Shiny Yoga and had to share. I haven't had an experience of a neighboring yogi out performing me since I've done all home practice, but I found this pretty funny.

A funny little animation - Yogin

omg cute!

2009-07-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

Oh I wish I could wear cute yoga clothes like this! Oh I wish I could afford them, too! I can look, though. :)
http://www.lucy.com

Yogini on a Budget

2009-07-23T18:13:00.000-05:00

I soooo need a couple of yoga blocks and maybe a strap. We are looking for a good $30 at the very least, right? I went to Gaiam and loaded up my cart to see what it would be like with shipping....okay, i added other things, too, but it basically told me I'll have to wait a little while. So I guess I'll have to wait till a good payday came. Who knows when that would be right? I mean, I already gotta save up the $65 for the Gaiam Yoga Club!

So this evening, I'm at good ol' Wally world getting some cat food and I walk by the fitness dept. just by curiosity. And I didn't really think I'd see yoga blocks. But there they were! Shrink-wrapped together in a set - 2 bright blue yoga blocks and a khaki cotton strap! They are made by Danskin.

And how much? $30? No. $20? Nope..... $10!!! Ten buckaroos for 2 hard foam blocks and a really strong and soft strap. The only bummer about the strap is the buckle is a hard plastic and not metal. No big deal!

I'm a yogini on a SERIOUS budget - I'll take what I can get. :)

Toe Stretchers?

2009-07-23T12:55:00.000-05:00

With having chornic hypothyroidism, a symptom is low circulation - numbness in the limbs. This is so severe in my feet - my left foot especially. Many times in the middle of the night, I'll wake up with my left foot completely numb and all the way up my leg. It feels completely dead. I sometimes will get it in my both feet, but my left is always the first to go. I spend so much time in the middle of the night massaging it back to life, walking around on it, etc. Let me tell you, the pain is awful! Burning and tingling means it's coming back but it takes so much time to gain control over it. This happened every single night for the past week. Grrr!

This isn't just for night time, though. My left foot starts to go numb (starting at the toes) on elliptical machines, stationary bikes, sometimes the treadmill, step classes, and sometimes during my combat classes if we are doing a lot of jumping around and light on our feet.

The doctor has nothing for me really. It's the blood flow that nourishes the nerves that make them continue to work. When the blood flow is low, the nerves stop firing. The doc can put me on some medicine for my nervous system. But to tell you the truth, that scares the crap out of me! I'm scared of anything really messing with my central nervous system, ya know? My grandma is on some of that medicine and she has odd reactions to it and tripping over things. I'll just deal with my numb feet on my own, I guess.

Or wait. I just saw these toe spreaders on the Gaiam.com site. Now these are to help align your feet and help you keep your balance in yoga. But It also says it's for foot pain and increases circulation. Hmm!!

Now, I have heard in a few videos - "Spread your toes" and I always was confused. How in the hell am I supposed to spread my toes, people? I can barely move my pinky toe on the right foot...that's it! lol

They even had these cute yoga sandals.

The sandals look like they don't spread your toes as much since you obviously will be wearing them longer than the toe spreader. But I think maybe the toe spreader might increase the circulation more. Maybe I can wear them at night while I sleep? Or maybe will make them sore. I guess I have to just try them to see for myself.

But which one should I get? They are both $35. Do you have any experience with toe spreaders?

Online Yoga Club with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman

2009-07-23T12:31:00.001-05:00

Ooowee!! How come no one ever told me about this?

Here I am just looking through the Gaiam website and picking out my wishlist for things I want (I seriously need 2 blocks to help me touch the floor during a standing forward bend), and I come across this neat little online yoga club. Not just any yoga club, but these are the peeps (Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman) that are in a ton of my yoga videos. So since they taught me the way in my beginners dvd, I cling to them for more instruction, just like a little puppy. I wanted to immediately purchase a membership but $65 for just 3 months is kind of an expensive little website. I'll have to wait till I have the money, I guess. :(

This 12 week program walks you through 75 poses in 3 different levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced). You get a new set to learn every week, full with video instruction of each pose. Then you get exercises to work on to help you sink in deeper into the poses. The next week rolls around and you have a new set of poses to do for homework. There is also a community forum, blogs and chats. I guess they want you to get into the community there, so after your 12 weeks are up, you pay another $65 to stick with the community. lol But apparently, there are other instructors there on the forums that you can ask about poses and such. Because I have a serious problem with my right hip and certain hip openers hurt a little. I don't know if I should push through it and maybe the pain will go away or should I stay away from hip openers fully. It would be nice to know a modification I can do that is specific for people with hip problems. (geez, I sound like an elderly woman complaining about hip problems. lol I'm only 28!)

Anyway, here's the rundown:

Week 1 - Standing Poses
Week 2 - Sun Salutations
Week 3 - Backbends
Week 4 - Twists
Week 5 - Inversions
Week 6 - Calming Poses
Week 7 - Headstand
Week 8 - Balanced Sequences
Week 9 - Advanced Poses
Week 10 - Health Sequences
Week 11 - Emotional Balance
Week 12 - Meditation/Pranayama

I might need a good 12 weeks of instruction. Hell, it's way cheaper than joining a yoga school! And since I want to mainly do home practice, this is perfect. I just gotta wait till I stumble upon $65! I need sponsors! LOL

Oh! I almost forgot to tell ya! When you join, you get 15% off coupon from Gaiam! How bad ass is that? That sure would help with that wish list I worked up over on their site.

Yay!! Welcome to the Rootless Tree!

2009-07-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

This is spin off of my personal journal blog after I realized I was talking a lot of yoga! I was talking so much about yoga, that it was taking over the majority of my blog. And that doesn't surprise me. When there is a new exciting thing in my life, well, I like to talk about it! And this would make it an awesome way to document this whole new journey for me! I'm hoping this isn't just a phase of interest (I tend to get crazy about things and then later drop them and move on to other new things - but at least I know myself! lol). All the posts older than this were copies of posts from my original blog that were related to yoga. No need to start all over, ya know?

So, I'm new at this yoga thing. I reckon I have about a month of practice in me. My biggest reasons is it's supposed to be really good for my hypothyroidism and maybe along with all my other massive workouts, maybe loose some weight. And since I'm on a budget, I can't spend the $150 a month on yoga classes - geez! So I'm doing this thing on my own and maybe might take a few yoga classes at my normal gym - not at the hippie high-dollar yoga mecca place. But I might visit there if I won the lotto or something. Until that lottery money comes in, it's all DVD's and online videos for me! Oh and if I ever get the guts to show up at the class at gym. I did speak of my only real yoga class I visited that was just a plain awful experience. I haven't been able to step foot in yoga classes since!

My workouts have definitely been beginner, but I'm moving on to easy power/cardio yoga workouts. I think I really came a good way so far. I mean, I couldn't dare balance in the modified tree position, but now I can stand in the position for a good bit. I still consider my most challenge is getting my downward dog perfected. Hopefully some day, right?

Why did I name this "Rootless Tree?" Well, not only is a song from one of my fav music artists - Damien Rice - but it definitely explains a clumsy person trying to learn balance. I'm not much of a balance person - just like a tree without roots. Maybe I should have named it "Clumsy Yogini?" lol

My Yoga Online.com

2009-07-21T16:36:00.000-05:00

http;//www.myyogaonline.com
Ooooo a new yoga find! Videos Galore! Many of them are samples you can buy and download, but the variety is awesome! This is gets me in the yoga mood! Now if only my muscles weren't so sore from BodyPump and BodyCombat all in a row, I'd definitely get some yoga done before bed. Maybe a relaxing evening one....hmmm there are so many to choose!

Inner Rest to the Dutch

2009-07-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

I was chatting it up with Sergio today. If you don't follow my ongoing Sergio stories, he's my best friend and brother that lives all the way in Holland. We occasionally have some language barriers, but they seem to get more rare over the years I speak with him. It seems like I haven't got to really have a good talk with him in a while. He will get online and tell me really quick how great everything is, how the baby is doing, throw a couple of photos my way and then he's gone. A busy new father he is now.

So this talk we had today I really cherished and too advantage of. I was telling him about my troubles as of lately. He's always easy to talk to and always understands. He told me a ton of great things to make me feel better. Basically my time will come. Life will carry on even though it seems it is stuck. Don't compare my life with everyone else, I make it my own. There was a ton of good feeling advice I won't go into. Like my mom, he told me I needed to find Jesus. But he knows I'm agnostic, so he isn't pushy like my mom is about it. We both know our boundaries on the subject. I told him I have yet to find Jesus and I'm still not looking for him but Jason said I should find a therapist. LOL! Mom and Sergio want me to find Jesus, Jason wants me to find a therapist and I can't really find either. lol But I did tell him that I did find Yoga - and i think it helps a little.

Sergio was confused for a minute. He didn't know what yoga meant. He took a minute. I think he went to maybe look it up. Then he comes back with "Oh Inner Rest, okay, yeah" And I thought....what an awesome way to explain it in another language - Inner Rest. It does feel like inner rest after I'm finished. Maybe not so much during cardio yoga, but after I feel inner rest. Its a temporary feeling for me. But I'm hoping that feeling will expand with time.

It's Tuesday and I Can't Wait....

2009-07-14T16:33:00.000-05:00

It's Tuesday and I can't wait to do another round of cardio yoga this evening! Yesterday, I had such a stressful day at work, I ran home, changed clothes and headed to the gym for my fav cardio class - BodyCombat! I was ready to fight, punch, and kick all that stress away. It's a major stress reliever for me.

I got there and it had been cancelled for the day. They said the instructor is injured and they couldn't find a substitute today. I was so disappointed, so I stuck around and lifted weights and shot some hoops for the hour. I was still stressed and now I was just disappointed that I couldn't kick ass.

There isn't a BodyCombat class till Thursday. I'm still stressed today. So the next best thing is to try cardio yoga again! I can't wait to get home today and get right to it. This time, I'm going to try and arch up my hips during the side plank. Maybe I can do it this time without shaking so much. Hopefully I can do it with a smile on my face like this chick does it in this photo.

There is a BodyFlow class at my gym this evening that mixes yoga, tai chi and pilates together, but I don't think I'm ready for an official class, yet.

Find out what others can't wait for and tag on!

Review: Cardio Burn Yoga with Patricia Moreno

2009-07-11T16:33:00.000-05:00

So here I am flipping through my On Demand on my cable box to see what free workouts I can find on Exercise TV. There was a nice selection of the latest workout dvds for yoga.

I wanted a serious fat burning workout. I think I'm ready for it. Lets put all this beginner's slow flow stuff aside. I wanted to do the cardio yoga with Meghan Townsend but it said I would need a balance ball for the workout. I have one, but it's completely deflated and I didn't feel like blowing it up.

Then there was another cardio yoga - Gaiam's Cardio Burn Yoga with Patricia Moreno. This is my first time checking this chickie. She was pretty sweet, always smiling - even through the parts I wanted to curse. I don't like that she had 2 people doing the workout with her. I appreciate that they try to make it feel like you are in a classroom with other people. But when I glance at the TV at the corner of my eye, I'd like to concentrate on one person to see what she's doing. Many people behind her doing stuff just confuses me if I'm looking with my peripheral vision.

This was quite different from my beginner slow easy moves workouts. She didn't start with stretches or anything, we went straight into some sun salutations, swan dives, downward dog, low lunge, high lunge. This was very repetitious and fast. low lunge, high lunge back and forth over and over. I was working up a sweat. Then we did something I hadn't done before - side planks with the top arm up in the air. I think this was the hardest part. My arm that was holding up my whole top half of my body was shaking so much. It made my whole body shake. And I hear Patricia say "Smile, even if it hurts, smile through this" My smile ended up being a teeth grinding through pursed lips. But you know what? I did it! We went into side planks over and over and over again, mixed back into the low and high lunges, many downward dogs. I was sweating on my mat and it seemed like the 35 minutes was taking forever!

It seemed like I had been doing this for 40 minutes already, so I thought we were going to chill out. But there was more. We went into another thing I had never done - modified standing split. It wasn't that bad. Just balancing on one foot while bending forward and the other leg is straight back in the air parallel to the floor. I could touch my finger tips to the floor if I started to tip forward.

And remember when I couldn't do the tree pose without falling over? After a big cardio workout, my body felt so warm, I guess I could hold it. I had no problems sitting in tree towards the end. I even got to balance on one foot and extend the other out in the air for a while too.

There wasn't really a cool down or stretching relaxation bit at the end. We immediately hit the floor, took a breath and that was it. She didn't say "namaste" at the end. I thought I'd see that in every yoga workout. But I really LOVED this workout. My legs were shaking afterwards, but I felt great. I feel like a real yogi after this workout.

Yoga for Hypothyroidism

2009-07-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

As mentioned earlier, I'm a beginner at yoga. And by my recent posts, you can tell it's been an exciting new interest for me.

I'm not sure if I have mentioned about my health problems. I have chronic asthma that I didn't get until I went to college - weird. I have either circulation problems or nerve problems in my feet. Many exercises make my feet go completely numb - Step aerobics classes, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, treadmills sometimes, and even in my fav class, BodyCombat, my feet will go numb if we do a lot of agility light on the front of our feet. I was also born with Poland Syndrome (too weird to get into right now). And I have various other little things besides those.

A really big part of my life is that I have chronic hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed after I graduated from college, but it was a very late diagnosis. At some point many years before I was diagnosed, my thyroid just decided to stop working. Your thyroid gland basically is important for so many things in your body: your body's way of controlling temperature and your metabolism being the most important. With having hypo, and not being treated, you have major weight gain no matter how much you exercise or diet. You get very tired all the time. Your skin gets very dry, and your hair gets dry and fragile. You are always very very cold. I was so cold, I was shivering in the Texas summer. In the winter, I couldn't feel my hands or feet through the whole season. I remember falling a lot because I couldn't feel my feet touching the floor. I hadn't broke a sweat for many years, even while working out. I gained about 60 lbs in college because of it. I felt awful. I was sleeping a lot. It never occurred to me that I had a medical problem.

My physical exams always came back okay. I just needed to loose a lot of weight, the doctor would tell me.

I graduated college and moved to Dallas and I had to have a new doctor for my next annual exam. She tests thyroid as part of her exam. BINGO! Tests came back awful. They were so low that she said my thyroid was barely working, if at all. She instructed me to not take any sleeping pills or any pain medication. This was important because I was very close to falling into a coma. Many people just have hypo that show their thyroid just isn't up to par, but mine was pretty much dead - non existent - chronic hypo. It just sits there, taking up space, pretty much.

It took about 8 months to a year before my medication is regulated and I have the right amount for me. But I have to get checked every 6 months to make sure it hasn't changed. I will be on the medication for the rest of my life. I also have to eat foods and take vitamins that help support my thyroid. Since that 60lb gain, I've lost 40lbs of that over the past few years by really working my ass off. I have to work twice as hard as a person with a healthy thyroid.

I never thought about yoga being good for my thyroid. I thought of this as just another workout. So I was surprised when I came across yoga for hypothyroidism. I did a google search and came up with a TON of sites that say yoga is very good for people with hypothyroidism. There is a ton of research currently being done to try and link the two. There are certain poses that make the oxygen-rich blood flow to the neck (where the gland is), which are supposed to nourish the thyroid gland giving it a boost. The only thing I've done so far would be downward dog, I guess. All the others seemed advanced for me, head stands, shoulder stands, sitting forward bend, fish pose, plough pose, lion pose. Maybe I'll get to them eventually.

Some links I found:

http://www.the-yoga-place.com/hypothyroidism.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Exercise-and-Yoga-for-Hypothyroidism&id=738438

http://www.yogacards.com/Yoga_for_thyroid/thyroid_problems.html

http://thyroidtalk.org/hypothyroidism/yoga-exercises-for-hypothyroidism

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/alternativehelp/l/aa092899.htm

http://www.yogawiz.com/askquestion/222/yoga-and-hypothyroidism-which-yoga-are-beneficial-.html

So I'm really excited about this. I can't wait to see if I can really notice a difference in the near future. Maybe I can loose weight more easily (hypo has makes it so freaking hard to loose weight). I can get the other 20lbs off, I hope.

I was already doing something that was really healthy for a thyroid disease I had and I didn't know it till now - how cool is that?

Review #3: Rodney Yee's YOGA for Beginners - Evening Rejuvenating Workout

2009-07-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

There are 3 parts of this dvd reviewed. Here are Review #1 and Review #2.

This is the last part of the DVD - The Rejuvenation Workout to be taken in the evening to relax and feel all of the stress of the day melt away. It's 15 minutes.

I felt like this was the biggest let down. It was rather boring, really. There were some triangle poses at the beginning and then we immediately went to the floor and stayed there. A few twists and stretches on the floor. A lot of knee into chest type of poses. I think my fav was the happy baby's pose that went back and over my head. That felt awesome. I was told to immediate roll back into staff pose, but I wanted to stay there with my legs over my head for a bit. I guess with only 15 minutes, everything has to go fast.

I think if you are to release tension from the day and relax, they should have made this workout longer so you can hold poses for a little bit longer. Seemed like as soon as I got into pose, I was releasing already. But what do I know, this is just a review from a true beginner.

I'm already ready for another workout. The pose training had me excited and then the actual workouts got me disappointed. I wanted a bit more. I haven't mastered these basic poses yet, but I'm already looking for something slightly more challenging or fun. Something that makes me say "Whoa, now that was a workout!" afterwards. And I'm sure I'm getting too far ahead of myself. And I can't really afford another dvd at the moment. I think I'll hunt for some more free online ones. My hip still hurts when I sit in cross seated position. My cat still wants my mat to himself. I have to kick him outside when I roll it out.

Review #2: Rodney Yee's YOGA for Beginners - Morning Energizing Workout

2009-07-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

This is a continuation of the Review of Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners workout dvd. This is in 3 parts as there are on the DVD.

I tried the second workout this morning - Morning Energizing Workout. This is a solid 20-minute workout designed to wake your body up and ready for the day.

It starts out energizing from the beginning to wake you up fast. Several repeated sun salutations with swan dives really got me going to start. This was followed with some downward dog and warrior 2's and 1's.

This all seemed to go by quickly because before I knew it, I was on the mat doing some slow twists and stretches. All the excitement slowed down pretty fast into relaxation.

This may be typical of morning yoga, since this is my first morning yoga workout ever. But I wanted to feel energized and have my heart beat going a bit at the end so that I can start my day with some omph. The beginning of the workout did just that, but all the relaxation afterwards made me want to go back to bed.

But oddly enough, it's almost 4pm now and I've gone through a whole day of work at my desk without fatigue. So maybe it's energy I can't actually feel but just enough to keep me alert for the day. Maybe when I get the basics down someday, I'll find a better morning workout that will make me say "Wow."

Review #1: Rodney Yee's YOGA for Beginners - Pose Training

2009-07-07T16:29:00.000-05:00

My first dvd workout review - yay!

I decided to revisit yoga for the 2nd time a couple weeks ago. So after buying a cheap walmart yoga mat and trying out some free yoga workouts online, I decided I liked yoga enough to actually buy a good yoga dvd.

Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners was recommended to me not too long ago. I was at a sporting goods store the other day, glanced over and immediately recognized it. A sign? of course!

I think it was $14 and some change before sales tax. Not bad. I think that's normal for workout dvds, right?

I'm going to review this DVD in 3 parts because this DVD has 3 different parts to it. There is a pose training course that is 40 minutes long. After you learn your poses correctly, there is a 20-minute morning energy workout and there is a 15-minute evening relaxation workout.

So far, I've done the pose training last night. And I might do it again this evening. The pose training was exactly what I was looking for. This goes through many very basic yoga poses very descriptively. Let me say this again, it was very very descriptive. They walk you through every little move, and everything you should feel. Where you should send your energy, where you should look, what is being grounded, what is inline with what, how you should breathe, every single little itty bitty detail is covered. If what you feel is what they are describing, you are doing it right! They also go over the most common mistakes in certain poses. This is extremely beneficial because I found out I was doing some things wrong. For example, on the downward dive, I was bending at my lower back. I didn't know I was supposed to bend at the hips! I didn't realize that. Now that I'm doing it correctly, the pose feels completely different. Even at the end, they go over relaxation. Rodney describes even your mental state as you metally scan you body and how you feel - what your fingers feel, what your eyes feel, what your mouth feels and what position your tongue is in. I never thought like this before and it was extremely different than I had ever experienced.

Now if they could have kept the cat from rubbing on my legs and wanting to lay on my mat while I was trying this out, it would have been a miracle dvd. But I give the Pose Training portion of the dvd an A+!!! I was really wanting to find something that actually taught me, not just a workout that says "do what I do." This really did it.

Day 2 in Yoga Revisted

2009-06-26T16:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I did the same 20 min beginners yoga that I did the day before. It was a little bit easier the 2nd time around. But there is this one position that is so common because you get into it all of the time. In fact, I'm sure every single yoga workout you've seen will have this position at least a handful of times during your workout. And with something so common, I should have it down. It should be so easy. I look at photos and video of it being done and I don't think I can imitate it.

Downward Dog

Looks simple and easy, doesn't it? It's not for me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. See her feet are flat on the floor? My heels are no where near the floor. I'm up on the front part of my feet and toes gripping the mat. I can't get the rest of my feet anywhere near the mat. And it looks like there is hardly any weight on her hands. They just look calmly stretched out. Me...I'm all on my hands. Most of my weight is on my hands. Maybe because I"m so top heavy? I'm doing all I can to hold myself up and keeping my face from smacking into the mat. And that position in that photo looks like it feels good. A nice deep stretch, calm and relaxing. Me....my legs are shaking, I'm breathing heavy, sweating and I'm looking at my fingers hoping that my arms and elbows don't fail me. Im pretty sure I lock my elbows for insurance. I really hope this position gets easier. And by some miracle, my feet might touch the floor all the way someday. I'm just amazed that such a common yoga position is that hard for me to do.

I also wanted to try another 20 min yoga video for beginners over at yogadownload.com. I actually assumed yoga download was a little video download. But it's actually mp3s with a pdf showing a chart of what each yoga position in the workout looks like. This was difficult for me because, as a beginner, it was hard to figure out what she wanted. She was very descriptive in what your body should do and how it should move, but if you don't know what the positions look like or don't know what you are doing, it will be difficult for you. I had the pdf position chart open in front of me. But I had to stop what I'm doing and look at it to find out where we were at in the chart and what position to look for. I'm sure after dong it for a while, I'll get it down, though. The music was soothing and her voice was calm and relaxing. It was slow so you had time to make sure you got it right and really feel the stretch - which I really liked.

And when ever I get that Downward Dog down, maybe I'll get the Tree down without falling over.

Yoga Revisited

2009-06-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

The first time I tried yoga was about 3 or more months ago. And up until today, it was my only experience. I tried a normal yoga class at my gym (Gold's Gym). It was nothing fancy or advanced. Your standard yoga stuff. I made sure of this before I ever entered the room. I grabbed a mat, took off my shoes and was ready to relax and stretch. I was so excited about yoga. But it was nothing like I expected.

First of all, my right leg right at my hip has always been kind of messed up. I think I was born with it like that because I remember being a small kid, I couldn't sit Indian style with my legs crossed like the other kids. Everyone would sit on the floor and when I crossed my legs or put my legs in the "butterfly" position, my right leg wouldn't fall to the floor like my left would. So it would look like unbalanced and it would cause me to slightly lean to the left. I hadn't thought of my leg doing that in sooooo long because it's been FOREVER since I had to sit like that on the floor. If I had thought about it, I would have told my instructor before class had started. But it never crossed my mind and I didn't think it really mattered.

But as soon as we sat on the floor and we crossed our legs, I looked in the mirrored wall in front of me and immediately saw my leg up in the air and not on the floor like my left leg would do. I looked at myself compared to everyone and all their legs were flat on the floor. And as my instructor walked around, she came up behind me as my eyes were closed, and she pushed really hard to get my leg to go to the floor and she said, "Relax this leg to the floor. Get in balance. Don't lean. Center yourself." And that push sent a huge jolt of pain through my hip and up my back. I felt like screaming and clenched my teeth and squinted my eyes in pain. I didn't want to disturb everyone's quiet peace by screaming or telling her to lay off me.

After that, I had to hold myself in various poses that were pretty damn hard. And she never would mention beginners options if we couldn't hold that position. She was always coming to me and readjusting me over and over again. It was embarrassing. I felt like this wuss in a room full of athletic professionals. I could see in the mirror at everyone in crazy outstretch reaches and poses. Me, I was sweating bullets, my muscles were shaking and I was breathing fast. She says, "Take a deep breath in slowly.........and then exhale slowly, going deeper in stretch." By the time she finished that sentence, I had already taken about 50 breaths. There was no clock in the room. But if there was, I would have counted down the minutes. I couldn't wait for this hour long class to end! I felt pain in every part of my body. I couldn't breathe slowly. I was sweating like crazy. It was really really hard. The worst workout I have ever had, the worst class I ever went to. Just an overall awful experience. I said I would never do yoga ever again and most definitely never step foot in the yoga classroom again. And I haven't.

But thanks to the motivation and inspiration from Jenny at Peanut Butter and Jenny. I thought I would try it again. Just something about it looks so peaceful, beautiful and fulfilling. I was upset that I didn't experience that. This time I didn't do the class. I thought I would do it on my own, in the comforts of my own home, without and instructor pushing my leg to the floor. (seriously, the thought of that again makes me shudder from the pain)

Today, I went and got my own little yoga mat. And I watched a free beginners 20-min yoga workout video on the internet. This experience was way better! I wasn't embarrassed if I had to re-position myself or readjust to get it right. I could do the best I could do on my own. It felt great! The stretches felt great and I really felt my body open up. This was a perfect day to start, too, because I did BodyPump earlier today (a 1-hour weight training class). So stretching all my muscles was so good for me. There were still some things I was bad at. Downward dog looks so easy, but I feel the burn on that one the most. The girl in the video has her feet back, flat and my heels are way up off the floor. I don't know how she does that! My body heated up pretty fast and I started breaking a sweat nicely. I still seriously need to work on my breathing. Maybe when I'm used to the positions, I can concentrate on the breathing better. Some positions had me shaking or I lost balance a little. I hope I get better. And yeah, that means, I'll do it again. I don't mind doing it everyday because after it was all over, I felt wonderful! I felt so tall, flexible and relaxed. AND THIRSTY. I drank a whole bottle of water right afterwards. LOL!

Oh! And with my cable (Time Warner), I have OnDemand. I saw there is a Fitness channel on there for free. They had a ton of workouts and free yoga workouts, too!! Also, Yogadownload.com has some free ones. So I can really get the hang of it and see if I like it enough to try the class again or buy some dvds.