Kristina's Blog

I’m writing this from a small town called Srpska Crnja in Serbia. I arrived yesterday afternoon and I’m super happy to be here. I successfully finished the 30 Day Challenge last Thursday, but I was swamped with preparations for my trip and a bachelorette party my friends threw for me, that I never got around to blogging about my final day’s experience.

It was lovely to have Suzie practice with us that morning. I also arrived at the studio with the rest of the crew at 6 am, which was a first for me. I had always started a bit later and it was awesome to be almost completely synchronized with the others. We finished at the same time and said namaste to each other in person! Physically, my practice felt great and my personal growth was very evident. I’ve learned how to connect with my breath much better over the past 30 days. I also learned how to breath through the postures that require a lot of effort, instead of getting frustrated and feeling like I simply can’t. Because I can. Because I’m in the posture and I’m practicing yoga so long as I’m breathing steadily and with purpose. 

I’ve developed such a great new habit over the last month and I refuse to let it go. I haven’t practiced in a few days now because I’ve been travelling, adjusting, sleeping, and visiting family, but I plan to continue the daily practice starting tomorrow. I’ve vowed to make yoga a part of my daily morning routine, even if it means to simply salute the sun each day. I’ll be realistic in my own expecatations of myself, so I’m committing to a full Primary Series three times per week. More is welcome, less is unexceptable. On top of that, I’ll be starting to teach a multi-week program here in a couple of weeks, and I’m stoked for that! I’ll also be going to some classes in the city of Novi Sad to check out the yoga environment here. I’ll blog about it all!

As for the June 30 Day Challenge, I will try it. Serbian cooking is extremely meat-based and it would be almost impossible to completely eliminate meat from my diet for a full month. I’m not even sure I want to, since the meat and dairy products are so fresh here, and truly organic (my grandma feeds and nourishes her own chickens, and you would not believe how yellow the egg yokes are). However, the vegetables from her garden are also exceptional, heirloom, organic veggies. From that perspective, there’s no better time to go vegan than when all of the plants are homegrown! I brought The Thrive Diet book here with me and will definitely give this challenge a go. I wish I could commit to it fully, but I don’t think it’s a realistic goal for me at this time.

I’ll see how this month unfolds with a new living arrangement and a new job, and I’ll keep you all updated. In the meantime namaste, my friends!

On the second last day of this challenge I had an awesome practice. I really noticed how these postures were making me feel and how far I had come since trying the Primary Series for the very first time on the first day of YTT Module II. I vividly remember most of the ones where I went “what the heck?!” in my head, and now when I practice them, I just breathe. Many of the postures are still not how they look in the books, but who cares? I haven’t been practicing yoga since I was 13 and I’ve only been doing it intesively for a few months - let’s be honest. I’ve come a very long way and I’m proud of myself for it. The journey has been incredible and I want it to continue! I remember scoffing at the idea that the Primary Series is supposed to be a “moving meditation”. “But it hurts so much!” I thought. I’m finally (finally!) feeling that it is a moving meditation.

I’ve spent the last 29 days building a sustainable practice for myself. My goal has never been to simply make it, or endure it, for 30 days. I wanted to learn and grow, become strong both mentally and physically, and overcome the initial inertia of beginning a daily practice. Doing it with a group of motivated and like-minded individuals has been supportive and helped immensely along the way. After this first month, I feel I can do this for a long, long time. That’s the best part! I pushed myself along the way, but I didn’t forcibly practice things that were making me hurt (I can tell the difference between bad pain and good pain - that’s important) and I tended to take a day off from the full routine guilt-free. I didn’t want to punish myself for 30 days, make it through, and then never want to do it again. I built the full series slowly, one day at a time, until eventually I memorized (naturally) the sequence and could enjoy it (almost) every single day.

I come away from my practice most days feeling light and carefree. Obviously, I encounter many hurdles during my day at work, and in life in general, but since starting this challenge, I’ve become better and better at overcoming obstacles with ease. I no longer get myself completely consumed and stressed out about issues that come my way. My nervous system has calmed down and my fight or flight response isn’t nearly as reactive. I breathe slowly and think clearly, and all of this has come naturally with this morning practice. It is the way it is.

I’m starting my final day of this challenge at 6 am tomorrow with the crew at Energi. Suzie is coming down from Oakville and a few of us are planning to get breakfast together after practice. All challengers are welcome! I’m leaving for Serbia in a few days and would love to say a farewell to you all.

I woke up this morning with my negotiator - only it’s not what you expect. My regular Monday routine doesn’t include the full Primary Series, and the negotiator wanted the full practice! My body was fairly sore from my practice at Downward Dog yesterday, so I was debating whether or not to do a gentle Monday practice or to make up for my botched practice on Friday, and just go for it. That’s just what I did - I went for it! I planted my mat in my sunny backyard and did whole-hearted salutations under the warm glow. It felt amazing.

I did the full practice only forgetting one posture in the Standing Series unintentionally - grr, I hate when that happens! I realized I forgot the standing half-lotus when I got to the seated half-lotus, and was wondering why the heck my lotus felt stiff. It was because it was my first time in it, not the second! Ah, well. The rest of the practice felt great, and I’m really starting to find stillness in Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana, whereas Ubhaya Padangusthasana is once again a mystery to me.

I’ll be practicing at Energi once again tomorrow morning, and I’m stoked for it!

I went to visit a friend in Toronto last night and we went to dance the night away in the big city! This meant that I did not practice at the crack of dawn on this beautiful Sunday. However, I did go to Downward Dog! I was debating between the 1 pm Level I class or the Mysore class with Delia Triolo, and the awful traffic decided for me - the 3 pm Mysore class it was. I arrived at the the studio not really knowing what to do, and the receptionist seemed really surprised that my first-ever visit to their studio was for a self-led class. It worked out perfectly, though, and it fits super-awesomely into my 30 Day Challenge.

It was such a gorgeous, warm day today, which meant that the studio was hot. I didn’t think to bring a towel, and before I had even started saluting the sun, I was dripping with sweat. I had never practiced hot yoga before, and even though this wasn’t quite as hot, it was a shock for me! It felt amazing, though. Delia came around and made a lot of adjustments, and I spoke to her right off the bat and welcomed any suggestions she had. She dramatically changed and improved my Trikonasana, and was a huge help for Janu Sirsasana A & B, as well as many other postures. I learned how to tuck my toes and move deeper into Bhujapidasana. She even adjusted me in Savanasa!! I had never done a self-led practice with an instructor watching, so this was all so new to me. I definitely want to go again. I’ve decided that when I come back in September, I’ll make it a mission to go at least once per month, and ideally twice. I’d love it if some of you would come with me. I still have so much to learn, but I’m grateful I’ve been putting in so much time practicing this month. I’ve come a long way and today I felt like I leapt forward.

The whole Downward Dog environment (along with the heat) kept me remarkably focused on my breath and my postures. There was no space for slacking or chatter. I walked out of the studio with a clear mind and a bag full of drenched yoga gear. Bring it on!

Yesterday’s practice was almost non-existent and I felt extremely disappointed with myself the entire day. I had an awful, emotional morning, and then the rest of the day followed along that same,  self-destructive path. I got myself onto my mat outside in the sunshine and began with salutations. Over the course of this challenge, I’ve really grown to love my Surya Namaskara A and B. They (almost always) take me out of the busy-ness of my mind and get me centred for practice. Unfortunately, they weren’t as helpful yesterday morning, and after my tenth salutation I left my mat. Sigh. I somehow managed to pick myself up by the evening and vowed to have a great practice the following morning.

This morning’s practice was great in that I was focused and calm, and my mind was relatively chatter-free. However, not practicing the full Primary the previous day left my joints a little creaky and my muscles surprised to be doing these poses. By the end of practice I felt awesome, but completely and totally exhausted. After 25 days of waking up with my alarm at 6 or 7 am, I’m pooped. I typically wake up with an alarm on weekdays and sleep in until my heart’s desire on weekends. For these 30 days, though, I decided to always wake up early and practice first thing in the morning. When I came back home from Studio Energi this morning, I went back to bed and slept for another three hours. It felt fantastic! I feel super-energized now.

I’m spending the night in Toronto, so I won’t be practicing with the crew tomorrow morning at Energi. There’s a possibility I’ll go to Downdog for a class tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted!

I was so tired this morning when I got on my mat, and the negotiator creeped in to ask if we could do a not-so-full Full Primary. I said no. All I did was tell her that I’ve never ever regretted practicing the full series, and this time will be no different. I loved the whole practice and savasana felt exceptionally wonderful at the end. Although my practice wasn’t as strong as it typically has been, it still felt awesome.

Unfortunately, it sucked the last morsel of energy I had stored for the rest of my day. I was sort of mopey and groggy all day today. It didn’t help that my to-do list of things that need to be done before I leave is ever-growing. It seems that when I scratch one thing off, three new things appear. Today was not a good day, but I feel much better this evening. I’m super tired and am looking forward to hitting my pillow earlier tonight in preparation for an asanawesome practice tomorrow!

This Monday (Day 20) I did my (now-typical) Monday morning routine. I did some salutations, followed by studying Swenson and Maehle for new ideas on old postures. I also read more of B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Life, which I started about a week ago. Long days at work and early bedtimes make for short or non-existent daily reading, so I love doing some yoga theory work on these off days.

Later on in the day, though, I was surprised when Asia asked me to substitute for her class. I had only a few hours to finalize my sequence, grab my gear at home, warm-up and get to the UW CIF studio. This was also my first real teaching experience, which amplified the pressure. That went great and it was so much fun, as well as exhausting!

On Tuesday morning, I slept in (6:40 am!) because I didn’t set my alarm properly, and this gave me an excuse to not go to the studio. I let my negotiator win that battle. Yikes. When I got to the top of my mat, I felt awful. I didn’t get my typical day off from a rigorous physical practice and my body hated me for it. I got through all ten salutations and decided I needed to stop there. I’m fairly certain this was my body protesting and not just a “I don’t feel like it” response. This was the first time I had flaked out of the full Primary since starting this challenge (on a day other than Monday).

When I got on my mat this morning, I was pumped. And stiff. I realized quickly that not doing the full series for two days means my muscles get to go back to being jerks. This will not happen again! I can now practice the full sequence without my book, and this significantly improves both my flow and concentration. I had a strong practice this morning and I can’t wait to get on the mat tomorrow!

I didn’t have time or inspiration to write my blog yesterday, so I’ll be commenting on my weekend as a whole. My practice was great on both mornings and I think today’s was absolutely one of the best I’ve had. Having Suzie practice with us made a huge difference and made me wish that I had started practice at 6 am like the rest of the YTT crew. Although I came later, I was still there earlier than my regular weekend practice time :) 

I just love that we’re doing this. I know we all keep saying it, but we do so because we keep reaping the benefits of this challenge. Each and every day I’m thankful for my practice that morning. I feel physically fit and mentally sound. I’m more prepared to deal with the stresses of every day life. The past few days have been extremely busy as I’m rushing to wrap up a number of things before I leave and prepare for an overseas wedding. It’s a lot, but I don’t feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest or like I’m hyperventilating. I just breathe, pause, then react (usually). Breathing deeply for 1.5-2 hours each morning during practice calms my nervous system before I have a chance to encounter something stressful. When I eventually do, I can handle it.

I’m practicing as much of the Primary Series as I can right now. I’ve added all of the postures that I intend to for this challenge. Instead of postures like Janu Sirsasana C, I just repeat the B or A variation since I can’t get even close to comfortable and safe for the C one. I need to continue to practice this series for a long time…consistently. I’m loving it.

I waited too long to blog - I know. Now I’ve forgotten some of my impressions from this morning. This might be a good thing because my practice was fairly crappy, but I figure that it was bound to happen. I had been either coasting or having fantastic mornings…that’s not sustainable and it’s out of balance! I needed to have a bad day.

I came to the studio excited for practice like most mornings, but when I started moving, I was much more stiff than usual. My hips felt very creaky and almost locked the whole practice. It made for some very frustrating postures, and I couldn’t force myself out of the “damn, this sucks so much today” mindset. I couldn’t breathe well and my mind was buzzing with chatter. Grr! (It must be the weather).

I have to point out some good things about my practice, though. There were good things! I noticed, amidst my frustration, that my chaturanga is out of alignment. It always has been! For some reason (I think I know why), I take more weight into my right side and arm than my left side. This must be the reason for my right elbow trouble. I felt a pang of pain once during practice today, but managed to avoid it for the rest of practice by simply paying more attention to my weight distribution. Yay!

Also, my tolasana was back in full force this morning after struggling for a couple of days. Here’s to tomorrow being way better than today was!

It seems that, like my peers, I had a wicked good practice today! I was annoyed at myself on my drive to Energi because I forgot my water bottle and wondered how I would make it through the practice thirsty. It turns out that my practice was soo much better without the distraction of my water bottle. I had heard and read that drinking water during the Primary Series diminishes its effect as Yoga Chikitsa (Therapy) and quenches tapas. I didn’t believe it until I was forced to try the practice with no H2O! My flow during the Standing Series was amazing because a) I have this part memorized and b) I didn’t/couldn’t pause to take a sip of water. I realized after today that I had used my “I’m thirsty” excuse to take a break between certain postures. Today I simply moved. Yay! 

The rest of the Primary felt great too. After adding a number of postures over the last few days, I was able to get into (and stay in) Ubhaya Padangustasana by doing all of the previous reclining big-toe postures. Today, I especially appreciated the sequence. There is a reason why the series is the way it is and way we should do it in the order it’s laid out, without skipping postures along the way (ideally). Each posture prepares you for the next one in some way, or counters a previous or subsequent posture. Go figure! After thousands of years of research, I think they’ve done it (duh)! I’m so close to practicing the full Primary and am really starting to feel the benefits of chikitsa.

This morning’s practice was fine and I’m almost practicing the full Primary Series now. Over the next couple of days, I’ll be adding the final few postures. I had to drive my brother to school this morning, so I had to cut the Finishing Sequence short, which I didn’t like to do. I didn’t attempt headstand, but after trying it almost every day, I’m making little progress. I can feel my core getting stronger in other postures, so I’m not really sure what the problem is for this one. I figure that along with a strong core, I need to learn to shift my weight around and balance. I’ll keep working at it.

I love Tolasana and I can normally do 40 breaths in a row without too much trouble, but for some reason, I couldn’t do more then five this morning without hyperventilating! Once again, I don’t know what the problem is. It’ll hopefully be back to normal tomorrow because it feels so good before Savasana.

I almost posted this without getting excited…I’m half-way there! Day 15! Woohoo!

Today’s practice marks 14 mornings of practice, and I’m not so much surprised that I made it, but grateful to myself and my peers. I’ve “committed” to various types of physical activity before, and never made it past the 1.5-week mark. This is different. Firstly, it’s not just a “physical activity”, it’s a lifestyle change. It’s a mindset change. Secondly, we’re in it together. I would feel accountable if I gave up, and incredibly disappointed in myself. Luckily, though, the thought of stopping or skipping a day (other than Different-Practice Mondays) hasn’t occured to me. With all of my other commitments, I had to re-evaluate why I was doing them each day. This whole process has felt very natural and each day I feel the benefits of my morning practice. By the time evening and bedtime roll around, I’m excited about next morning’s practice. I wake up relatively easily at 6 am (another thing I couldn’t imagine doing just three short months ago).

Of course, there are varying degrees of excitement each day. Last night, for example, I had other things on my mind and I couldn’t fall asleep. This happens from time to time - about once a month. This time, my boyfriend in Serbia was visiting the Canadian Embassy to ask for a visa, and it made me nervous. He was waiting there this morning, and I was distracted for the whole first half of my practice. I made a conscious decision to keep my cell phone next to my mat, because I wanted and needed to know whether he would be able to come in September. This was more important than my flow this morning. After I found out that he had been approved, my practice was amazing and strong. My mind was clear and I was focusing on my breath.

After today’s practice, instead of feeling guilty that I couldn’t concentrate, I felt happy that I practiced! This may not seem significant to others, but my old habits would have prevented me from even getting up this morning. I had insomnia last night, so the old-me would have slept in, waited for the visa news in bed, then gone to work. I would have worked all day and come home with zero desire to practice. I’m so happy that I went to the studio instead and practiced all of the postures I had been doing without compromise. I’m changing.

I didn’t have time last night to study a new posture before bed, so I decided this morning that I would just try Supta Konasana. The first time I try a new posture in the series, it never works out very well. It starts to feel better each day (usually). However, I added Janu Sirsasana B at least a week ago, and I still don’t get it. It feels uncomfortable and nothing is really stretching or strengthening when I do it. I think I need to read about it some more, and I’d love to workshop with someone some time if my fellow YTT-ers are up for it.

My concentration today was just all right. Most postures felt solid, but I didn’t have any revelations or exciting moments. I heard the negotiator creep up once during the standing series to tell me that maybe “we could just skip most of the primary today”. Um…NO. She didn’t come back later and I plowed on through.

Seeing how tomorrow is Monday and we’re not practicing at the studio, I’m thinking about what I’d like to do tomorrow morning. I don’t feel particularly tired, so I don’t think I need to completely take the day off from physical practice. I think what I will do is all of the sun salutations, and then slowly go to some of the postures I’ve been having trouble with. I realize that doing them out of sequence will be challenging and potentially pointless, but I want to try them with Swenson and Maehle open. Even if I only get to workshop three postures, I’ll consider it to be a productive day. There’s no sense continuing to practice some of these postures incorrectly, and I need to incorporate the “1 % theory” part if I’m going to evolve.

Today’s practice was less than stellar and the most difficult of the past ten days. Before I begin to explain why, though…I’m in double digits!!! Yay!

Ok, I had to get that out there.

Yesterday’s great practice left me with a sore right arm (in the elbow area). I injured it around a year ago when I started to do too many Chaturangas before I was ready. The soreness flares up whenever I overdo it, so it’s back now. I started practicing Ashtanga yoga with chicken arms, so the muscles that are growing are doing so for the first time and still are not strong enough to sustain my mission. Feeling that soreness throughout the day yesterday reminded me that, although I should push myself in order to evolve, there is much to be said about moderation and staying safe.

As a result of this injury, today’s practice was a little frustrating since I had to cut out a few postures. I didn’t do a single Chaturanga but used my knees on the way down. This left my core cold even after the salutations and some of the subsequent postures were more difficult than usual. 

A few hours have passed since I rolled up my mat, and I’ve realized that my practice still had a pronounced effect on my day, even if it was not up to par with how I had been doing the last few days. Earlier, I had felt like today was a huge setback. Now I know that by just being on the mat for the usual 1.5 hours at the crack of dawn this morning, I worked on my mind-body with respect and care, and that has prepared me for the rest of my long Friday.

Overall, as I’ve been developing my personal practice on the mat, I’ve noticed that I’m becoming a more calm and content person off the mat. I can’t quite place it yet, but I feel different. Many other things in my life are settling into place and giving rise to my happiness and peace, so I’m not sure that it’s just a result of the yoga. I don’t want to spend time wondering why  - I’ll just enjoy life right now.

This morning I did everything the usual way: started practice by 6:30, did five of each salutation and cruised on into the standing series. Somewhere around the standing half-lotus forward fold, I heard a little voice tell me that my hips were all wrong. I looked down and tried to feel it, and it sure did feel wrong, but that’s how I had always been doing it! My sit-bones were NOT pointing straight to my mat. I started to notice that throughout most of the series, especially the seated postures, that my hips are completely out of alignment. This goes back to 23 years of horrible posture.

The presence of my inner critic today was fine. It turns out, she was just trying to help. She wasn’t too hard on me at all, but noticing this problem was the first step towards fixing it. It turns out that I can go deeper into the postures (and they feel way better) once I align my hips properly! Duh. The reason I’m noticing, though, is because I’m practicing consistently and working out the kinks. Had I gone back to my standard 2-days-of-yoga/week after YTT had ended, I wouldn’t have noticed and certainly wouldn’t have made any progress. Practice, practice…

Each evening I go to bed wondering if the dread of waking up at 6 am will creep up the following morning, and each morning I’m surprised when I bolt out of bed to get my gear on. I’ve never committed to anything like this before, and the excitement hasn’t yet worn off. I’m finding it easier to wake up just after the sun and begin the salutations. I echo Lauren’s sentiment - the stiffness of the first salutation wears off a little more each day. My body remembers the previous morning’s practice and doesn’t resist.

This morning, I thought about my intention as I was driving over to Studio Energi. I decided that this morning I would make every posture feel good. This didn’t mean that I’d go easy on myself, but that I would search for the detail that gives the posture purpose. If it didn’t feel great because my hips are not yet open enough or I’m still not strong enough, I would just remind myself that it feels infinitely better than the first time I tried it, and therefore WILL feel great in time. I’m good with logic.

The posture I struggled with most this morning was Warrior A during Surya B. It feels like I’m doing this posture for the first time each time. I have a hard time finding my balance, rooting the back leg, squaring the hips. The only thing that feels all right is my arms reaching for the sky. I’m searching for the details in this posture. It truly helps to read the journals of my peers and communicate - I know I’m not the only one struggling with certain parts of this practice. The encouragement and exchange of ideas is revolutionizing my practice.

This morning, I got up into full bridge with ease. For the past couple of mornings, I had some trouble either getting up or staying up. Once up, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. However, today was different and fantastic. Once I was up, I didn’t hold my breath or pant. My breath is still shorter than normal in that pose, but just feeling the progress was uplifting.

I’m loving this.

I had a wicked good practice today. I woke up 6 am and almost shot out of bed - that’s how excited I was to practice. I didn’t do a physical practice yesterday (Mondays will be my days off), so I took my yoga off the mat. I did a bit of meditation and read up on some postures, but mostly I just thought about yoga all day. Does that count? I reflected on the previous five days of practice and how much I already felt I had improved. I thought about what I wanted to do next and how I could achieve my goals by Day 30. I worked in the lab all day, meaning that I walked, stood and leaned on or near a lab bench. I made sure to stand up straight and not sink into my right hip - that’s my yoga. I had atrocious posture for 23 years, and I’ve only recently begun correcting it. While sitting, I didn’t lean into my chair and kept a flat back. 

After thinking yoga all Monday, I was super pumped to get back to the Primary Series for Tuesday. I went to bed early last night after reading about Janu Sirsana B - my new posture for Day 7. As I walked out of my house this morning, I almost got a little teary. The combination of the sun rising - illuminating the clear, blue sky - the birds chirping, the warmth surrounding my body (spring!), and the prospect of having a great yoga practice that morning made me geniunely happy. I haven’t felt that sense of calm and contentment in a very long time.

My intention this morning is one I commonly use in class - stay strong. To me, this means practicing all of the postures without slack and with integrity. I passed through each and every Chaturanga during Surya B and held my three Navasanas for the full five breaths. This intention kept me focused the entire practice on why I was there in the first place. I’m here for the transformation. I’m starting to feel it and it’s darn asanawesome!

I decided yesterday that I wanted to practice at 7:30 am on weekends, as opposed to 6:30 am on weekdays. On weekend mornings, I don’t have anywhere to be directly after practice, and my body is in desperate need of some extra time in bed. Luckily, Studio Energi is open to us until 9 am, so this will work out perfectly. I’m still not practicing the full Primary, so my full morning practice is only 1.5 hours for now.

The extra hour of sleep last night had a tremendous effect on my practice. For the past three mornings, I had been struggling with poor balance and overall tightness. I realized long ago that my practice is strongest in late afternoon, and difficult in the early morning and late evening. I’m starting to adjust to early practice, though, and getting enough sleep definitely helps. My Sun Salutations were strong and I maintained integrity for all ten of them. I did the full standing series (I didn’t forget any postures this time) and about half of the Primary series. I decided today that each and every day before practice, I would choose a new posture in the Primary Series to incorporate into the practice that day. There are certain postures that I practice every day (like Navasana three times) but others that I never even try. I will read about the posture in Swenson and Maehle beforehand, and just try it during practice. The following day, I will repeat the posture from the previous day and add another one. I hope that by the end of this challenge, I will be practicing the full Primary (save for Sleeping Yogi - I think that will take years). I did the entire finishing sequence and did some headstand prep. Just working on this posture is strengthening my core, so I’m not putting pressure on myself to be able to do it by a certain day. It’ll come (practice, practice).

I woke up this morning ready to practice and knowing that Suzie would be texting me. We agreed to exchange words at 6:30 am and an “OM” once we finished our practice. I have just started this challenge, so I’m still eager and willing, but knowing that someone is expecting me to practice each morning will hopefully ensure that I don’t make excuses for myself when the alarm rings at 6 am for the next 28 mornings.

Today’s practice was uneventful but good. I forgot the half-bound lotus standing posture because I was determined to do it without David. I remembered once I was already in Dandasana, trying to breathe into my low back, yet remembering the forgotten one. Oh well! My Parvitta Trikonasana felt really good today. I’m finally learning to maintain level sit-bones while twisting. I can’t yet do most of the Primary Series, so it takes a bit of effort to let go of that frustration and trust that I’ll eventually make progress. With some of those postures, the early stages of doing them doesn’t look or feel remotely like it’s supposed to. At least I think so, since I don’t know how it’s actually supposed to feel.

This morning was the first time I practiced alone without music. It was partly because I didn’t feel like making two trips from the basement (practice space) to my room to bring all of my stuff, but it worked out for the best. Once I started, I loved the peace. I listened to my Ujjayi and counted to five for each posture. It felt great since (I think) that I usually hold for fewer breaths.

I had a thought at some stage during my practice (I know I’m supposed to be meditating - I can’t help it). I was thinking how incredible it would be if the entire world chanted OM ten straight times at the exact same moment. I think that might put an end to all wars. Or just send out crazy vibrations and summon the creatures from other planets. It’s just a thought.

I started my month-long challenge this morning. I’ll be leaving for Serbia at the end of May, so I didn’t want to start with everyone else and then have to cut it short. I woke up this morning at 6 am and was on the mat by 7. I had never before woken up so early for any type of physical activity!

My practice this morning was all right and I feel it’s a good start. My current goals are to always do at least five Sun Salutations (of each), the entire standing series, and then as many of the seated series as I can each morning. I think that by setting these baby goals which force me to plunge into the practice early on, I’ll end up practicing the whole primary by week two. I’m very aware that the toughest part of the whole practice is getting on the mat. I’m overcoming this blockage with the whole “challenge” mentality (more on that later), which gets me on that mat, and by keeping myself there during the entire warm-up by making it a goal I must achieve, I’ll naturally stay to finish the series strongly.

I know myself well enough and I’m learning to work with some of my personality traits - and use them to my advantage. I realized this morning that by calling this a “30 Day Challenge”, I totally jumped right on it. In my mind, it’s never been a “30 Day Practice” or “30 Days of Yoga”. It’s that word - challenge - which is getting me on the mat. I’m always up for a challenge! I’m like a kid who was tricked into eating his vegetables by being able to dip them in peanut butter. Only I tricked myself by turning this into a competition…with myself. :) I win either way, and that’s the best part.