30-Day Yoga Challenge

I decided to try a 30-Day Yoga Challenge, just on my own in between Whole Life Challenges. Those 7 "easy" WLC habits fall away immediately after the thing ends. No stretching or walking or anything. I'm working to NOT do that this time.

I'm using Yoga With Adriene, her Yoga Camp series, because I've heard so much about her online from others, and also hello, she's free. I like her style (now that I've gotten used to it). It's slower-paced yoga than many other videos I see online. At least so far. I'm on Day 5. Patting myself on the back -- not only for sticking to it, but also for starting on a Friday, giving me 4 full days (day off yesterday) before I had to set my alarm for 5:00 am today! But I did it. I decided that's the only time I can do a 30 or 35-minute yoga workout -- before everyone else is awake. Ten minutes after dinner? Sure. No big deal. 30 minutes? Much harder somehow. I try to remind myself that I LIKE yoga, a lot, so waking up for it is NOT actually torture. :) The good news is, we're already going to bed at 9:30 (we're so OLD!), so I'm not losing on sleep.

I'm feeling sore in some places and that is a good thing. Today's theme was 'I am alive.' In case you're curious, I try to also connect the spiritual side of yoga to my OWN spirituality. I do find yoga to be very focused on the inner Me, Me, Me. It has its place; self-awareness and self-compassion are important. But sometimes it gets to be a little too much for what I'm used to. A little too frou-frou, too hippie, too not-Jesus-focused, lol, although I appreciate the ancient tradition and the inclusive language of it all. Without trying to add any Catholic guilt to it (difficult), I try to at least look for my God on my mat. I try to take the calming strategies and the mantras and make them match my own heart and traditions. Don't want to get too deep here on a Tuesday morning at 10:00 am. (wink), and also, let me note that Adriene's style does NOT seem very spiritual, which I like. Sometimes I'm just in it for the workout and the relaxation, you know? In fact, I've only once had an instructor who was overly zealous with the Hindu stuff and the mala beads and the chanting. It did make me uncomfortable. But as far as I'm concerned, you have to find what's true for you, and I'll hold to what's true for me, and let the rest go. I'm not saying I recite the rosary while I stretch. ;) But a lot of Catholic resources online give yoga such a bad rap, and I just don't believe it's bad. I think if you're seeking the Divine, seek it in every instance. (Some websites say yoga is a tool of the devil. I ...strongly disagree. I remembered this morning that the Church also said, at one time, that Judaism was of the devil, and they tried to expel all the Jews from Spain. I just read an excellent book about that. So... they're not always right.)

I like that this is happening. Ignatian Yoga seems perfect. :) Anyway, all this is to say: another reason I'm learning that it's important to do my yoga in the early morning is so that I can find some quiet -- a prayerful moment, maybe -- and really BE in it. Not distracted or interrupted.

Speaking of self-aware: Kate is becoming so. She had a small moment this morning which caused her to wail and gnash teeth, but then she had a bit of applesauce and got over it. As she left for school, tears dried but her cheeks still rosy, I told her how pretty she looked. She came in for a hug and said she was sorry for before. "I think I was just tired." Aww. I think she was hungry, myself, but maybe both. But GOOD WORK, recognizing it was Something and ... well, getting over it.

Because I'd done my yoga I was t o t a l  z e n about the entire episode. ;)