Day 24 February 23, 2012

You do not know what your experience on the mat will be until you step onto it.  Ahhh, the beauty of yoga.  Every day is a chance for a new opportunity to discover. Each day our bodies reflect a new version of itself, based on what it’s been doing in the past. 

Today, during Strength I realized that these sessions are as challenging or gentle as I make them.  The “Ultimate” self-adjusting physical practice.  Today, I worked my edge very strongly and reaped sweet, blissful sweat because of it.

Will do my core and meditation later.

Have been sleeping heavily … and restfully.  Sookie woke us up this morning at 4am with her "clackity clack" footsteps on our cold tile floors.  I took it as an opportunity to leisurely check my email and have a cup of coffee before practice. 

Now, onward towards a wonderful day!

Day 23 February 21, 2012

Snow shoed for three hours – 13k on Sunday… so, missed my Ultimate Yogi class.  

Then Monday, work and an unexpected visit from the mother-in-law made the entire day disappear. 

My mistake … I “slept in” because of the holiday and didn’t take that 90 minutes for myself.  I was unable to find time to squeeze it in.  This “missing” workouts didn’t happen for me when I was ok with 20 or 30 minutes of exercise …

I must budget time like I do our finances ... 

I reconciled the day off, but in hindsight I think I need to find a happy medium.  On days I know I am going to have to squeeze in a quickie, I will just have to substitute something else instead of skipping entirely.  I get so rigid when "on a plan."  So much being revealed on this program.  

I have to be easy on myself for not doing this program to a “T.”  Just because I used to practice 90 minutes, 6 days a week does not mean that is my reality now.  Habits take at least three weeks of continuous repetition to stick and I’m getting there with this new habit.  It's all a process.

So happy to finally get to The Ultimate Yogi Cardio class today.  Quietly completed the fast paced flow at 5am and so happy I did – much better start to the day.  Yoga has always been my “moving meditation” and I needed it today!

Finishing another Pineapple Parsley Yummo smoothie now … that combo of the herbaceousness of the parsley with the tang of the pineapple is a winner! 

Mediation tonight ... looking so forward to it!

Day 21 and 22 February 17 and 18, 2012

Yesterday, I did a 30 minute Tracy Anderson DVD and then attempted to do Mountain Pose/Pranayama /Meditation, but the day got in the way and had to stop about half way through Mountain Pose.  I just felt I needed more than the program demanded yesterday and then I never finished what was on the schedule.  But, it was a great day – so, all is forgiven. 

Today – started with 20 minutes of cardio instead of HardCORE and then rocked the start of my fourth week with the CrossTrain class.  This one’s not getting any easier!  Loving these classes … just wish I had more hours in my day.

Little note on mats … my trustee Manduka has become quite the slip fest since I washed it, so today I used some Wiseways Herbals “Tea-Tree Foot Powder” on my hands and feet to get some grip.  (I have no financial stake in that recommendation - it's just good stuff.)  Worked like a charm!

Off to real life weekend stuff now …  

Day 20 February 16, 2012

Ok, so you definitely don’t need the gym to get a thorough “workout” from these DVD’s.  I woke up so sore I did not want to get out of bed.  Between meditating right before bed (really good, deep 15 minute guided last night) and major effort during these classes, I’ve been reaping deep slumber.

Just finished Vitality and feel ready for the day.  Bit of an inner monologue during class, thinking about what I would journal today instead of being present in class.  I was thinking about WHY someone who just wrote a blog on gyms being “icky” was feeling the desire to get into one so badly.

A little background on me … I work from home for the bulk of my job. I have an online position that requires me to be logged into a computer five, sometimes eight hours a day.

It’s a bit isolating.

Perhaps I was feeling the need to participate in that part of gym culture that I sometimes detest … the social aspect.

So, to remedy … lunch out with a girlfriend today before work.

Smoothie time now!  Really good one today!

Pineapple Parsley Yummo

Makes 2 servings - use organic when possible!

2 cups water

3 cups organic baby spinach

big bunch Italian parsley

1 cup frozen pineapple

1 frozen banana

1 packet Stevia

Blend and enjoy!

Day 19 February 15, 2012

Did 15 minutes of another core focused DVD before diving into Detox.  Detox has become my fave of the series so far, as I build the most heat and really dig the more detailed instruction in a lot of the poses, but especially in triangle, revolved triangle and revolved half moon. 

I love strength challenge of  the yogi “dive bomber” push ups and the full plank knee to shoulder and rotation to opposite shoulder.  Makes me want MORE!  

But, the “hardest” pose of all continues to be savasana.

Also – struggling a bit today with the strident commitment to the program.  Kind of feeling a bit of the “gym bug” and am feeling a bit “trapped” by the time commitment and stridency of the program.

There is just not enough time in my day to accomplish all of the fitness and mind/body activities I want to do!

Looks like I’ve got something to meditate on later …

Day 18 February 14, 2012

I had to hit the “pause” button on The Ultimate Yogi program for a few days.

Sometimes, all the planning in the world cannot overcome simple human error or perhaps fate, as it were.  I had carefully etched in where I would do my DVD’s while away from home for a few days, only to find when I arrived at my destination – I had forgotten my classes.

I managed to improvise day one by doing a yin yoga program I found on YouTube, but our schedule was so jammed packed the next two days that I decided to find flexibility (not the muscular kind) outside of my sometimes too rigorous “stick to- itiveness.”  I took the days off. 

Once I overcame the guilt of veering from the program, I forgave myself.  I realized The Ultimate Yogi is not intended to heighten my internal flaws – like perfectionism and not wanting to disappoint anyone.  In fact, it is for the opposite – to aid in becoming more “ultimate.”  And for me, that actually meant skipping a couple days to learn that it is ok to do that.

It’s funny, I was approaching this program as a physical transformation program.  I am feeling the aches, pains and soreness from the rigorous flows as well as the openness and length from the deep releases, but I am becoming very aware of the personal transformation that is taking place – in just a short wisp of time.

So, today I am picking up where I left off – at Day 18 with Yin Yoga and ten minutes of meditation.

What transformations are happening to you?

And ... by the way ... Smooches for Valentine's Day!

Day 17 February 10, 2012

There I was worrying about the repetitive nature of the program when today the purpose revealed itself.

On today’s agenda: HardCORE, Strength and 10 minutes of meditation.

Knowing that HardCORE is a killer right before Strength, I did it about an hour before the Strength class.  And because I knew I had some recovery time, I really went for it and got a thorough core workout.

When I hit the mat for Strength, the monikers of these classes really hit me.  The first two weeks I was really just going through the flows, breathing, experiencing … but, on this third roll – I really am feeling the title of the class.  Yes – yesterday really was a cardio workout and today – definitely pushed my limits of strength – even more than some of the body weight or sandbag workouts I do!

Finishing up a smoothie now and feeling a bit of anxiety about traveling this weekend and being able to do the prescribed classes … I’ll keep you posted on how I deal with a crammed schedule, plane flights, hotel rooms and The Ultimate Yogi!