Balance + Peace :: Incorporating yoga into my daily life.

I don't consider my daily life to be overwhelming or hectic.  I work normal hours, Monday through Friday, and don't have many social outings.  The most stressful parts of my day can be my students or co-workers.  That being said, I am an overly anxious person.  My brain tends to work in overdrive, considering all possible options and outcomes of any given situation, large or small.  This is the reason the idea of putting our house on the market and buying again is extremely stressful for me.  I get the feeling 2015 is going to be quite the stressful year for me.

Over the past six months, I have made an increased effort to bring yoga into my daily life.  I've practiced yoga for almost four years now, but that participation may vary between 1-3 classes per week.  My goal for the month of February is to practice yoga every single day and build my practice into week day mornings before work.

TIME FOR PEACE

When I started consistently practicing yoga, it was my time to relax and be at peace.  I still prefer a gentle, restorative, or yin yoga practice to any other type.  These classes allow me to stretch my weary, run-exhausted muscles and truly focus on my breathing.  My stresses and anxieties slip away, and I can {mostly} enjoy an entire hour of bliss.  I don't always have the time, energy, or ability to fit in an entire hour of practice into my daily routine.  For that reason, I always make some time for peace and relaxation even if it's with an extended savasana at the end of a practice.  Ultimately yoga makes me more at peace with myself and the world around me, and I want that awareness to become a part of my daily life.

THE CHALLENGE

I am in awe of the strength and health of many of my yogi muses.  This is the strength I want to build within myself.  I am trying to amp up my practice by challenging myself more.  With my goal of participating in an obstacle race, I know that upper body strength is crucial.  Yoga can be the perfect balance between challenging yourself and letting everything go.  I can always tell a difference in my running when I've been consistently utilizing yoga to strengthen and stretch my muscles.

YOGA AT HOME

If you practice at a studio, the cost of yoga can become increasingly expensive.  Many of the studios I've found in Raleigh average around the $100/month range.  My YMCA membership is around $35, and I certainly can not afford both.  I've been lucky enough to find a class here and there at the Y with which I've fallen in love.  While there is little comparison to actually attending classes at a yoga studio, I've found a few resources that have made my at-home practice a bit more enjoyable.

-I discovered Yoga by Candace last month when I started her 31 day strength challenge.  She has a YouTube channel with a ton of great yoga classes.  I like the options (such as a quick 15 minute pre-run warm up or even a 60 minute flow) and her style.
-Doyogawithme.com is another great, free resource with a ton of options depending on what you're looking for.  There are a lot of different teachers there, so you may want to play around to find one you really like.
-The Yoga Studio app is amazing!  Again the variety is splendid, and they even have an entire section with runner-specific classes.  You can download a class and utilize it anywhere.  I appreciate that I can easily choose a class based on the amount of time I have.

I have found that I prefer websites with lots of choices in comparison to a DVD because I get bored participating in the same practice over and over.  I'm still trying to find a space in my home where I can truly detach like I can in a class outside the home.

Do you practice yoga?  At home or somewhere else?
How often do you practice? 

Friday musings.

One of my mini-goals for February was to establish a consistent yoga routine.  I have been taking steps to create a consistent and workable routine for me.  In this process, I've fallen deeper in love with yoga. I am loving exploring all of the different options with the practice.  I believe one thing that always intimidated me about about yoga is my lack of strength and/or ability.  The crazy truth is that yoga principles are the exact opposite of that.  It's not about others seeing me struggle to hold a downward facing dog for five breaths; it's about me.  I'm continuing to explore the practice of yoga, so I won't pretend to be an expert on the subject.  This picture, posted to facebook by a local yoga studio, really resonated with me this week.

While I know this isn't necessarily pertinent to yoga, it's 100% applicable to life.  It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to share our story with others in our every day life.  I believe that some part of us is judgmental no matter how hard we may try to cast those thoughts aside.  Everyone has the opportunity to make snap judgements: your child's teacher (I'm guilty!), that person you accidentally cut off in a rush to beat the red light, the librarian you always see, your neighbor, that runner on the treadmill next to you, even friends.  Let's not even begin to discuss those who want to share their opinions of your health/your parenting/your cohabitation/your spending/your entire life. As I get older, I try more and more to remember that you never really know the intricacies of a person. 

And this is what I will strive for.  Judgements minimal and happiness & love optimal.