I chose this challenge because I needed a way to get motivated to actually go to yoga classes. And, let’s be honest, I couldn’t pass up on the $30 for 30 days deal! I’m a runner. This year I ran 5 half marathons and a bunch of shorter distance races. Next year I plan on doing a trail ultra-marathon and a road marathon. All of this running is awesome, but I have zero flexibility for doing so much strength work. I am also injured at the moment. I kicked a door (by accident) and broke my foot a month and a half ago. In order to let it heal completely I NEED to take some time off running or I won’t be able to do my training for my goal races.
One other reason I signed up is to spend more time with my daughter and to get my husband to join us. Oh, and the stickers! I get a sticker to put next to my name on a wall chart to track the number of classes I do in the 30 days. It’s amazing how stickers can motivate adults!
Anyway…. here is my journey to “bendy-ness”, inner peace, rehabilitation, and the quest for many, many stickers.
Nov 1: Hatha Yoga:– Today was my first class. I felt really good before class. My body was feeling good. First pose was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, focusing on breathing. OUCH, who knew sitting this way would be so uncomfortable. My ankles didn’t like it at all! I managed to get through the class doing most of the poses with a bit of modification due to my foot problems. However, here is what I learned: I REALLY need to do more yoga! One side of my body is WAY more flexible than the other – something to work on! Lying still, focusing on just your breathing is HARD! It was eye opening and now I have a baseline for my Yoga fitness level – it can only get better, right?
Goal for the month: Be able to step my foot forward from lunge position without having to get all twisted!
Nov 2: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1 - Day 2 and I’m feeling great. Did back-to-back classes today. First one was pretty gentle, almost like a Yin class. Managed to get through the class feeling ok that my body isn’t flexible AT ALL! I’m working on it! Class 2 was an Aerial class, basically there are silk “hammocks” hanging from the ceiling and you use them as props to get into poses. The first few, we were standing on the ground, but after that we were sitting, lying or hanging upside down on the hammock. After I got used to the weirdness of it all, I settled in and was able to actually enjoy the class. A couple of times, I felt like I’d fall on my face, but I am happy to say that I did not! I have to say that the Savasana (I admit I had to look that word up - I don’t speak Yoga) at the end of class was amazing, we were lying flat, cradled by the hammock, gently swinging. Talk about relaxing! I’m definitely going to do this class again!
Another Goal for the month: Learn the common Yoga terms and what they mean.
Word #1: Savasana: Corpse pose, typically done at the end of a yoga class
Nov 3: Deep Stretch Yin - still feeling good. Spent a lot of the class in discomfort from holding the poses for so long (that’s Yin for you!). Realize that my hips are definitely tight and need work. I did some modifications due to my foot not liking some of the poses, but generally really enjoyed the vibe of the class. A lot of older people in the class and a few men, which is nice to see.
Another Goal for the month: Work on hips!
Nov 4: Aerial Yoga - LOVE IT! I’m hooked -– literally hooked into the ceiling joists ;) Felt a lot more comfortable on the hammock this time. Back is feeling amazing too. You do some poses hanging from your hips, which allows your spine elongate naturally. I go to an early morning Wednesday Bootcamp and this class was a great compliment to all the strength training earlier in the day.
Word #2: Namaste: “I bow to you”; a word used at the beginning and/or end of class which is most commonly translated as “the light within me bows to the light within you”
Nov 5: Deep Stretch Yin: Okay, I’m having trouble with this class. I can’t seem to relax into the poses because everything is so tight – especially my hips. The good news is it can only get easier – right? Please tell me that’s true!
Sticker update: 5 days = 6 stickers!
Nov 6: Hatha Core: my foot was bugging me today, so had to adapt a few moves. Feeling much stronger than even a week ago. I struggled today to keep my mind focused because of the ache in my foot. I think this will be one of the harder things to do – turn off the inner voices – something to work on, I guess. On the bright side – I got another sticker J
Nov 7: Hatha Flow: Not sure how I feel about this class…. something was off. I was able to do most of the class except that there was a lot of standing poses and I can’t fully weight bear on my left foot yet. Had to adapt too much, so I wasn’t able to “flow”. I’ll give the class another try next week and see if I like it better then.
Nov 8: Hatha:– Life is Good! Seeing some progress today. Foot felt pretty good J Was able to get comfortably into some poses that I could not do a few days ago. There IS hope for my tight hips after all!
Nov 9: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1: Doubled up again!
Nov 10: Gentle Hatha:– class was good, noticing my strengths and weaknesses change on a day-by-day basis. Am now able to let go and let my body guide me in my practice (did you notice I’m beginning to speak “yoga”?) Actually, a big part of yoga is listening to your body, which I find difficult. This is probably because I have a marathoner’s mentality to push through pain to get through the workout. I’m now working on paying more attention to my limitations and respecting them. For me, this is a breakthrough! Only took 10 days!
Nov 11: Hatha:– feeling good today - – instructor was one I haven’t had yet – she was really good. Lots of oms at the end.
Word #3: Om - Om is a very simple sound with a complex meaning. Om is the whole universe coalesced into a single word, representing the union of mind, body, and spirit that is at the heart of yoga. Often chanted three times at the start and finish of a yoga session, the sound of om is actually three syllables - a, u, and m.
Nov 12: Aerial Yoga:– had a mild headache before class, which got worse when hanging upside down. Had to shorten my hanging poses, but still felt amazing after class (other than the headache). Still in Love with this class:)
Nov 13: Hatha Core: was planning on going to an earlier class, but hadn’t digested my breakfast enough so I switched to a later class. DO NOT go to yoga on a full stomach!
Word #4: Hatha: I’ve been doing these classes for almost 2 weeks and have no idea what Hatha means so I thought I’d look it up…. wait for it... Hatha means any type of YOGA! Now I feel kind of silly - but there’s more to it than that… Hatha means forceful in Sanskrit. However, these days, Hatha is most often used to describe gentle, basic yoga classes with no flow between poses.
Nov 14: I didn’t do a class today. :( I had to work today and the only class I was able to get to was the 8:00 am one. I planned on going, got up at 6:15, put my feet on the floor and went thru the roof with pain. I couldn’t put any weight on my broken foot. So I cancelled my class. Work involved standing for 3 hours, which wasn’t much fun -– but luckily my foot, was ok by the end of the day. Not sure what happened… life gets in the way of good intentions. I won’t beat myself up about it because I have already done a couple of days where I did 2 classes per day. I will still make my goal of 30 classes in 30 days… I will still get my 30 stickers!
Nov 15: Hatha -– another great class. Guest teacher was one that I really like and the class was a good combination of strength and stretching and relaxation. Felt awesome after class.
Nov 16: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1 -– Double classes again! I find these 2 to be a good combination. I’m happy that I’ll be going with my hubby and my daughter tonight. It’s always nice to do something active with family. :) Tried a few new moves on the hammock tonight - – feeling way more comfortable! Skipped the rolling into the hammock seems like I’d end up on my face. Maybe I’ll try next time… maybe…
Sticker update: 16 days = 18 stickers BAM!
Nov 17: Hatha:– turned out to be a gentle class, but lots of warrior poses which my foot didn’t like. Realized that my hips still need A LOT of work,– but every day it gets a little bit better.
Word #5: Drishti: place to focus your gaze upon. Very helpful when doing balancing poses.
Nov 18: Aerial Yoga:– Another great class, but I couldn’t do the ankle hang because of my foot AND I was actually jealous of those who could. I’m pretty sure I would totally freak out if I could get into that position, hanging from the ceiling like a bat seems kind of scary! I did have a breakthrough today through – I did the roll into the hammock!!! TA DA! It took 3 tries, and a spotter, but I did it!
Nov 19: Deep Stretch Yin & Gentle Aerial:– was a VERY mellow evening of yoga! Needed this break from all the strength exercise yesterday. Did a lot of stretching of hips and shoulders. The aerial class really relaxed my back and I left feeling very relaxed and Zen! Have I mentioned that I LOVE aerial yoga?
Nov 20: Yoga Flow:– like today’s class, but need to work on my hips MORE! Feeling tight and inflexible but will try to work on this outside of class.
Nov 21: Yoga Flow: feeling really DONE! I did a free fitness class this morning at a CrossFit studio. Man, is my body tired – we did a whole lot of burpees and thrusters and other things that made my wrists fatigue. So at yoga downward dog and any other pose on my hands didn’t feel so great! I had to spend some time in child’s pose to rest, but I was ok with the break. It’s been a very physical day!
Sticker Count: 21 days = 24 stickers!
Nov 22: Hatha flow:– great class with friends today. Feeling strong and flexible, but my foot was hurting so I had to skip a few standing poses (Tree). I blame it on all the burpees I did yesterday at CrossFit!
Nov 23: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1:– double class night. Or…that was the plan. Got to the first class and quickly realized that every time I folded forward I felt ill. I managed to get through the class with some modifications, but decided that hanging upside down folded over a hammock was not in my best interest. So I skipped the second class. Sometimes life gets in the way of good intentions.
Nov 24: Gentle Hatha:– Still not feeling great when I fold forward – something going on with my digestive system. Took it easy and adapted (I’m the Queen of Adaption!)
Nov 25: Aerial: Another excellent class. Got into a butterfly pose in the air! Also tried some new hanging twists that opened up my shoulders. Feeling all stretched out and tall now!
Nov 26: Aerial : Attempted the roll into the hammock move again and didn’t make it. Talk about ungraceful! Good thing nobody was watching or there would have been some laughter, I’m sure. Looks like I have to keep working on this one.
Nov 27: Hatha: Foot was killing me today so class was not fun L I took advantage of Child’s Pose a lot more than the rest of the class. I’m beginning to understand why you “practice” yoga rather than “do” yoga.
Nov 28: Power Yoga: Figures I find this class at the end of the 30-Day Challenge!– I love it! We practiced [see how I slipped that in here ;)] doing handstands. At first I was rather timid, mostly due to the fact that I like my face and don’t want to fall onto it. Then, my high school gymnastics background muscle memory kicked in and I managed to get me feet to the wall. Left class feeling like I could do handsprings down the street – but I’ll have to practice MUCH MORE before I attempt that. I did feel powerful and accomplished because I tried something I was unsure about and rocked it! Wonder if that’s why they call it “Power” yoga????
Nov 29: Hatha Flow: This was a free class that the studio puts on to collect clothing and food for the local food bank. Each week there is a different instructor so today was one I hadn’t met yet. Turns out I was totally missing out all month by not going to one of his classes. The class was great and I felt strong and capable (which is happening more often now that I’m getting used to the moves). One thing I really like about this studio are the instructors – they are all amazing and they teach in a more open, relaxed way. There is humour, laughter and great music along with the “typical” silence, Zen-like portions of the classes. It is never boring and that makes me want to come back for more classes.
Nov 30: Gentle Hatha:– Last class of the month! I have had a super busy, crazy week and really needed to end with this gentle class. It really helped me de-stress and unwind and leave my day at the door. I have come to love the way I feel when I leave this class – all mellow, relaxed and stretched out.
Final sticker count 30 days = 34 stickers!
Ok, I’m happy to have earned all those stickers… BUT I am happier with myself for sticking with the challenge and finishing it. There were days during the last week that I really didn’t want to go to class, but I pushed myself out the door and did it. It proves to me that I can do anything I set my mind to.
I am happy that I only missed one day of the past 30 days because of my foot injury. Even though I was injured, I managed to complete the classes with a little modification and willpower. There are some things I missed out on because of my foot – like the Aerial Ankle Hang – but most I could do.
I am also amazed at how my body has changed over the month. I am much more flexible than I was on day one. I still have a long way to go as far as my hip flexibility – I still can’t step my foot forward from lunge position without having to get all twisted! But that’s okay! I’m still happy with my progress.
Overall, I am very happy that I did this challenge. I discovered a love for Aerial and Deep Stretch Yin classes and plan on continuing with them in the future. I love Power Yoga class where I can sweat and push my muscles and stand on my hands. I have also discovered that I can relax, turn off my brain and focus 100% on ME for an hour a day! Now THAT is progress!
I recommend that everyone try something that challenges then, whether it is something like this 30-Day Yoga Challenge or something else. Get outside of your comfort zone and see what great things you can do if you put your mind to it.
One other reason I signed up is to spend more time with my daughter and to get my husband to join us. Oh, and the stickers! I get a sticker to put next to my name on a wall chart to track the number of classes I do in the 30 days. It’s amazing how stickers can motivate adults!
Anyway…. here is my journey to “bendy-ness”, inner peace, rehabilitation, and the quest for many, many stickers.
Nov 1: Hatha Yoga:– Today was my first class. I felt really good before class. My body was feeling good. First pose was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, focusing on breathing. OUCH, who knew sitting this way would be so uncomfortable. My ankles didn’t like it at all! I managed to get through the class doing most of the poses with a bit of modification due to my foot problems. However, here is what I learned: I REALLY need to do more yoga! One side of my body is WAY more flexible than the other – something to work on! Lying still, focusing on just your breathing is HARD! It was eye opening and now I have a baseline for my Yoga fitness level – it can only get better, right?
Goal for the month: Be able to step my foot forward from lunge position without having to get all twisted!
Nov 2: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1 - Day 2 and I’m feeling great. Did back-to-back classes today. First one was pretty gentle, almost like a Yin class. Managed to get through the class feeling ok that my body isn’t flexible AT ALL! I’m working on it! Class 2 was an Aerial class, basically there are silk “hammocks” hanging from the ceiling and you use them as props to get into poses. The first few, we were standing on the ground, but after that we were sitting, lying or hanging upside down on the hammock. After I got used to the weirdness of it all, I settled in and was able to actually enjoy the class. A couple of times, I felt like I’d fall on my face, but I am happy to say that I did not! I have to say that the Savasana (I admit I had to look that word up - I don’t speak Yoga) at the end of class was amazing, we were lying flat, cradled by the hammock, gently swinging. Talk about relaxing! I’m definitely going to do this class again!
Another Goal for the month: Learn the common Yoga terms and what they mean.
Word #1: Savasana: Corpse pose, typically done at the end of a yoga class
Nov 3: Deep Stretch Yin - still feeling good. Spent a lot of the class in discomfort from holding the poses for so long (that’s Yin for you!). Realize that my hips are definitely tight and need work. I did some modifications due to my foot not liking some of the poses, but generally really enjoyed the vibe of the class. A lot of older people in the class and a few men, which is nice to see.
Another Goal for the month: Work on hips!
Nov 4: Aerial Yoga - LOVE IT! I’m hooked -– literally hooked into the ceiling joists ;) Felt a lot more comfortable on the hammock this time. Back is feeling amazing too. You do some poses hanging from your hips, which allows your spine elongate naturally. I go to an early morning Wednesday Bootcamp and this class was a great compliment to all the strength training earlier in the day.
Word #2: Namaste: “I bow to you”; a word used at the beginning and/or end of class which is most commonly translated as “the light within me bows to the light within you”
Nov 5: Deep Stretch Yin: Okay, I’m having trouble with this class. I can’t seem to relax into the poses because everything is so tight – especially my hips. The good news is it can only get easier – right? Please tell me that’s true!
Sticker update: 5 days = 6 stickers!
Nov 6: Hatha Core: my foot was bugging me today, so had to adapt a few moves. Feeling much stronger than even a week ago. I struggled today to keep my mind focused because of the ache in my foot. I think this will be one of the harder things to do – turn off the inner voices – something to work on, I guess. On the bright side – I got another sticker J
Nov 7: Hatha Flow: Not sure how I feel about this class…. something was off. I was able to do most of the class except that there was a lot of standing poses and I can’t fully weight bear on my left foot yet. Had to adapt too much, so I wasn’t able to “flow”. I’ll give the class another try next week and see if I like it better then.
Nov 8: Hatha:– Life is Good! Seeing some progress today. Foot felt pretty good J Was able to get comfortably into some poses that I could not do a few days ago. There IS hope for my tight hips after all!
Nov 9: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1: Doubled up again!
Nov 10: Gentle Hatha:– class was good, noticing my strengths and weaknesses change on a day-by-day basis. Am now able to let go and let my body guide me in my practice (did you notice I’m beginning to speak “yoga”?) Actually, a big part of yoga is listening to your body, which I find difficult. This is probably because I have a marathoner’s mentality to push through pain to get through the workout. I’m now working on paying more attention to my limitations and respecting them. For me, this is a breakthrough! Only took 10 days!
Nov 11: Hatha:– feeling good today - – instructor was one I haven’t had yet – she was really good. Lots of oms at the end.
Word #3: Om - Om is a very simple sound with a complex meaning. Om is the whole universe coalesced into a single word, representing the union of mind, body, and spirit that is at the heart of yoga. Often chanted three times at the start and finish of a yoga session, the sound of om is actually three syllables - a, u, and m.
Nov 12: Aerial Yoga:– had a mild headache before class, which got worse when hanging upside down. Had to shorten my hanging poses, but still felt amazing after class (other than the headache). Still in Love with this class:)
Nov 13: Hatha Core: was planning on going to an earlier class, but hadn’t digested my breakfast enough so I switched to a later class. DO NOT go to yoga on a full stomach!
Word #4: Hatha: I’ve been doing these classes for almost 2 weeks and have no idea what Hatha means so I thought I’d look it up…. wait for it... Hatha means any type of YOGA! Now I feel kind of silly - but there’s more to it than that… Hatha means forceful in Sanskrit. However, these days, Hatha is most often used to describe gentle, basic yoga classes with no flow between poses.
Nov 14: I didn’t do a class today. :( I had to work today and the only class I was able to get to was the 8:00 am one. I planned on going, got up at 6:15, put my feet on the floor and went thru the roof with pain. I couldn’t put any weight on my broken foot. So I cancelled my class. Work involved standing for 3 hours, which wasn’t much fun -– but luckily my foot, was ok by the end of the day. Not sure what happened… life gets in the way of good intentions. I won’t beat myself up about it because I have already done a couple of days where I did 2 classes per day. I will still make my goal of 30 classes in 30 days… I will still get my 30 stickers!
Nov 15: Hatha -– another great class. Guest teacher was one that I really like and the class was a good combination of strength and stretching and relaxation. Felt awesome after class.
Nov 16: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1 -– Double classes again! I find these 2 to be a good combination. I’m happy that I’ll be going with my hubby and my daughter tonight. It’s always nice to do something active with family. :) Tried a few new moves on the hammock tonight - – feeling way more comfortable! Skipped the rolling into the hammock seems like I’d end up on my face. Maybe I’ll try next time… maybe…
Sticker update: 16 days = 18 stickers BAM!
Nov 17: Hatha:– turned out to be a gentle class, but lots of warrior poses which my foot didn’t like. Realized that my hips still need A LOT of work,– but every day it gets a little bit better.
Word #5: Drishti: place to focus your gaze upon. Very helpful when doing balancing poses.
Nov 18: Aerial Yoga:– Another great class, but I couldn’t do the ankle hang because of my foot AND I was actually jealous of those who could. I’m pretty sure I would totally freak out if I could get into that position, hanging from the ceiling like a bat seems kind of scary! I did have a breakthrough today through – I did the roll into the hammock!!! TA DA! It took 3 tries, and a spotter, but I did it!
Nov 19: Deep Stretch Yin & Gentle Aerial:– was a VERY mellow evening of yoga! Needed this break from all the strength exercise yesterday. Did a lot of stretching of hips and shoulders. The aerial class really relaxed my back and I left feeling very relaxed and Zen! Have I mentioned that I LOVE aerial yoga?
Nov 20: Yoga Flow:– like today’s class, but need to work on my hips MORE! Feeling tight and inflexible but will try to work on this outside of class.
Nov 21: Yoga Flow: feeling really DONE! I did a free fitness class this morning at a CrossFit studio. Man, is my body tired – we did a whole lot of burpees and thrusters and other things that made my wrists fatigue. So at yoga downward dog and any other pose on my hands didn’t feel so great! I had to spend some time in child’s pose to rest, but I was ok with the break. It’s been a very physical day!
Sticker Count: 21 days = 24 stickers!
Nov 22: Hatha flow:– great class with friends today. Feeling strong and flexible, but my foot was hurting so I had to skip a few standing poses (Tree). I blame it on all the burpees I did yesterday at CrossFit!
Nov 23: Gentle Hatha + Aerial Yoga Level 1:– double class night. Or…that was the plan. Got to the first class and quickly realized that every time I folded forward I felt ill. I managed to get through the class with some modifications, but decided that hanging upside down folded over a hammock was not in my best interest. So I skipped the second class. Sometimes life gets in the way of good intentions.
Nov 24: Gentle Hatha:– Still not feeling great when I fold forward – something going on with my digestive system. Took it easy and adapted (I’m the Queen of Adaption!)
Nov 25: Aerial: Another excellent class. Got into a butterfly pose in the air! Also tried some new hanging twists that opened up my shoulders. Feeling all stretched out and tall now!
Nov 26: Aerial : Attempted the roll into the hammock move again and didn’t make it. Talk about ungraceful! Good thing nobody was watching or there would have been some laughter, I’m sure. Looks like I have to keep working on this one.
Nov 27: Hatha: Foot was killing me today so class was not fun L I took advantage of Child’s Pose a lot more than the rest of the class. I’m beginning to understand why you “practice” yoga rather than “do” yoga.
Nov 28: Power Yoga: Figures I find this class at the end of the 30-Day Challenge!– I love it! We practiced [see how I slipped that in here ;)] doing handstands. At first I was rather timid, mostly due to the fact that I like my face and don’t want to fall onto it. Then, my high school gymnastics background muscle memory kicked in and I managed to get me feet to the wall. Left class feeling like I could do handsprings down the street – but I’ll have to practice MUCH MORE before I attempt that. I did feel powerful and accomplished because I tried something I was unsure about and rocked it! Wonder if that’s why they call it “Power” yoga????
Nov 29: Hatha Flow: This was a free class that the studio puts on to collect clothing and food for the local food bank. Each week there is a different instructor so today was one I hadn’t met yet. Turns out I was totally missing out all month by not going to one of his classes. The class was great and I felt strong and capable (which is happening more often now that I’m getting used to the moves). One thing I really like about this studio are the instructors – they are all amazing and they teach in a more open, relaxed way. There is humour, laughter and great music along with the “typical” silence, Zen-like portions of the classes. It is never boring and that makes me want to come back for more classes.
Nov 30: Gentle Hatha:– Last class of the month! I have had a super busy, crazy week and really needed to end with this gentle class. It really helped me de-stress and unwind and leave my day at the door. I have come to love the way I feel when I leave this class – all mellow, relaxed and stretched out.
Final sticker count 30 days = 34 stickers!
Ok, I’m happy to have earned all those stickers… BUT I am happier with myself for sticking with the challenge and finishing it. There were days during the last week that I really didn’t want to go to class, but I pushed myself out the door and did it. It proves to me that I can do anything I set my mind to.
I am happy that I only missed one day of the past 30 days because of my foot injury. Even though I was injured, I managed to complete the classes with a little modification and willpower. There are some things I missed out on because of my foot – like the Aerial Ankle Hang – but most I could do.
I am also amazed at how my body has changed over the month. I am much more flexible than I was on day one. I still have a long way to go as far as my hip flexibility – I still can’t step my foot forward from lunge position without having to get all twisted! But that’s okay! I’m still happy with my progress.
Overall, I am very happy that I did this challenge. I discovered a love for Aerial and Deep Stretch Yin classes and plan on continuing with them in the future. I love Power Yoga class where I can sweat and push my muscles and stand on my hands. I have also discovered that I can relax, turn off my brain and focus 100% on ME for an hour a day! Now THAT is progress!
I recommend that everyone try something that challenges then, whether it is something like this 30-Day Yoga Challenge or something else. Get outside of your comfort zone and see what great things you can do if you put your mind to it.
Aerial Hammocks Hip Hang Aerial Hand Stand