A great 75 minute practice today followed by a nice, if somewhat inadequate, five minutes of Savasana. 

Closing my practice with a good long Savasana is still a challenge and one I will continue to work on.  But I feel so good and I am ready to move on and tackle the demands of this crazy house.  I also knew there was a pair of pretty blue eyeballs staring at me from outside the glass door that provides my only barrier from the rest of the house.  I had an audience.  An audience anticipating my completing practice very, very quickly…  so, I did.

Despite a somewhat rushed ending, I really felt like I had made some progress in a few postures.  Namely anything involving a forward bend.  I am much more conscious of bending at the hips instead of my waist and lower back.  As well, when seated I am pretty effectively combining my breath with the posture and allowing myself to extend through the spine on the inhale and deepen the stretch on the exhalation.  It felt very good today. 

I was also loving the twists.  A good wringing is necessary these days.

I’m feeling pretty zen about this upcoming inaugural class I will be teaching in a few days.  While I was allowing myself to get right bound about it earlier in the week as of yesterday I forced myself to step back and get some perspective.  This is something I have thought about doing for some years, now and I am now fortunate enough to be asked to do so by a close, safe group of friends and neighbors.  It’s all good.  I will certainly expand and grow my own practice through this opportunity while, I hope, providing some fun and oh so beneficial physical activity to some very lovely women.

It was a good practice yesterday afternoon.  A first one in a good long time, as is evident from this PLOG o’ mine.  One hour.  With Baron Baptiste. 

OK, not really.  Not the man in person, but his voice.  In my Bootcamp in a Box.  I had to admit to my husband last night as we were discussing my upcoming teaching, that I am somewhat of a Baptiste disciple.  As I am trying to work on my cueing, I am listening/watching other practitioners.  While all good, certainly some better than others, I have been practicing the Baptiste method of Vinyasa for so long now, my body just knows it.  

OK, so I’ve also been to one of his bootcamps.  It’s a form of yoga I enjoy.  I feel like I have worked out and I feel that I have centred and relaxed through it all at the same time.  This is what I will bring to my class.  Not officially, for any of you out there about to run to Baptiste crying copyright infringement.  But as it is a practice I enjoy and rely on, there is no question it will influence my teaching. 

So now I develop my own sequences of postures, in the Vinyasa form.  It was recommended that I literally talk my way through my own practices to work on my cueing.

I’m nervous about cueing.  Stutter….  Uh…… Stammer….  Um……  No way, man!  I’m gonna have it together.  Really…. 

Well… an interesting development.  A friend and neighbor has asked if I would teach an informal yoga class every week to a group of other friends and neighbors.  It will be in her coffee shop nearby, after hours.  It’s a fantastic, large but very cozy space with dark, wide hardwood planks, a gas fireplace and coffee and tea time afterwards.

A week from yesterday… 6 days and counting to come up with a good, solid sequence.  An hour long.  Hmmmm…..

Now, when I started this PLOG, it was to be a motivational tool.  When I am doing it, I love yoga, but for some reason it is the hardest thing to incorporate into my day…

One issue facing my developing a regular practice:  a warm, tidy and peaceful place.  This is probably my biggest challenge.  Or at least my biggest excuse.  So, in an effort to render this challenge/excuse null and void, I am creating such a space. 

It won’t take long and I will be back to resume a regular practise. I’m almost there.

I have essentially abandoned not only what was becoming some semblance of regular yoga practice, but I haven’t even walked my dog!

New Year’s Resolution:   Minimum half hour, at least three times practice each week, which will be followed by regular PLOG updates.  Oh, and walk the dog- most EVERYDAY!

There you have it…. the internet is sort of like stone, isn’t it? 

It’s been six days since last practice.  Is this going to be merely a “noplog” (no practice log)?!?!  Put it down to holiday chaos, I guess.  Perhaps I can squeeze something in later today…

I’m now 39.  Let’s get this in gear, gal!  This plog is supposed to work as a motivational tool- perhaps now that I’ve said it, I’ll make sure it happens… hmmmmmmm.

Yesterday afternoon, I had another great half hour or so, with savasana to follow.  OK, not really.  My savasana was so very brief it can’t even really be considered as to have been done!  Savasana is the most difficult part of my practice.  I don’t give nearly enough time and I certainly don’t give nearly enough attention to the function of just relaxing after a pretty rigorous 30 minutes.  I’m pumped and ready to get going on to supper, kids… the next thing on the day’s list.

My goal:  five minutes spent in Savasana to follow each practice.  As much attention to this posture as those that came before!

Otherwise a great practice.  As with the preceding, I followed Sun Salutes A & B with sequences, power and balance.  These are without question, my favourites, and where I can get into a wonderful, uninterrupted flow, creating some serious heat!  I need to include a transitional sequence though if that is where I will be ending practice.  Note for next practice:  prone postures to ease me better into Savasana. 

Namaste…

35 minutes of practice, with a brief savasana to follow, squeaked in before arrival of boys from school. It was lovely. It was strong, considering my months away. Muscle memory, perhaps…. I’ve been keeping a lighter, more healthful diet lately as well, so I’m sure that helped me feel more energetic, not to mention a little lighter in the postures.

I’m something (sorta, kinda) of a Baptiste disciple. I love the Vinyasa flow and I’ve found his to be pretty accessible and I enjoy his books. Being out in the stix, I rely on these kind of resources to help develop my own practice, and his form of yoga was one that resonated where others just didn’t.
Today I completed a full power series as well as a lovely trip through the balancing series- my absolute fave, though the power posture series run a close second. These were following a very deliberate many Sun Salutations, A & B.

I also have a great compilation of Yoga Tunes that I put together. I love yoga to music: enya, sarah, james blunt, loreena. I love it! It really adds to my practice (cringe, purists!)
I do need to allow for a longer savasana. I’m not letting myself relax fully to complete. Will work on this….

I did as I said and managed to get in a practice yesterday.  My favourite, Vinyasa Flow. My body likes it and I love the constant movement.  It was a shorty- about 30 minutes including a brief savasana.  For my inaugural practice it was primarily a focus on Sun Salutations A & B.  I added a few strength and triangle postures.  The balancing posture sequence is by far my favourite but I just wasn’t feeling it, so next time…  This was good, this, my first practice in many, many months.  A great day!

Namaste.

Things have been crazy this past week: snow days, travel, not-so-great eating!  OK, so excuses, all.  I am ready to resume practice and will be sure to take the time today.  It’s a relaxed Saturday, so I will have no reason not to….