Ready to Take Flight

Since this blog I am happy to say that I have been practicing yoga about 3 times per week. It has greatly increased my flexibility, I feel less stressed and I have been able to tackle harder poses like a headstand and hopefully soon a handstand. Once I started practicing consistently I found that everything else started falling into place; I started sleeping better and my eating habits also improved. This just isn't the case with yoga it happens with any type of continuous workout routine.

Aerial Yoga

Now that I am comfortable and confident in the hot room I’m thinking the next step is to incorporate a new style of yoga into my daily activities to keep things interesting and exciting. I am currently looking into a rather new type of yoga called Aerial Yoga that is offered at a local studio, Yoga by Sarah. This type of yoga involves practicing will being in the air! It focuses on areas such as your hips, chest, shoulders and hamstrings and probably adds a little bit of excitement into daily yoga practice.

Motivation is the Hardest Part

As I've said before in previous posts I have had a very hard time motivating myself to workout, let alone practice yoga at home. Not having the motivation has set me back so many times, but I have come to understand that it is not only important to do what you love whether it’s yoga, running or training for a triathlon, but to make real life changes and to focus on what you want to achieve in the long run.

I find it helps to schedule in workouts as a daily routine like eating breakfast or showering. Once I started doing this I found myself sticking to my workouts like glue.  Doing something you love is also important if you want to stick to your daily routines. You don’t eat something you don’t like so why would you run if you hated it, or hated yoga because you weren't flexible? Once we all start making small changes to our daily lives working out won’t seem so difficult to fit in.

This One's for the Bros

Since I have been attending yoga classes I have come to realize that the classes I attend are female dominated. I’m not sure why this is, maybe some men feel weird taking a class dominated by women or that yoga might not help them with their overall fitness. Fear not gentlemen, there has been a fad going on for a while called Broga, a yoga class dedicated to all male classes.

The Broga classes don’t differ much from any regular yoga class, they still focus on balance, flexibility and building self awareness, but as The Globe and Mail states “Yoga for guys means more Radiohead, less Enya.”

I think this is a great tactic to allow everyone to feel comfortable and reap the benefits a yoga class has to offer. Everyone deserves to de-stress, relax and get fit in a place they feel at ease.

So to all of the men, Bro Montana’s, dudes and muchachas out there go try a Broga class because you never know you might find the Jobin to your Pistol or just realize that you really like yoga.

Progress

I have been practicing yoga consistently for about a month and I’m feeling great. All of this could just be in my head but I find that I sleep better, am happier and less stressed. Physically I am more balanced and feel a lot stronger. Yoga has also improved my flexibility which will help reduce my chance of injury when running or going to the gym. Practicing has opened my eyes to my own personal health and lifestyle as well as specific fitness goals that I have recently set for myself.

I have been attending classes at a local studio and have also made an effort to practice at home. My home practice has helped me to make progress with certain poses and meditation, but I still find it a hassle to roll out my mat and unwind at the end of the day. Even though I have made yoga a priority since day one I’m hoping that I can continue to improve as well as have a chance to practice other styles of yoga such as Ashtanga Yoga, Kundalini Yoga , Jivamukti Yoga.

Breathe and De-Stress

Yoga is sometimes underestimated and many people shy away from it because they are misinformed. Some say that yoga isn't a workout and that all you do is stretch, but those who do practice will tell you otherwise. Yoga isn't just stretching it’s about holding poses, breathing and pushing yourself past your comfort zone. Yoga is a great workout and the benefits that come with the practice are amazing.

One of the benefits of practicing any form of yoga is that it helps reduce stress. We all stress about things in our daily lives whether its school, work, family or friends and this can eventually take a toll on us mentally and physically. There are specific poses like Garland, Child's Pose and Shoulder Stand that can help reduce stress levels. Deep breathing can also help with stress such as slowly breathing through the nose and making your exhales longer than your inhales.

Reducing stress is important if we want to live happy and healthy so find what relaxes you after a long day. You can also visit these blogs for stress reducing tips, tricks and relaxing music: 

Audio Ambrosia
Calming Your Chaos

What (Not) to Wear to Class

Lululemon Athletica

We all know what to wear when we’re working out, just throw on a pair of shorts and any old t-shirt and your set but sometimes our days are busy and the little things slip our minds.  I’m not saying you have to buy the most expensive workout gear but remember your goals and what type of workout you want to accomplish. Also wear what makes you comfortable and confident.

Yoga doesn't require much but it’s important to keep in mind that this type of workout is about breathe, positions and to keep your mind focused on your practice. The last thing you want to be doing is fidgeting with your clothes while in downward facing dog or having your shirt fall to your face when attempting a head stand, unless you want the entire class to see the colour of your sports bra or that new tattoo you just got. It’s quite obvious that comfort and fit are key in yoga, the less bulk the better! Oh, and only wear grey in a Moksha class if you want the entire world to see your sweat stains.

Karma Wear

I’m writing this post because most of the blunders I've mentioned have happened to me during classes, all very amusing stories to tell but have compromised the focus on my practice. A workout shouldn't be all about the clothes it should be about getting stronger, happier and crushing your goals.   

Here are a few stores you can purchase clothes, mats and other yoga accessories:

Lululemon

Old Navy

Karma Wear

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Last night was my first (Moksha) hot yoga class of the year and let me tell you, it was H.O.T. Most girls were glistening in their Lululemon attire but I was the odd man out. I was wearing Lululemon but I was not glistening. Sadly I have come to realize my genetics make me sweat more than the average human and wearing grey definitely did not help matters.  Moving past my sweaty problems the 60 minute class was amazing.

Tree Pose

During my practice I found it difficult to focus on calm breathing while trying to hold a pose with the proper form, an example of this: Tree Pose. I would manage to hold my pose for a few seconds then slowly lose my balance and almost topple over. This was very humbling and a reminder that continuous practice will eventually pay off. The class was difficult at times but it provided me with the calm, clear mind I needed to start a busy week.

 

Moksha Yoga is a series of 40 different poses done in a room heated to about 40°C or 100°F. If you want to learn more about this type of yoga or are interested in taking classes here is a link to a great local studio:

http://st-catharines.mokshayoga.ca/

Another Day, Another Downward Facing Dog

I have always struggled to commit to my home practice and I don't know why.  It seems easier to get up early, travel to the closest yoga studio and practice with an instructor for 90 minutes than stay home and commit to the same thing.  Maybe it's because I've made a commitment and feel the need to follow through or maybe being at home reminds me that I not only have to practice yoga but accomplish 100 other things.  The good news is last night I was productive and managed to squeeze in 45 minutes before bed.  

There was nothing stunning about my practice; there were no acrobatics, handstands or arm balances but hopefully as I continue this blog my posts can include some of these small victories (I will include photos of my progress).  I tried to focus on matching my breath with my movement and stuck with some of the essential positions, one of them being Downward Facing Dog.

This pose looks quite simple but can come back to ‘bite’ you the next day as it works your arms and shoulders.  There are also a number of different health benefits attached to each pose. For the benefits of Downward Facing Dog check out this link from the Yoga Journal:

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/491

Needless to say the first attempt at my home practice was a success and I look forward to where it leads me.  Monday I'm headed to a Moksha Yoga studio. It should be a blast so expect a blog update following class.

Why Yoga?

In my last two years of university I found myself stressed out to the point of no return.  The gym wasn't working and running wasn't as fun as it used to be.  I felt like I needed something new and different. I wanted something that was going to not only challenge me but help me relax.  Then I went to my first yoga class.  It was phenomenal, to say the least.  There were so many different components I needed to focus on simultaneously that I didn't have a chance to be stressed. It was an hour of sheer concentration on matching my breath with my movement, at that moment I was hooked.

There are so many things that I love about practicing yoga but there are also obstacles.  Some poses seem impossible to master even with continuous practice and sometimes during savasana your mind can’t stop racing for a single second. Sooner or later if you constantly make an honest effort you’ll start seeing results.  That’s the beauty in it; you get out of yoga what you put into it and this is why I want to blog about my practice.  Anyone can start a blog about yoga and there are hundreds of professional blogs written and updated by yogi’s who have been practicing yoga even before I was born but I want this blog to be relatable to every individual whether they are a seasoned or even a not so seasoned yoga student.