Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 59

DAY 59 - Happy Leap Year Day! I am pleased that I chose to do my Yoga Challenge during a leap year because it means an extra day of yoga bliss! I was really short on time today and did not know how long my son would nap, so I had to pick a quick sequence. I am also trying to experiment with new styles and teachers since I have access to so many on the myyogaonline website. Today was Hatha, which is not new to me since this is the type of yoga that I trained in. However I had not done yoga with this instructor before. It was a short, slow, and sweet sequence. I wanted to do something slower today because I have a little sore throat (maybe allergies?) and not a lot of energy.

http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/yoga/short-hatha-flow

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 58

DAY 58 - I had a very busy day today and tonight, so it was one of those days where I did a little yoga here, and a little yoga there. As I was waiting for my husband to get out of work, I sat in the car and listened to some relaxing music, focused on the breath, and did a couple neck and shoulder stretches. Later I got to my mat to do a few sun salutations as well as various other poses for about 10 minutes to prepare my body before my volleyball game. I played a lot better today in volleyball, so maybe the yoga warm-up was the key!?

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 57

DAY 57 - Now that Mateus (my son) is getting so much more active; crawling, and trying to walk.. it's even more important for me to pay special attention to certain areas of my body, especially my neck and back. The sequence today was to release shoulder and neck tension. It was a very nice flow and the instructor has you massaging your neck and shoulders at the beginning to relax and loosen that area. It was so very relaxing and made me want to go get a real massage!

http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/yoga/releasing-neck-and-shoulder-tension

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 56

DAY 56 - It was Yoga with Mateus this evening, my little Yogi! We tried to do the sequence from the book, Baby OM - Yoga for Mothers and Babies. We "kind of" followed along... Mateus was sooooo tired, so it actually worked in my advantage. He basically sat on my mat, or close to my mat and played with a toy most of the time. He is crawling now and sitting up great, so if he was really awake and active, it would be much more difficult doing yoga with him.

We had fun while it lasted... I would try to engage him by reaching and tickling him, making funny faces, or blowing raspberries on him when he got close to me. In Downward Facing Dog, he was sitting under me, so my face and his were in direct contact. He liked this because I would do something silly to make him laugh each time I would go in the pose. I put him on my lap in Boat pose and would extend and then bend my legs and tickle him. His favorite is still airplane; me on my back with my knees bent and him on my knees "flying." We do this quite often. Its great on the abs! After about 15 minutes he crawled off and got too fussy so yoga was over.

I need to try to do at least a couple poses each day with him, or let him watch me do some, so as he gets older he will "hopefully" want to do some on his own! He is already getting good at Down Dog; and often I see him go into poses such as Plank, Pigeon and Bound Angle as he is exploring his world.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 55

DAY 55 - A nice and relaxing evening sequence for me tonight. A simple, but great way to end a busy day and a sleepless week! I love you Shoulderstand and Legs up the Wall pose...bed, here I come!

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 54

DAY 54 - Happy Friday! A short, but effective sequence tonight from the Yoga Journal website. I love these free videos! I need to search for some other websites with free videos.

I have some sort of pinch that I have been feeling in my left-side, lower back, ever since I had my son. I am guessing in the muscle? I could feel it during some of my movements in yoga today. I'm not sure how to fix it, so guess I am going to need to ask the doctor next time I go. I also have a pinch that I feel once in a while in the right side of my neck. This one feels more like it could be in the joints...hmmm...I wonder if I can find some restorative yoga for these pains, but need to find out the root cause or what they are. If anyone out there knows, or has suggestions, please feel free to advise me!

The sequence I did today - http://www.yogajournal.com/video/237/

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 53

DAY 53 - The last few nights I have had very little sleep due to my son waking so often and crying. I'm guessing it's teething...anyway today I felt so tired. I decided to do some Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is basically a very deep meditation or "sleep-like" state. It's like a conscious deep sleep, similar to hypnosis where you come out of it feeling rested and feel like you have been sleeping. After I did the 22 minute yoga nidra session, I felt really good and rested for several hours. During the session it felt closer to an hour that I was listening, but it was only about 20mins. Now it's almost 5pm and I am feeling sleepy again. Maybe I need to do it again? ;-)

http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/meditation/short-practice-yoga-nidra-session---audio-practice

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 52

DAY 52 - Winter is the season for feeling sick, sluggish, or just "Blah." It can be harsh on our bodies and mind when we don't get outside as often and germs can easily spread when we stay indoors. Yoga can give your immune system a boost, enlighten your mood, and help you feel good again.

Today I found a sequence called, Boost Your Immune System. This Hatha sequence targets some breathing excercises to get rid of toxins in the body and to balance the hormones. I always feel great after yoga!

Try this sequence if you are feeling the "Winter Blues." http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/yoga/boost-your-immune-system

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 51

DAY 51 - I was back at the YMCA yoga class today. 51 days into yoga and it's easy to still feel challenged in postures. There are so many variations and modifications to poses; that it is a never ending journey of yoga exploration. Plus, your body can feel different from day to day, even hour to hour, which can keep your yoga practice fresh and interesting.

I ran yesterday, which I am just getting back into again. Therefore my body was a little stiffer and sore in different areas this morning. This affected how I felt in some of my yoga postures today. For example, last week I felt good in extended side-angle and was able to "bound" my arms under my leg. Today in the same posture, I only felt like bending my elbow and keeping my arm supported on my leg. I wish I had brought my blocks to class with me. Next week I need to remember to bring them!

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 50

DAY 50!!! Wow, I have made it to 50 days already! Time is going so fast! I'm really enjoying getting to include yoga in my daily life again. It's funny because before I became pregnant, I was teaching 8 yoga classes during 6 days a week. Yoga was a huge part of my life! Also during my pregnancy, I was still able to fit yoga in most days and even teach a pre-natal yoga class. However, since I had my son, I was finding it so challenging to get my daily dose of yoga. This "Yoga Everyday for a Year" challenge was to prove to myself that I could still manage doing yoga daily, no matter what and no matter how little I did each day.

Being a mom doesn't mean I need to stop doing all the things I love, but that I need to modify them a bit at times. Some of my best yoga moments are when I include my son in my yoga practice. I actually do this quite a bit, even when I don't write about it. Mateus love to play "airplane" so I get a great ab workout in a modified Boat Pose with him on my legs. My arms are also getting so strong from throwing him up and down in the air (he LOVES this!). And his most favorite activity is trying to walk. So while holding his hands and letting him walk around, I bring the awareness to my breath and body so I don't get too tired. I bend my legs and try to keep a straight back as I do this. Later after all this fun for him and a workout for me, I sit and stretch a little on the floor while he plays. All this happens almost daily!

So it is my 50th day today! I started off this morning with some warm-up sun salutations and a few basic floor poses. I knew I would be running later, so I made sure to stretch my hamstrings and hips good. After my run, I did a few more downward facing dogs, pigeon, and seated leg stretches at the gym. Now I'm at home and my son is still taking a nice long nap, so I am going to do a couple balancing poses and a meditation until he wakes up. Yoga I love you!!

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 49

DAY 49 - A fabulous morning vinyasa sequence today! The sun was out and beautifully shining, so I wanted to do a warming and fun active sequence today. The sequence was playful and had some new variations of poses that I had never done before. We did a scorpion plank and a scorpion cobra, a variation of camel in a lunge, and wild thing backbend. This sequence really woke up my body and energized my soul! LOVED IT!

http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/yoga/surya-morning-flow

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 48

DAY 48 - Just a quick evening sequence tonight to get ready for bed. A few seated stretches: side-bed, twist, forward bend, downward dog, wide-legged stretch, pigeon...that's all I needed tonight. Namaste

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 47

DAY 47 - I ended my week with some evening Yin Yoga. Yin Yoga is basically yoga for the joints, instead of the muscles. It targets the connective tissues, such as the ligaments, bones, and the joints of the body that normally are not exercised very much in a more active style of asana practise. It also targets the hips, pelvis, and lower spine. It is quite challenging in a different way due to the long duration of the poses, or very deep stretches. This is a practise where I really enjoy using props, and find blocks especially helpful. I feel so open and free after Yin Yoga, especially in the hips and pelvis.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 46

DAY 46 - I was on the move today: baby story-time, getting my Ohio driver's license, bringing lunch to my wonderful husband, Mateus's 6 month doctors appointment, dinner with friends from Brazil...so on busy days like this how do you fit some yoga into your day? I can always do an early or late night practice, but my solution today was yoga in my car. Yes, in my car! How you ask? Simple...

After my son's doctors appointment, and 4 shots later (poor little guy) he fell deeply asleep. I still had an hour to kill before picking up my husband and I didn't want to go home because I would have had to get back out again right away. Since Mateus was sleeping, I thought I would just stay in the car and do some yoga. I went through the starbucks drive through, got a hot chocolate, and parked. I turned on my iphone to my "Nature Sounds" app, closed my eyes for a few minutes and let my mind relax and my breath take over. After a few minutes I went into some seated stretches: a twist (using the steering wheel as some resistance), triceps arm stretches, neck rolls, a side bend, eagle arm shoulder stretch, and a chest opener (arms behind the back holding elbows). Voila!! Yoga in the car...just another example of how you can fit yoga in almost anytime and anywhere. And my hot chocolate was waiting for me at the end..Bliss! ;-)

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 45

DAY 45 - I'm a little sore after the yoga class yesterday, especially my abs...good!! We did quite of few Boat poses and some other ab work. My arms are also "singing" after many planks and chaturanga's. I started my morning off with a quick stretch yoga class - http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/yoga/a-quick-stretch (I added a few arm stretch poses to the end of this sequence) This helped with some of my soreness and loosen my body. After yoga, I went to go swim. This is another great exercise to lubricate the joints and move the body in a gentle, but effective way. I need to learn water yoga next... ;-)

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 44

DAY 44 - Happy Valentines Day! I hope everyone had a day filled with Love! Today I went to a yoga class at the YMCA where I work out. I haven't been to a "live" yoga class (that I wasn't teaching) in several years! When I lived in New Zealand, I was teaching 6 days a week, so it was challenging to get to a class. In Brazil and since I have had my son, I have only done yoga at home by video, or my own practice.

Going to a live class can be important for one's practice. Even if you have been doing yoga for years and years, it is still good to go and have an instructor give you feedback and adjustments. Even as an instructor myself, I am not perfect in my postures and will always need guidance. I enjoyed the class today because I was able to completely get lost in the class. My son was at daycare, so I did not have to worry if he would be waking up or needing me. My intention was to try to focus on the breath and leave all my worries and thoughts at the door. This was ME TIME! The class was nice and not too challenging, which was just what I wanted today. I'm hoping to make this class a weekly habit.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 43

DAY 43- A short and sweet practice tonight as I am very tired from a teething son who doesn't want to sleep much at night lately. I did a 10 minute sequence, Open Heart, Open Shoulders. This is just a short practice of a few gentle poses with alternate nostril breathing at the end. The shoulder openers are always welcome since my shoulder and arms get so tired from carrying and lifting my boy into the air (his favorite). I added on my own 5 minute Love meditation after the sequence to send my Love and Appreciation out to my family and friends.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 42

DAY 42- A quick Heart Opening sequence tonight called 6 Poses to Open Your Heart. This article helps us remember that true love comes from within and by doing yoga, especially certain poses, can directly give our mind, body, and heart some good loving. This practice has a combination of "The Love List" meditation and a few Asanas. Feel the love within yourself and watch how your heart becomes available to others.

http://blog.gaiam.com/blog/6-poses-to-open-your-heart-slideshow-instructions/

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 41

DAY 41 - Oh Delicious Restorative Yoga! If you have never tried it, then you are missing out on one of the most relaxing experiences you can get from a yoga class! In Restorative yoga, you are using multiple props to comfortably place you into various "relaxing" postures. You typically stay in each pose for 5-15 minutes each. Its best to do this type of class just before bedtime because you feel so sleepy and peaceful afterwards that I don't know how you would get anything done.

The class I did tonight was called Melt into Love. The instructor not only leads you into poses, but also guides you on a meditative journey! She has you extend your love out in all directions so it radiates to all people all over the world. I felt so warm and fuzzy inside and I'm VERY ready for sleep now. Ahhh nighty night!

http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/yoga/melt-into-love

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 40

DAY 40- Happy Friday!! To finish off the week, I did a meditation called Journey into Love. This was a beautiful guided meditation allowing me to open my heart to the world and share love more freely in every moment. The instructor reminds us that Love is all we need in this world to live a life filled with more joy than you could imagine. After this meditation, I felt warm, peaceful, and my whole body was smiling. Namaste!

http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/meditation/journey-into-love

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 39

DAY 39 - Heart Wide Open was the name of the sequence I did today on the Yoga Journal website. This short sequence warmed the body with Sun Salutations, chest-openers, gentle backbends, and side-bends in order to achieve a pose called Wild Thing. I could not get fully into this pose at the end, as it is a more intense backbend. I like attempting this pose because it not only stretched my sides and gave me a great backbend, but it took me a little beyond my comfort zone. This builds confidence and strengthens our heart. Wild Thing, you made my Heart Sing today!

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 38

DAY 38- I have yet to get on my mat and not feel great afterwards. There are some days where I feel like skipping my practice for one reason or another, but once I get on the mat and get moving or breathing, my mood is lifted and my heart radiates.

Today I did a Vinyasa sequence with one of my favorite instructors, Clara Roberts-Oss. It was called In a Heartbeat Vinyasa Yoga. Her classes are smooth and move with such grace and I feel like a dancer. During this sequence she spoke of how there are 3 rhythms in the body, the heart, the breath, and brainwaves. We are only able to manipulate one of them, the breath. If we slow down our breath we slow down our heart rate, therefore slowing our brainwaves. This allows us to become more present in the moment.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 37

DAY 37 - Setting an Intention (a determination to act in a certain way). I had time this morning to do my yoga during my son's first nap. I love doing yoga at this time of day if I can. I chose a 15 minute morning practice. The instructor talked about how if you only have a few minutes, then your practice should be effective as well as gentle on the body. She also reminded us that we should set our intention for ourselves each morning for that day. This is a perfect way to take your yoga off the mat and live it throughout your day. Even the smallest intention you set for yourself can have positive impacts on yourself as well as everyone around you. My intention I set for myself this morning was to go about my day as self-less as possible. So throughout the day, I kept reminding myself this intention. As a result, I felt good about my daily actions and made more of an effort to think of others first. I even found myself smiling more than usual, especially at strangers. Now each morning I will take a few moments, even if I am not doing my yoga practice yet, to sit and choose my intention for the day.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 36

DAY 36- Exploring Savasana. I recently downloaded a couple of Free Yoga Apps onto my ipad, so I decided to give one of them a try tonight. I picked a 30 minute Level 1 Evening Sequence. It consisted of a couple seated stretches, a modified headstand, shoulderstand, plough, reclined twist, and a 10 minute savasana. I really enjoyed the savasana because the instructor had us explore each part of our body by lifting it up off the ground, then releasing it back down. After going through each part, my body felt so heavy and I was able to relax even deeper. I give this App a Thumbs up!

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 35

DAY 35 - I'm still not feeling 100%, so I did a short evening practice to relax. It was a "go with the flow" sequence, which means I did what poses felt good to me in each moment. I ended up doing quite a few seated hamstring and hip openers, a couple lunges, twists, and side-bends all transitioning through Downward Facing Dog pose. Instead of Savasana, I ended it all in cross-legged pose with my eyes closed to quiet my mind.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 34

DAY 34 - There is nothing like doing Sun Salutations outside on a sunny day! Today was very sunny, but still a little too cold to be outside. I'm lucky because my house lets a lot of sunshine in through the windows and glass porch doors. It was just nice enough today to open up the sliding doors and let some cool air inside. This was a perfect combination because the slight cool breeze kept me from getting too hot from the sun. I rolled out my mat right in front of the porch doors and had a pleasing view of trees in my backyard. Since the glass door was also open, I could hear the birds singing too. I then did 10 Sun Salutations in my little "sun sanctuary." It really felt like Spring and being in the sun and smelling the fresh air completely uplifted my spirits. Doing something like this is always important in the Winter because you can get cabin fever; but it was especially nice to end my week of being sick. I think I just found my perfect "yoga space" for my daytime home yoga!

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 33

DAY 33- "Have patience; it will benefit you" a quote from Yogi tea. When I am sick, I don't like to take medicine for 2 reasons. First, I prefer to treat myself naturally if this is possible. Medicine can sometimes inhibit the healing process, therefore possibly slowing it down. Of course it can be necessary in some circumstances. Second, since I breastfeed my baby, I don't want the medicines to enter into my milk. My point is, when I am sick I usually like to be patient and let my body heal itself. I treat myself with rest, water, tea, and gentle yoga. I feel that I usually heal quicker this way.

Today I'm feeling much better! I am still taking it easy so I can completely heal. I did "bath yoga" tonight. :) While my wonderful husband got our son ready for bed, I ran a hot bath filled with Eucalyptus bubble bath, put on my nature sounds, lit a candle, and sipped a tropical smoothie. I did some deep breathing and meditation. This was SO relaxing!! Once I was out of the bath (and my son was asleep) I continued with a couple seated stretches to take the extra tension away and prepare my body and mind for a peaceful sleep.

Yoga Everyday for a Year - DAY 32

DAY 32- I'm still feeling bad today and not much energy, so I did a few seated stretches and relaxed most of the day. Whenever I had a few moments, I would close my eyes and focus on my breath. Other than that it has been lots of water, tea, and rest today!! Good night!