Day 68: Yoga XT

To be clear, I'm still not a fan of Yoga. But I'm getting better at it. Sorta.

It's Tuesday, Day 68, with Yoga on the calendar.

Can you hear my cheers of joy?

I didn't have nearly as much fun doing Yoga this week without my nephew Jackson along for the workout. I doubt I'll ever convince him to do Yoga again... so... I'm on my own.

Anyone who's following along knows I'm not a big Yoga fan.

<--- But I am starting to get the hang of some of it.

I'll even reluctantly admit to seeing some benefit from it. GASP.

To the headlines below.



Headlines

1. Today, I tried to take in some quiet time before Yoga to see if it would help me love it more. Meh.
2. I also tried to focus on my form, even if it meant not keeping pace and taking the time to "settle."
3. I still have a ways to go on form, so I took photos today. Now I can actually see where I'm off a bit. I'll get it eventually. :)
4. With a little focus, I was able to feel my way into the right pose in a lot of cases. Sometimes it felt better. Sometimes worse.
5. When I got a pose right, I found that it was easier to breathe. That's comforting given that I don't breathe well during Yoga. (Irony?)

Memorable Move

I remember writing early on about the Side Plank with Leg Raises pose. The first time or two, I just fell out well before the end. The next few times, I shook like a leaf but made it through, without falling out. Until today, I doubt I came anywhere close to decent form. Remember that first, you raise and extend the leg. Then you bring the knee in to the front. Then you extend out forward. Then you drop it behind. Then back into plank. It's the devil's work, this pose.

Today's small victory: No falling. Less shaking. Alas, with the photos, I see where my form is still off. (Lower arm isn't lined up under my shoulder. Fixing that ought to make this way easier.) But I'm taking today as a victory. My leg raise is high and pretty solid with my muscles flexed, my lower foot is pretty planted, and I'm not leaning at any weird angles. I got through each leg transition without shaking. It's progress, for sure. Sidebar Note: Yes, I know that my butt looks a little odd in this shot. Trust me. It isn't deformed. It's just the pose. Yet another reason to dislike Yoga?  :-)

My form isn't yet great... but look! I'm doing the dreaded side plank leg raises. :)

Favorite Mike Quote Of The Day

Now for the part where I (reluctantly) admit that there is some benefit to Yoga. Mike says early on today, "What I want you to do is be sure your shoulders are back. Don't roll them forward like you're on that computer." Every week when he says this, I realize that it is exactly what I'm doing.

I spend 8-10 hours a day on my computer most days, writing or working. I have horrible desk posture and it's even worse when I take my Mac Air and work outside, around the house, or worse case - an airplane. All the stretches and dropping of my shoulders in Yoga... they help. They really do. I undo some of that advantage with my scrunched form during plank, upward dog and downward dog. So I'll work on my shoulders during Yoga for the two times I have remaining in my 90 days. And after Yoga is done <cheer>, I'll probably continue to use the shoulder stretches for that all-important relief from laptop time.

Now, now. Don't go getting the wrong idea. I'm no convert. But... by improving my form, I improved my breath. By improving my breath, I improved my stretch. By improving my stretch, I found relief. THAT is huge progress. Let's not push our luck and try for actually liking Yoga. I'm pretty happy just not hating it!

More tomorrow,
 Lisa
"Bandit"

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My "real" life beyond TapouT XT:

    Author and Coach: www.soulforbreakfast.com

    Executive Consultant: www.laiventures.com