365 Days of Yoga

I set an intention to do 365 consecutive days of yoga in 2011. That sounds like an extreme goal to many. But most days I count a 10 minute yoga session as a full practice. Other days I can do 20 - 30 minutes. And once or twice a week I can do a full hour. I'm 29 days in, and I feel great.

Even though yoga is "my job" it is challenging for me to find the time to practice for myself / by myself daily. My schedule is busy too, and in my down time its much easier to get lost on Twitter, Facebook, a magazine or TV. Next thing you know an hour can slip by. Taking 10 minutes a day for yoga is totally doable FOR EVERYONE. You can complete 10 Sun Salutations in less time than it takes you to make your morning coffee - And the energy you will feel will astound you.

What's the number one reason you don't do yoga? No time, right? If you are an athlete, your training time is likely focused on strength, speed, and endurance. You can find time to strength train for an hour and run for two hours on a Saturday morning, but taking the time to stretch for 3 minutes is often a challenge. We are time crunched and juggling a lot, so stretching is the first thing to go because we don't feel like we get "results" from stretching (like increased speed, muscle tone or even weight loss).

But truly you will get all those results and more by doing yoga and stretching regularly! Your speed and strength will increase as your range of motion increases. Think of a rubber band... The more elastic it is and the futher you stretch it, the further it goes and the more power when its released. And how do you think your performance will be on race day if you're overtrained or sidelined with an injury? Could your weight loss efforts possibly be improved by reducing stress? Studies show absolutely YES. It has to do with cortisol, the stress hormone which can make it harder to lose weight.

I could go on and on about the benefits and why you should be doing yoga and stretching daily. But you already know it, and can find articles in every publication these days. And whether you're an athlete or a new mom, Yoga has probably been "on your list" for a while. So, what's stopping you? If you're waiting for the perfect time to begin, you have to make the time. There is always an excuse.

All you need is 10 minutes and an open space. You really don't even need a yoga mat. And your body is your equipment so there is nothing to buy. Above is a link to Sun Salutation B. I hope you'll try it with me! And keep me posted on your progress...

Join me for 10 minutes of Yoga - Try Sun Salutation B

Salute the New Year

Happy New Year! I'll admit I've been seriously slacking on my blog posts. I started to write posts for both November and December and somehow never finished what I started. To me, not finishing is worse than not starting!

My main excuse is that a foster puppy moved in mid October and every spare moment of time I have goes to her (Playing with her is more rewarding and fun than being on the computer!) Her name is Piper (the one in the Santa hat :) and she is a soldiers dog. Her Dad is serving in Afghanistan, and it's an honor to care for her while he serves our country. The program is called Guardian Angles for Soldiers Pets - Check it out! If you're an animal lover, and want to give back to a soldier, this program is for you. Foster caring Piper is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

Piper even has her own Facebook Fan page called "Piper Power" so her Dad can see what she's up to while he's away. I'm having fun filming video segments of Piper these days, and I rarely post Yoga segments to my Youtube channel since she moved in! Below is a yoga segment I filmed with Piper (She loves to sit beside me and chew her bone while I do yoga. As soon as I roll out my yoga mat, she is by my side!) Try it with us!

So, while I've been slacking on my blog and video segments, I can assure you the time is being well spent with Piper. Fostering caring and volunteer service falls into the catagory of Karma Yoga (selfless action) - Or yoga "off the mat" ...which is rewarding in ways beyond Asana practice (the physical poses).

But now that it's the New Year, I like to take a little time to reflect on the year that's past and look forward to the upcoming year. One of my goals this year is to practice yoga 365 consecutive days! This might sound like an unrealistic goal to many, but I often count 10 minutes Sun Salutation as "a practice". It's rare that I get a full hour practice in, but for me a little every day works. If your days are full like mine, try 10 minutes a day for 7 days and see if you don't feel better in one short week! Below is a short Sun Salutation demo to get you started...

Happy New Year! Keep me posted on your progress on the Flexible Warrior Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/flexiblewarrior or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/flexiblewarrior