Headstand Update

In light of an article I recently came across, 10 Reasons to Do a Headstand Every Day, I thought I should update you on my goal to do a headstand from a few months ago.

Some days I can move into a headstand without any help from the wall. Other days, I need that little tap with my toe to kick into position. I'm not quite comfortable moving into one without the wall yet, but I'm almost there. Once I'm in position, though, I can hold it for over a minute with no help! I'm working up to longer & think that physically I could hold it. It's the mental part that's slacking. I get bored, or worried that I might fall down soon, or just over think the balance.

I love the way I feel after I've done a headstand, so I've been trying to continue to practice every day. There have been a few days where it made my head pound, so I just stopped & tried again the next day. I'm hoping to soon not need my safety net & be able to move away from the wall.
I've also been having fun practicing different leg positions. This one is my favorite!

Check out the article on headstand! Maybe it'll motivate you to try it out! (They're fun, I promise!) 

Goal: Headstands

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My new goal: hold a supported headstand for 3 minutes.

So far, I've crashed & burned a lot. I'm to the point where I can hold one for 30 seconds with the occasional foot to the wall for balance.

Maybe once I can do that, I'll be able to do a full handstand! I have a lot of yoga poses that I'd like to master, so I have a Pinterest board to inspire me.

Some of them are inspirational, but seem insane, such as:

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and this:

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Maybe someday? It would be so empowering to know I can hold myself up & balance like that. Yoga is really helping me with flexibility & balance, as well as causing me to be more aware of my body. I love the feeling of strength it gives me.

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I look more like the kitten, but I feel like the woman! :-)

Yoga Girl Challenge: Complete! + Yummy Links

I made it!!! 21 days that all involved some form, however large or small, of yoga.

{Because hotel floors are kinda gross.}

I'm not going to bore you with the details of the second half, but it was very similar to the first half. My favorite days were the ones when I used the audio downloads from Yogadownload.com. I love the unexpected challenges and the soothing background music during the sessions. It was great to break out of the video rut I'd been in. You can only watch the same exercise videos for so long before memorizing their next words!

Although I may not do yoga every single day from now on, I will definitely be doing it a lot more. It's a great way to unwind after a busy day and really helps to get the kinks out of my back. Last night I did Lunar Flow and while it was super slow and flowing, when I stood up after it was over, my hips were shaky and loose. It felt so good to wobble a little and realign myself.

For those of you skeptics who don't love yoga...I think you should try it. Just a simple class or video. Let me know how you like it!

And now for some yummy links in the blog world. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of recipes I want to try! Here's a short list:

Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars from OhSheGlows.com  - For the church picnic, I think.

Grilled Corn Summer Breakfast Hash from HowSweetEats.com  - Dinner soon, perhaps?

Easy Oat Wheat Bread from 101Cookbooks.com - Easy, delicious, quick.

Cookie Dough Dip from ChocolateCoveredKatie.com - It's a healthier version!

I think we could make a meal out of that. Happy Thursday everyone!

Question: Has anyone tried Hot Yoga?

Yoga Girl Challenge: Halfway Point

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Ten days into my Yoga Challenge and I'm loving it and feeling great. It's been hard some days to fit it in (especially Friday!) but it's worth it. Even just a quick session helps me ease out some of the tension from the day.

1-Tuesday:

• Body by Bethenny - 15 min. - This ended up being more weight training than yoga, but it still left me feeling stretched out. 

2-Wednesday:

• Denise Austing Fat Blasting Yoga - 15 min. - One of my go-to quick yoga sessions, this was the first DVD I owned that introduced me to yoga. Denise got me hooked, and I come back to her every once in awhile.

3-Thursday:

• Biggest Loser: Weight Loss Yoga - 5 min. warmup, 10 min. level 3, 20 min. level 1, 5 min. cooldown - The Bup joined me for this one. We love Bob & have done this one so often that we can quote him while he's telling us what to do. At one point he actually says, "Oh Bob... "

4-Friday:

• Annnnd my 3 day streak ended here. I had great plans to do a short session after we dug the potatoes to stretch out my back, but then the yellow jackets attacked and there was no doing anything unless it involved an ice pack.

5-Saturday:

• YogaDownload.com - 20 min. Qi Yoga & 25 min. Shoulder Opener #1 - I stepped out of my dvd comfort zone and decided to try these free online downloads. They always intimidated me because they're audio only. Turns out my 3 years of video yoga served me well because I had no trouble following the instructions. I think a complete beginner would struggle a little, but they really explain what to do in detail.

6-Sunday:

• YogaDownload.com - 25 min. Power Yoga #4 & 20 min. Solar Flow #1 - I liked the audio so much I tried it again. It's great to have variety instead of the same rotation of videos. This site has so much to offer! It's making me love yoga more, and challenging me to try new poses.

7-Monday:

• Denise Austin Yoga Body Burn - 10 min. Yoga Legs - I didn't have much time but still wanted to squeeze in some yoga! This is a quickie workout that still feels complete, despite the short length.

8-Tuesday:

• MyYogaOnline.com - 6 min. Let's Fly video - We had company for dinner & a campfire, so my day was packed. I took the time right before bed to stretch out with this super short online video. I think it would have continued if I paid or downloaded it, but as it was it stopped abruptly. I did a little downdog and child's pose to finish it off.

9-Wednesday:

• YogaDownload.com - 20 min. Power Yoga #5 - This one was just okay. It did help me release my tension from the day, but wasn't a fave. 

10-Thursday:

• YogaDownload.com - 20 min. 9 min. Power Vinyasa Flow & 25 min. Yoga for Weight Loss #1 - I did not like the Power Vinyasa Flow at all. I stopped after 9 min. and went to the next one. The Yoga for Weight Loss was a long series of sun saluations, which was great for a morning workout. I don't do the weight loss yoga sessions for the purpose of losing weight, I just find that they are more up-tempo than some yoga, which I prefer.

Has anyone else been doing yoga with me? Any suggestions on some videos or audios that I should try?

Yoga Girl Challenge

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I'm feeling inspired!

Maybe a little ambitious, too. Must be the sunshine giving me all this energy!

I'm going to join Jenna in her 21 Days of yoga. I always feel so alive after doing yoga and I try to fit so much into my days that I don't always get everything down. With this goal, I hope to slow myself down and take at least 10 minutes every day to re-align myself and take some deep breaths.

I'll keep you updated on what I do as the days go on. By the end, I'm hoping for some toned muscles and a greater peace of mind.

Anyone want to join in the fun?