Day 40 - Mission Accomplished!

Yoga Challenge complete!

The grand finale was an 11am yin class with Cameron.  I was fully present for this class, and it was devine.  

Day 39 - Yintastic

Still not feeling very well, but made it to a 7:15pm yin yoga class with Diana.

Interestingly, I've noticed a few trends on my yoga challenge.  There were the spurts when I did a ton of Kundalini classes.  That was highly energetic and a lot of fun, and the most athletically challenging, as those classes rock it out of you.  Then there was the steady stream of early morning yoga classes, when I was totally on my game, rising bright and early.  And let's not forget when I started to invite more vinyassa flow into my life, and gained better insight into the teacher style that I prefer in that genre.

And then lately - lots of yin.  Nice gentle, barely moving, deep stretching, totally chilled out yin yoga!

It's perfect when you are doing  a double header, or not feeling all that great, but truth is it has it's own amazing charm.  I especially like yin my body is a little sore, especially from skiing.  With that little bit of tenderness, you can really target the fascia and muscle release, and oohhhh yeahhhhhh, it's so good!  

Day 38 - Doing Yoga, for the sake of Doing Yoga

The yoga challenge is quickly coming to a close, so there is no messing around at this point. I need to get my classes in!  Hence the double header today, and the reason why I am doing yoga when I am feeling unwell.

I didn't feel very well.  Kind of naseous, tired and uneasy.  And yet I pulled myself out of my early evening, after work nap, to got my butt to yoga class.  This is not ideal, but I can't stop now.

Luckily the yoga on tap was an 8.30pm Yin class with Beverly.  I only listened to half of what she suggested, and more or less relaxed with a few stretches.

I am not a fan of doing yoga for the sake of doing yoga.  To really get something out it, you have be present, with focus, and desire.  

But a yogi on a challenge has to do what she has to do! 

Day 37 - Back on Track

All my double headers and self-discipline paid off, as I went away for the weekend, fell off the wagon, and yet my yoga challenge is still on track!  

After a four day absence, I was back to yoga.  This time for a 7am hatha class with Carina.

Once again, I found myself feeling good and meditative in Carina's calm energy.  She started the class  with a long meditation, and got right into it.  The class was challenging, but in a slow long holding sort of way, and it's just right for the early AM.

Day 36 - Nooner

I worked from home today, which enabled me to take a Friday nooner class.

12 noon hatha yoga with Colin.  He taught a New Year's Day class on January 1st, which was just awesome.  Super positive and energizing.  I've been looking forward to having a class with him ever since.  And again, he did a few things that stood out.  He had everyone sit close together at the start of class, and read a short passage from a wellness book that he is writing. Then he took us through a fairly vigorous flow, with funky twists and leg raising actions.

The most amazing part of class was at the very end, when he had us do three back bends.  I started off with bridge.  Then, without thinking about it too much, I went into full wheel, and held my whole outer body really high.  For me, this may be the pinnacle of asanas.  The strength and the incredible, deep stretch across the tightness of my chest, shoulders and arms is exhilarating and frightening at the same time.  I often doubt my ability to hold it, so I either don't go in very far, or I collapse early.

But not this time.  I raised my body high, my arms stretched straighter than they normally do, with my chest raised bravely into the sky, my pelvis and and hips thrust high into the air, and my thighs stretched long with solid strength.  And I held it.  And held it.  It felt amazing!  And then I did it again.

Wheel is a grand pose. When I come out of wheel, my entire body is buzzing.  I actually feel high.  It's incredible.

My hesitancy to go into wheel means that I often do bridge instead.  But I can see that with consistent practice, the postures are building my strength and confidence so that I can do these grand poses with ease.  Bridge, camel, and twists - these asanas work to open my front body, which helps me build up to a strong for wheel.   This can only get better.


I am also feeling a shift with crow. I've been holding it a bit longer.  Just a few seconds more, but it's a little more forward, I am starting to feel the balance.

Hmmm, this is making me think... I wonder what I could master if I really stick to it?  I am not just talking about yoga!

Day 35 - The Flow

6:15am vinyassa flow with Sara.

Yup, I am definitely getting into a flow with early morning yoga.

Damn it feels good!

Day 34 - Not Fully There

I did another double header today, this time with a 8:30pm yin class with Beverly.

My mind wasn't fully there tonight, I couldn't quite let myself go, and fully relax into the stretch. Perhaps I am rushing too much.  I sometimes feel like I am doing yoga just to fill in the challenge days, even though I have other things I want and need to do.  Especially when it's two classes in one day. The self discipline of this challenge is great, because I am doing yoga when I wouldn't otherwise be doing it.   It is cultivating a habit.  But getting there sometimes feels forced.

I have less than a week to go with the challenge. And I must say, it has been AMAZING!  When this is done, I will keep up with a strong, committed yoga practice.

But I look forward to balancing yoga with other pursuits.  Like another one of my fitness loves - running!

Running is next on the plate, with a sub two hour half marathon to take on in June.  And I'd LOVE to nail my sub 50 minute 10km goal.


I love how yoga and running make my body feel.  They go together like butter on a warm biscuit!

Day 33 - Just Breath

6:15am vinyasa flow with Tianne.

Would you believe that I've actually learned to breath better?!

Over the past week or so, I've discovered a way to breath that allows me to inhale a bit longer.  In yoga we often do "uji" breathing - while breathing through your nose and through a constricted throat, and making darth vadder sounds.  I do this regularly, but I've always been frustrated by my shallow inhale.  I can exhale for a long count, but the inhale always stops short.

Well I have since noticed that if I consciously direct my inhale low, towards my throat rather than up towards my nose, I can inhale for at least a couple of counts longer. Awesome!

Day 32 - Rise and shine

7am hatha yoga with Janet.

Bright and early.
Yawn, get up and go.
Rush and arrive.
Settle and let go.
Invigorate and breath.
Good morning! 

Day 31 - May All Beings Be Free

Today's class was 6pm vinyassa power flow with Tina.  Dana was there too.

I've only taken a few classes with Tina, but a friend of mine thinks that she is the best.  I agree, she's very good. She's not afraid to be be a little different, with her little Indian music box and having the class sing and chant sanskrit mantras.  She also spoke a lot about being kind to ourselves and one another, and respecting animals.  I appreciated her positivity.



She taught a fairly vigorous class, and my body went through the motions, but my mind wasn't fully present. Not sure why, perhaps because I rushed to class and wasn't fully settled, or maybe it's problems with work or a general feeling of discontent that is weighing me down.  Whatever it may be, I am sure that the mood was lessened somewhat, just by showing up to yoga.

Day 30 - Yin My Mind

I was feeling a little indecisive and anxious today, so a yin class is just what the head shrink ordered.  This was my second class of the day, to put an advance in the 40 day challenge bank.


Class was 6pm yin with Bernie, a very popular teacher in the city (I remember him from back in the day at Prana Yoga Studio).

There must've been 125+ students in the class, even though it coincided with the big Superbowl game.  It seems that a lot of yogis aren't into football!

There weren't enough props to go around, but Bernie lulled us into such a deep relaxation that it really didn't matter.




The little micro naps that I fall into during shavasana are incredible.  My mind gentle floats in a dreamlike state, yet I am still somewhat conscious to my surroundings.  Just hanging on the edge, one thought in the waking world, another in the dream realm.

Day 29 - Saucha

9:30am vinyassa flow this morning, with Yeva.  What an awesome class!  Yeva is one of Dana's favourite teachers, and I have to agree - she's top notch.

What are the important ingredients that makes a yoga teacher not just good, but great?

Well, I think it's a few things, beyond having a commanding voice, and being knowledgeable about the postures and proper allignment. The class needs to be fresh and interesting.  Teachers who rotate through an uninspired flow bore me to tears.  Be creative, keep me guessing.  Let me turn off my mind, and enjoy the guidance of movement from one side of my body to the next.  But don't be rushing!  If we are just rushing from one asana to the next, the mindfulness is lost.  I like it when we dig deep, to feel the tone, twist or stretch from the inside out. I also appreciate it when a teacher focuses on all or most of the basics - pranayama, asanas, twists, inversions and balance.  Show me something new, a different flow, or a variation of a classic.  And I love it when the teacher sets a theme for the class, whether it's a feeling, a jewel of wisdom, an intention, or a story.

Yeva touched on most of these elements today.  We did some interesting work with a block between our thighs to bring mindfulness to an inward spiral.  We also did some shoulder and chest opening exercises with a strap.  Plus many chataranga, twists, groin stretches, planks, and more.

Yeva especially had a nice theme.  She talked about SAUCHA, which means purity, or cleanliness.  Yeva encouraged us to practice saucha, by clearing the clutter from our homes and our minds, as a path to better balance.

This resonated with me. SOUCHA could be the theme of my 40 Day Yoga Challenge.  To understand more, I did a little bit of reading about saucha.  It comes from Patnajali's Yoga Sutra, which describes an eight-fold path for a purposeful and fulfilling life.  The second of the Eight Limbs of Yoga are the Niyamas, which help us to develop a positive attitude towards ourselves, so that we can live more peacefully.  The Nimayas are about self-regulation and inward focus, to create a positive environment for personal growth.



The first of the Niyamas is Saucha - the pursuit of purity or cleanliness of physical space, body, and mind.

For our physical space, it's important to have order.  At home, everything should have a place, and be free of excessive clutter.  This facilitates calmness and ease.  This can be a bit of a struggle for me, but I've made great strides over the past many months. I've rearranged my furniture for better feng shui, re-organized my closets and drawers for improved organization, developed new systems for paperwork, and I am clearing the clutter of excessive belongings.  The freedom that follows from this is astounding.  To no longer search, to not miss a deadline, to not be late, and to be prepared in advance is an enormous boost, not only to my self-esteem, but also for the manner in which others perceive me.  It helps to remove unnecessary stress, so that I can focus on what really counts.

For our bodies, we need nourishment with healthy food, plentiful water, and abstinence or moderation from toxins that hinder good health and clarity of mind.  I am fairly good in this department, but still have plenty of room for improvement.  I feel good that I made a choice nearly twenty years ago to  abstain from eating meat. My diet is low fat, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and I cook wholesome foods often at home.  I've also gained insight from avoiding alcohol and marijuana over the past month.  I am not opposed to these substances, but with the clarity of mind and ease of energetic spirit, I've come to better realize that less is more, and none is often best.

For our minds, we need to avoid polluting our thoughts with negativity, and avoid emotionally charged obsessions.  We need to consciously avoid unwarranted criticism about ourselves and others, as well as thoughts of shame or unworthiness.  These negative emotions have no place in a healthy, pure mind.  Our minds should be filled with positive and calming thoughts.  This is something we have the power to control from within.  Saucha of the mind is where I need to focus the most.  Sometimes my thoughts are pure, but sometimes I am troubled.

Here are the five Niyamas - I will strive to learn and practice more:

1. Saucha – Purity, both inside and out. It means we keep our bodies clean, we practice asana and pranayama to clean the insides of our bodies, and we practice meditation to cleanse the mind of it’s disturbing emotions like hate, greed, delusion and pride.

2. Santosa – Contentment. Simply being happy with what we do have, rather than being happy about what we don’t happy. Being happy in child rather than unhappy we can’t do wheel

3. Tapas – Disciplined use of our energy.




4. Svadhyaya – Self study, cultivating self-reflective consciousness so that we can truly see who we are – shadow and light.

5. Isvarapranidhana - Celebration of the Spiritual, laying all our actions at the feet of God. Surrendering to Divine Will.