My Sensational Yoga Adventure: Chapter 1

HELLO. Wow. Can I first say thank you. You have stumbled upon one of my favorite pages on my site: My Sensational Yoga Adventure page. You might be here because you are curious on what I’m going to be writing about, maybe you are here because you are interested in starting the yoga practice, or perhaps you’re here because you are a family member and you are trying to support my new website (I love you). Nevertheless, you are here and I appreciate you.

I’d like to make sure that you are up to date so if you haven’t had a chance to read my post about how yoga came about and what happened prior to this new journey I’ve begun please head over to Before The First Chapter as well as the short post I have talking about my Becoming A Health Junkie to catch up and come back to this one when you are finished. If you’ve already read that one; wow – you are a rockstar. Thank you.

Today, we (you, myself, and Adriene) are going to start a fantastic journey together. Unfortunately, Adriene doesn’t know that she’s going on a trip but the fact that she ‘liked’ one of my Instagram posts recently proves that she approves of our vacation we are all taking together. Score! #USandAdriene <3

I don’t know about you but I’ve found that after a television season marathon, following someone on Instagram, or (now) consistently watching someone you don’t know on YouTube every.single,day. gets a little funky. You start to feel like you know the characters or that person you watch. It starts to get a little freaky especially because you don’t know them at all. They are still a stranger. Nevertheless – I appreciate them for sharing a part of their soul with me.

I know that you are here to get down to business with my yoga journey so I’m going to get back to the point. Yoga. I realized that I never actually told you where we were going. We are going to a mental state that no one can really explain and it is going to take us 30 days to get there. Adriene is going to take us there with her 30 days of Yoga video series on YouTube. I’ll keep you updated with weekly posts highlighting the previous seven days of the journey. How exciting. Are You Ready For it?

Day 1 thru Day 5

Pre-Yoga Practice Tips:

• Consider watching each video in its entirety before your practice because it gives you a chance to know what is coming that way you can really focus on what she is going to teach you and have you do.
• If you are into doing yoga with music (or think you might be) I will suggest listening to the playlist Yoga Feels on Spotify. There are ads so it can make it a little difficult to focus when an ad comes on but the music on this playlist is pretty awesome.
• Adriene uses a mat & sometimes will throw in a yoga block here and there. She doesn’t require you to have one (which is nice) but if you are interested in getting these accessories this is what I purchased from amazon: this Yoga Mat and these Yoga Blocks
• What you are wearing doesn’t truly matter but I have noticed that wearing loose sweatpants does not allow for very good mobility.
• Try to eliminate all noises that are going to distract you besides soothing music (at least in my opinion – I enjoy listening to calming music). I turn off the air condition, open my sliding door to hear the birds chirp and get a good fresh breeze from outside.

Overall Yoga Impressions

To start this first chapter out, I’m going to talk to y’all about the week as a whole instead of each day individually. Doing so, will allow me to really reflect on how my body and mind are reacting to the new practice. One of the most interesting aspects of the yoga practice is the names of the poses and how teachers and instructors talk. For example, Adriene uses phrases like ‘Bring the earth up to you’, ‘Downward-Facing Dog’, ‘Cat Cow’ or ‘Head Over Heart, Heart Over Pelvis’.

Let us talk about this for a moment please. I must say doing yoga really puts you in a really weird position in your mind because you are not sure what you are supposed to be thinking about or maybe you aren’t supposed to be thinking about anything at all. Yoga is basically about training your mind to not think about anything but yoga. Let me tell you how difficult that is especially when you are doing yoga right before you go to work, during your lunch hour, and definitely when you just got out of work.

We all have things going on in our lives and it can be extremely difficult to get out of that ‘What is on my ToDo list’ mindset. Luckily, in Adriene’s videos she tries to help you understand that it’s about focusing on your breath and coming into your inner body. I’m not going to say that it has been easy or that I’ve mastered the technique of staying focused but I can say that I’ve now noticed my mind wandering to a topic that it shouldn’t be wandering towards which in turn forces me to come back to my breath and refocus.

While staying focused is important, I’ve come to realize this first week that yoga also requires a certain degree of multitasking (at least as a beginner LIKE US). The following are things that require consideration while practicing:

• Watching the video (which is why I recommend watching the video prior to doing the practice even if it is on mute and you just skim it)
• Breathing – IN though the nose, OUT through the mouth like a lion
• Having a wandering mind about various topics like, what’s for breakfast or dinner, or what is on the agenda at work today, or what are our weekend plans? Your.Thoughts.Don’t.Stop.Wandering.
• Am I doing this pose correctly?
  • This one is my most difficult one to keep up which I will speak to down below.
• Finding Space through opening your heart
  • I love this one. Adriene never wants you to feel constricted. Which is great because then you don’t feel like you are ever in a position of strain

Chapter 1 Difficulties

Since every day is a new video there is always going to be a new move or position that she throws into the practice that I don’t recognize. I come from a dancing background a long, long time ago. Part of me thought that I still had the flexibility that I had back then but starting this yoga practice, I have found that I have completely lost all of my flexibility or at least 90% of it. There are two poses from these five days that really stuck out to me that I found more difficult than I expected which I will talk about below.

Did I mention how waking up every morning at 4:45-5:00am to get a 5:00 to 5:30am practice in is extremely difficult. Granted, I am starting to get used to it but let me tell you – it is not easy making sure you go to bed with enough time to wake up early to get my practice in, then breakfast, make my lunch for the day, then head to work with an hour drive. It is not a pleasant experience which is why – every time that I get on the mat it is an important 30 min practice because those are the minutes that I can truly dedicate to improving myself.

Forward Pose

This pose was particular difficult for me mentally and physically. Honestly, I expected to be able to be a lot more flexible with this position than I was. After this picture was taken. I was very surprised that I was not a lot further along on this pose than shown above. As you have seen on Instagram and other images, the Yogis have been able to go all the way to their legs/knees and by putting this into perspective I have showcased that I have a very long way to go here. Remember that journey that I told you we were going on? Yes. It’s going to be a lot longer than 30 days my friends.

Downward-Facing Dog

Wow. The classic Downward-Facing Dog. This pose and several other ones were the reason why I could not entirely focus on a good yoga practice. Unfortunately, my mind could not focus on anything but, “Am I doing this pose right?!” Every so often, my husband would come over and adjust my back and I would make some changes to look more like the pose but it was rather frustrating trying to figure out if I was doing the pose correctly. I suppose that is one of the downfalls of doing an at-home practice. You don’t have someone there to correct you 24/7.

This pose really gets down and dirty with your hammies which is why my heels are not yet down. But If you stick with me during my journey, I guarantee you will see a new picture from me of my heels 100% down. [eventually]

Another ‘difficulty’ I had was that there were some days that had a practice that was only about 12 minutes long or so. I really didn’t feel like I did any sort of workout during those mornings, however, I have read and heard that even 5 minutes matters. That being said, I’ve decided to embrace the short practice and really take it in hard for those 12 minutes! #determination

The Not So Difficulties

So, obviously every Yogi is different than the next Yogi. Though, I’d like to just mention some of the parts of the practice that weren’t so difficult for me. Interestingly enough – there weren’t too many things in each day that were ‘easy’ for me. But, I’d like to throw out some positions that I really enjoyed and that put a happy vibe in my step every time we did them.

Extended Child’s Pose – With Prayer Hands

This particular pose was absolutely amazing. I realize that you probably are wondering – What is happening here? Let me shed some light – this version of extended child’s pose is exceptional. The very first time that I did this pose was when I did her video for Stress & Anxiety. I didn’t quite understand what we were doing with our hands up and all I heard was Adriene say something along the lines of, “let everything go, surrender here, close your eyes, take a second to bow to the big picture, and to surrender to which is out of your control, to connect to peace and love.”

From that moment on. I have been obsessed with this pose because it really lets me, be me. I truly ‘let it all go’. Tip: if you ever feel like you are stressed out or just need a moment to yourself [and maybe Adriene] I suggest you take time out of your day to do that video and really, truly – Let It All Go. That was one of the moments I knew that I wanted to continue on with this practice because it really brought me back to the reality of what life is all about.

From that day forward – I have taken every pose extremely serious and have used my breath and really focused my thoughts on good, motivating moments that are going to help me live a long, healthy, beautiful life. So, if you are going to do a pose… Do this one. 🙂

Corpse Pose or Savasana

Okay, I know what you are thinking… This isn’t yoga. Wrong my friends. Wrong. This is everything and Yoga. This is called Savasana – one of the only proper names that I can actually say from the yoga language. And even then I might say it wrong from time to time. The first several videos of this series Adriene likes to end the practice with this Savasana pose and I’m obsessed. 

There is nothing more that I love than to end a struggling practice with this pose. Now, I know what you are thinking – ‘Um, of course you do – all you’re doing is laying there like a corpse”. Why yes, you are right and you are wrong. This pose is not only a pose to collapse to the ground after your practice. It is also a pose that helps you find your breath and to end your practice with a ‘sense of integrity’.

Tip: End every practice with a version of this pose. Perhaps it is a standing version. Either way – try to end your practice with a joy that you did good and to give positive vibes to your day or night ahead.

Overall Findings From Chapter 1

• I have accepted the level that I am on because I can only get better from here and being frustrated that you aren’t where everyone else is in the practice isn’t going improve your own yoga practice
• Next week I’m going to try to get a handle on my wandering mind – I need to understand that when I toss my mat down onto [the earth] that, that is my time to be with my soul and to become one with myself; my true self.
• Listen, if you can’t tell by now – Adriene is amazing and my Yoga Goddess. – Thank you, My friend.
• Do I get to call myself a Yogi now [unknown – feel free to comment below on this matter]
• I am dedicated to yoga, now more than I have been.
• I found out that after doing some of these pose’s I have a greater connection to myself then I did before
  • Not only that but I’m starting to realize that my posture and my attitude with everyday life is much more improved and let me tell you – it hasn’t been very long. I cannot wait for the moment that I’m done with these 30 days. I’m going to be a superhuman!

I realize that this post is extensive but I want you to know how dedicated I am to this practice and how what I tell you could help you in your practice. Or, at the very, very least that it showcases a sense of humor and entertainment for you. One of the most important things that I do not want to do is bore you. So I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to listen to the first steps on my road to finding my true self. Stick with me and you might be there to witness the transformation.

Until then, my amazing new Yogi’s [is that how you say it?]