40 Days of Yoga 2

Day 1:
I was looking forward to getting on the mat ALL DAY, and when my lovely husband said he’d put both boys to bed, I was unrolling that mat and shedding my socks faster than lightning. I spent 60 gorgeous minutes stretching, posing and breathing, reacquainting myself with…myself, I guess. Sigh. It’s good to be back.

Day 2:
40 minutes spent on the mat; pushed on to a Level 2 sequence and enjoyed a bit more of a challenge. Hamstrings sore after Day 1, unsurprisingly, but my excitement about my practise wasn’t diminished. Felt a bit “crunchy” in neck and shoulders, thanks to some kind of old strain.

Day 3:
Very tired, so on the mat for just 20 minutes. Enjoyed a more relaxed practise; almost fell asleep in savasana. Hammies very tight, but in a good way. Still felt a bit crunchy, but managed plough pose and shoulder stand with minimal pain.

Day 4:
Another 60 minute practise, Level 2. Felt like pushing myself, and it paid off – very strong standing poses and seemingly good balance, which was an unexpected surprise. Achieved a couple of personal goals, which was an added bonus.

Day 5:
40 minutes today, Level 2. Flexibility is improving already – managed to touch nose to knee in seated and standing forward bends, yusssss! Feeling stronger already, and loving every moment I’m on the mat. Shoulders and neck slowly starting to loosen. Feeling gooooood.

Day 6:
Spent my practise doing every shoulder opener and stretch I could think of, until I felt comfortable in plough and shoulder stand again.

Day 7:
60 minutes on the mat, with some strong standing poses and good balance. Still loving it.

Day 8:
40 minutes of yoga with friends and three very (un)helpful toddlers…not as relaxing and settling as usual, but it was fun to experiment a bit and give giggly kisses to squishy faces during forward bends!

Day 9:
Had to fit my practise in during the day due to a meeting this evening; my little men stayed out of the way for perhaps 10 minutes, then decided they needed my undivided attention every few minutes. Managed about 50 minutes in total, although it was rather broken and I didn’t feel particularly satisfied at the end.

Day 10:
Spent a relaxing hour on the mat while my littlest bear slept in the car during kindy time. I threw open the French doors, lay my mat in the sun and afterwards, felt invigorated and refreshed. No distractions or noise (other than birds chirping) meant good balance today. Tiredness (combined with the sun) almost claimed me during savasana though!

Day 11:
Today was the first day I felt resistant to getting on the mat. I’m tired after a few rubbish nights, and have something on for the third evening in a row which means I had to fit in my practise with the boys. Managed a strong, active 20 minutes while they were playing nicely together upstairs. Not long enough BUT it was better than not doing it at all.

Day 12:
Another resistant day, so half an hour of gentle stretching was it for today. However, allowing myself not to feel guilty about a gentle practise.

Day 13:
Grumble grumble grumble. Resistant. Tired. Sore. Grumpy. A reluctant practise tonight, focussing on opening these bl**dy shoulders. Sigh.

Day 14:
Back to wanting to get onto the mat after a few days of resistance to practising (all related to tiredness and ongoing neck/shoulder pain), phew! 40 minutes at a gentle pace, allowing myself the time to enjoy and appreciate being there.

Day 15:
A bit distracted tonight (Pickle was unsettled at bed time) so didn’t feel particularly connected to the mat. Took it easy again, but felt quite relieved to be finished. Ugh.

Day 16:
Strong practise this evening – took photos for a progress report and discovered I drop my head and round my shoulders in plank poses! Will be focussing on that now that I’m aware of it!

Day 17:
A quick practise after our dinner guests left, but a practise nonetheless!

Day 18:
Strong, active practise tonight – think I’ll be feeling my quads in the morning! Shoulders and neck finally starting to loosen which enabled me to go a little deeper with some poses. Had Day 16’s discovery in mind and found it made a difference in going from high to low plank.

Day 19:
A quick practise after arriving in Wanaka for the long weekend; felt good to stretch and twist after being in the car for a few hours.

Day 20:
While my hubs took the boys out plane-spotting, I had a luxurious practise in the autumn sun, and it was amazing! Felt great during and afterwards, and enjoyed practising with just the birds for company.

Day 21:
Resistant to the mat today – tired and sore – so just did a few sun salutations and gentle stretches. Definitely noticing that my resistance is directly correlated with my levels of tiredness.

Day 22:
Just 20 minutes on the mat tonight, but it was fairly strong and just what I needed to re-energise myself for an evening of getting things done.

Day 23:
Almost fell off the wagon after forgetting I had a dinner date with my bestie; ended up doing some quick asana before bed, and slept pretty well as a result! Phew – would have been gutted to go back to day 1 when I’m over halfway.

Day 24:
Had a good practise tonight once the boys were in bed. Shoulders and neck still really sore, so focussed on standing asana with some incidental shoulder work thrown in. Remembered a great series using the wall, and also played around with my dolphin pose.

Day 25:
Had a lovely practise tonight while Tall was picking his parents up from the airport. We had a busy day, and I had been looking forward to spending some quiet time with my pink mat. Feeling good.

Day 26:
In Kurow…husband and in-laws at sis-in-law’s engagement party while I’m back at the motel with the boys…9pm and Tiny is still awake! Managed a quick practise between his bursts of “needing to wee” (read: “investigate”!). Didn’t have mat and the carpet was a bit worn, so jumping back into plank was slippery fun.

Day 27:
Sore shoulder and neck after driving home from Kurow, so spent a long time languishing in poses that helped ease the pain. Felt a bit wobbly in standing balances, but hey, that happens some days, right?!

Day 28:
Snore. Tired and not in the mood, so once the boys were in bed I did a few simple spinal twists and back stretches, and left it at that. Not the best of practises, but a toddler cutting molars has stolen my energy today.

Day 29:
Sore teeth after having my braces fitted, and any downward-facing pose seemed to make the ache worse. Managed a short practise before deciding paracetamol and bed were a better option.

Day 30:
Teeth sore, so spent 45 minutes in gentle poses. Hungry and a bit grumpy, so felt a bit of mat-resistance again.

Day 31:
Teeth still sore, very resistant today…focussed mainly on standing poses to give my head a bit of a rest. Have a massage tonight which I’m hoping will sort out the lesions in my neck and shoulders.

Day 32:
Tender after massage, tender mouth, hungry tummy. Tired and resistant to the practise. Disappointed in myself for the increase in resistance of late, especially after such a positive start. Haven’t felt like taking pics for IG recently either. Ugh.

Day 33:
A quick session on the mat today; still feeling sore in the mouth and so busy that I actually couldn’t find more than 15 minutes to spend practising. Felt energised after a few sun salutations which helped forge on through my hectic day!

Day 34:
First day all week that I’ve felt like I could handle inversions and forward bends (due to pressure in and on my teeth); spent a good while in shoulder stand, which finally doesn’t hurt thanks to a deep tissue massage on Day 31.

Day 35:
Had another good session, albeit shorter than I’d hoped due to a grizzly toddler. However, I felt strong and settled, and really enjoyed my time on the mat.

Day 36:
Strong practise tonight – good balance and felt strong in my legs. Feeling re-energised and back on track for the final few days.

Day 37:
Good session on the mat tonight…not much more to say than that, really!

Day 38:
Had a fun, strong play on the mat today, and felt so good after my practise – reminded me again why I love yoga so much. As I near the end of the 40 days, I’m feeling a bit sad, to be honest…which I hope transfers to a feeling of wanting to keep practising a number of times a week.

Day 39:
Another good practise; strong and positive.

Day 40:
Woooooo – done! Finished with a strong practise with an extra-long savasana in celebration. So energised, and glad to have finished on a high.