Day 24-28: Christmas

On Christmas eve, we drove down to Shropshire to spend Christmas in a hotel for the first time in my life.  We checked in and I did Strength before we went to visit my gran.  In the evening, my sister arrived and we had a family chat over a few drinks.  I even convinced my mum to go on a wander with me through the little strip of woodland in the hotel grounds and we tripped over branches in the dark and our footsteps mulched into the soft muddy leaf litter.

Christmas day was family breakfast then my sister and I did HardCore and Yin together whilst my parents went to collect my gran.  My sister was pretty good at the HardCore and enjoyed the Yin once she stopped slagging off Travis and settled into it.  It was really nice to do it together.  Christmas was different from usual and the vegan lunch was less than inspiring, but we had a really lovely day together eating, chatting and opening presents.

On boxing day we had a lie in after a late night's chat the night before, had breakfast and packed up.  Then we sat for ages in the lounge and played games and talked before we had to part ways.  My sister drove back to Leeds and my parents drove me back to London with them.  I stayed a night in their flat before going home, so me and mum did Detox together that evening.

On the 27th, I did Vitality with my mum before I went home.  She has clearly been converted to the ways of yoga and Travis because she bought the dvd set yesterday!  She's almost 60 but it's never too late to start.  In some directions, she's more flexible than me too!

Today I did HardCore but skipped Mountain Pose and Pranayama.  Bad, I know, but it could have been worse at this time of year!  I have been cheating a bit with the food programme and had some chocolate and mince pies, etc. but again, could have been a lot worse!! 

Dave and I are going camping tomorrow for 3 nights... yoga in the tent should be interesting...

Day 23: Sunny Scotland

Today I did HardCore in the morning because I neglected it yesterday.  My Mum did it with me, so we spent a lot of time giggling at how different we looked compared to Travis!

I met up with a friend for a walk up a hill in the beautiful low golden sunshine and when we got to the top, she told me she's pregnant!  So exciting!  The first of my friends to have a baby :)  The walk was lovely and we went for lunch in the village after.

This evening I did Cardio with my Mum and for the first time I did the whole class (except plough and shoulder stand, which I am getting closer to but still elude me because of my sciatica).  I'm so pleased that in just the 4 times that I've done that class, I've come on so much!

The only problem with doing the dvd with my Mum was that it was pretty much impossible to "get into that yogic zone", but it was more fun that doing it alone.

Day 20-22: Off work

Saturday (day 20) was lovely!  I went out walking with a friend in the Chiltern Hills and it was a gorgeous winter day.  We walked through the woods, the low sun bringing life to the rusty orange carpet of fallen beech leaves.  That evening, I did Vitality and enjoyed it as much as ever - it's such a nice one, I always look forward to Saturday.

On Sunday, Dave and I had a lazy day in and I forgot about doing Mountain Pose until it was pretty late and by then I couldn't be bothered.  It's the first one I've skived off completely but I really didn't fancy it.

Then on Monday I travelled up to Scotland to see my parents before Christmas.  I did CrossTrain in the living room before dinner and really enjoyed that too - it's a really good one for measuring progress at the start of each week.  I can definitely tell I'm making progress.

Day 17-19: Christmas is coming

The last few days have been tiring and lazy - it's a strange time of year.  You're exhausted and looking forward to two weeks off, but you're also aware that it's not going to be a very relaxing two weeks off!  And at the end of it all, you have to go back to work ready to face another year.

I am completely knackered, physically and emotionally.  I don't want any of my responsibilities!  I just want to veg out in front of the fire with some mince pies for two weeks and emerge with a renewed desire to plan 2015.  Christmas was so much easier when we were kids.

So I think it goes without saying that I haven't been totally dedicated to the yoga this week.  On Wednesday I wasn't feeling up to Strength and spent a large portion of the class sitting watching the pros do it.  It was fascinating actually and nice to see that they are actually human, although they are amazing at everything!  Thursday Yin was alright actually, I got through it despite it being very difficult.  Tonight, I did about half of Detox but again my heart wasn't really in it.

I'm looking forward to being off work from tomorrow but I still have a lot to do over the holidays.  Hopefully I will be able to use yoga as an escape from the excess food and Christmas TV whilst I'm not working!...

Day 16: Improvements

After work I travelled across London to go for a sports massage and had my shoulders, neck and back loosened up, which felt great (and a little bit painful).  Then I came home and did Cardio whilst Dave was cooking up a late dinner.

Cardio was really good today - I only had to sit out one set of the crescent / chair pose series, compared to at least 5 last week and about half of them the week before!  And I found a way of getting myself into pigeon pose (finally!) using two blocks.  I still found it super awkward but could at least relax into it that way.

Still no meditation.  Damn.  But I am sticking to the vegan sugar-free diet and haven't been drinking, so I'm pretty pleased with myself on the whole.  Baby steps!

Day 15: Third week begins

I was pretty tired but got home at a decent time and did my CrossTrain class before having a nice evening in with Dave just sitting reading our books - haven't had time for that in ages!

The yoga was nice, I like the CrossTrain dvd and I can feel that I'm better at it every time.

Still never got around to mediatation...

Day 14: Lazy Sunday

We had a little lie in, a tasty brunch and then cycled to the climbing wall for a few hours of bouldering this afternoon.  It was another lovely sunny winter's day and it was great to get out and about.  In the evening, I did Mountain Pose.  I'm still not sure about it - it's so slow and you don't move your feet or legs throughout the whole class.  At least it's only half an hour.

It was better than last week in that I was more focused, but I wasn't able to keep my arms in the air the whole time like last week - maybe the climbing tired me out!

Well that's another week down.  It's been a trickier journey that the first week but I have enjoyed it.  I haven't done meditation any day except Monday, so that's something for me to improve on next week.  I also cheated a bit on the food programme, had a few things with sugar in and one alcoholic drink.  But given my sweet tooth and the festive time of year, that could be going a lot worse!!

Day 13: Vitality

We had a quiet weekend planned, so I had time to do Vitality whenever I wanted.  I really like this dvd, it's a nice pace and flows gently through all the moves.  I have enough energy to do the moves and because I don't have to think too hard about what my body is doing, I can get into the piercing concentration.  I always feel really good afterwards.

Day 12: Busy day out

Today I was off work because it's my Dad's birthday!  We planned to meet for lunch then go for drinks and then I was heading to a party in the evening.  So I had to do yoga in the morning.

I don't like going yoga in the morning.  It's not that I'm not a morning person - I can go running and cycling before breakfast - it's just that stretching in the morning feels awful because my body is all tight.

I managed to put it off for an hour after getting up and I did Hardcore before the yoga, so it wasn't too bad.  I checked the clock thinking I was half way through and one point, only to find that I was 25 minutes in with 45 to go!  After that I managed to relax a bit and surrender to the fact that I was going to be a bit late to lunch.

I'd been getting a sore back from straining too much during the Hardcore workout, so I eased off a bit today and it seems to be much better.

Had a lovely day with my family and a great party this evening :)

Day 11: Yin again

When I got home from work, I wasn't feeling great - I've got a sore throat this week and I had a headache.  I did a few neglected chores instead of yoga then when Dave got home, we headed to the pub for dinner.  I felt a bit better after a nice walk, dinner and a chat so he convinced me to do Yin when we got home around 8:45pm.

I find the first few poses really challenging to get into and hold and I was in a bit of a defeatist mood.  Then Travis was talking about this practice being difficult because you have time to think.  I don't like to access my inner brain because what's there tends to bring me down - there's a reason all that crap gets locked away and I never look at it!  So I went in a bit of a grump and stopped the dvd half way.

Dave convinced me to carry on and he joined me, but then we had a bit of chit chat and a few giggles during the class, so whilst I did the physical part of it, I didn't allow myself to get into the stillness.  I know it's something I need to work on - that's one of the reasons I started the yoga challenge!  I've spent the past few years doing very physical challenges (triathlons, Tough Mudder, a solo bike ride across Canada), but I've never given myself the opportunity to challenge myself emotionally.  Riding across Canada was much easier.

Day 10: Strength

Standard day today...  went to work, came home, did yoga.  It was Strength today, and doing it straight after Hardcore makes it even tougher than it already is!  I managed maybe half of the poses and spent the other half in child's pose very out of breath.  I was a bit discouraged by my performance, especially since CrossTrain on Monday went so well for me!  But I just have to keep telling myself that you don't become an ultimate yogi in 108 days, let alone 10!

I've been feeling a bit detached from the world today.  That isn't massively unusual for me - occasionally I feel like I'm watching the world go by like it's a dream, and I'm the dreamer, unable to interact with the world in the flesh.  Sometimes I enjoy it as a surreal experience but sometimes the detachment makes me feel isolated.  This evening I feel a bit isolated.  I think the yoga dvds have something to do with it - I come home on my own and go through the class but the people I'm doing the class with don't know I'm there, so I become the unseen dreamer in my own home.

I definitely thrive around other people rather than on my own and I have noticed that I enjoy the class more when Dave is in the flat, even if he's being noisy!  So I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class because we will be riding home together.

Day 9: Energy fluctuations

Today was amazing - I had so much energy, I was so excited and happy!  I had a potentially exciting proposition from a friend in Canada that I need to consider.  And I was pretty focused at work and got things done.

After work I cycled to my sports massage therapist Adam, who released apparently endless knots in my back and neck.  On the ride home I felt okay but it's always a bit funny after the massage because of all the toxins that get released from your muscles and make you feel a bit unwell.

Back home, it was 8pm, I had some rice and got started on today's Cardio dvd rather unenthusiastically.  I was feeling a bit nauseous and dizzy from the massage but managed to get zoned into the flow of movement.  I thought there were going to be 5 rounds of the flow in the main part of the workout and I managed to make it all the way to the end of round 5.  I was so proud of myself!  I was so ready for the little rest that Travis was going to give me.  But there were still 5 rounds to go!  In my delicate state this set me back emotionally and I sat out the last 5 in a bit of a grump.  I managed the rest of the dvd but my heart wasn't in it and I feel like today's yoga was a bit of a failure.  So frustrating!

I think I used up all my energy reserves by 8pm and that last few hours of the evening tired me out.  Better get some sleep and start fresh again tomorrow.

Day 8: A second week begins

After work I cycled home, meeting Dave in the park, and we did Hardcore together when we got in.  Man, it's tough!  I think it's going to be a while before I can make it through (even with 'only' 15 reps of everything)!  But I worked out until my abs were burning, so I think I did my best.

Then I did CrossTrain whilst Dave started making a delicious vegan dinner.  I noticed such an improvement on last week!  I could get into most of the poses, and hold almost all of them for the allotted time, although I was definitely weaker in the final third of the dvd.  My balance is improving and so is my concentration.  My painful sciatic nerve is bothering me much less and I can start to relax my head and neck on forward folding stretches.  I even got a little wave of euphoria near the end, which was most unexpected!

I feel good afterwards - I can definitely feel that I've worked hard, but I didn't push myself too far.  Just some meditation to do after dinner and I can go to bed knowing I've given it my best today.

Day 7: One week down

The last day of week 1...

I feel like a different person compared to this time last week!  There have been a lot of changes - I have been sleeping better, I've been doing the yoga, I've been taking iron supplements and I have been accepted onto a career change course for next year that I was thrilled to get a place on.  So I'm excited about the future, I'm enjoying the present, I'm much less tired and my body feels great.

Today we got up a bit late after all the late nights and headed out to our little local park to help out the park rangers as we do one Sunday a month.  Then we got home around 4.30 and I did the Mountain Pose series followed by Pranayama Mediation.

Honestly, I found the Mountain Pose series a bit boring.  It is supposed to be 'active meditation' and I didn't get into the right mindset, so I found the slow movements a bit dull.  But I managed to do all the movements despite feeling like my arms were going to drop off at times!  The meditation started with 'breath of fire', which involves breathing out short sharp breaths through the nostrils.  The first round blasted all the snot out of my nose, which made the latter two rounds much easier!  Then there were slow breathing exercises which I found quite tricky to stick to - I felt a little light headed and yawned a few times.  Lastly the inner mediation I found dull at first but by the end I'd slipped into a nice calm state and had to try not to fall asleep!

It's difficult sitting up straight for half an hour and not moving.  My left leg went dead a few times so I had to get up and jiggle it about.  And my back got a bit sore.  Hopefully once I'm stronger and more able to sit still, I'll be able to get my mind into it properly.

So there we go - week 1 is done!  Every day has been a first and I've learned a lot.  I'm looking forward to being more confident in the movements next week.  Namaste.

Day 6: First weekend

It was a challenge getting out of bed this morning and then we only had a few hours before we had to leave the house for party number 3.  I couldn't really be bothered with yoga today and I felt a bit crap.  The first few downward facing dogs felt awful and I was complaining to myself that I felt nauseous and tired.  But I stuck it out and ended up really enjoying it!

I think Vitality today was the first class that I really got stuck into and started to see some 'piercing concentration' as Travis says. 

It was a beautifully sunny, cold winter's day today and a combination of some long-lost sunlight and the Vitality class put a real spring in my step for the afternoon and evening - I felt so light and cheery! We had a lovely time at the christmas dinner and came home just after midnight.  I was tired but did my meditation before bed.  Ahh, successful day done.

Day 5: Party season

The Christmas parties start today.  Tonight, a black tie dinner for Dave and I (my work), then an after party (his work).  Tomorrow, it's another Christmas get-together with my friends from university!  So squeezing in the yoga is going to be a challenge.

I did Hardcore before work this morning.  It was going really well at the beginning - I did 15 reps of almost everything!  Then the plank series at the end had be curled up in a ball of pain on my mat whilst Travis was telling me to "move through the intensity with equanimity".

After work, I did Detox before getting myself ready for the parties.  We had a good night and got home around 2am - I was very tired but I didn't drink anything and I stuck to the diet, so I felt quite chuffed with myself.

Day 4: First time doing Yin

Holy moses, Yin was an interesting experience!  It involves holding poses for 3-5 minutes each.  First of all, I couldn't get into most (maybe any) of the poses, so I had to 'modify' as Travis says.  I used my yoga block a lot and obviously never got my nose to my knee or any of that stuff. 

Mostly it was an uncomfortable experience and I spent about half my time wishing each pose would end, and most of the other half thinking about how sore it was to be bent, twisted and self-supporting in each pose.  But there was a tiny fraction left over... there were a few occasions when I found myself comfortable and relaxed; those were lovely moments of calm that I didn't want to end.  I'm hoping that if I persevere, I will experience less discomfort and more calmness.

Travis talks a lot about the mind and the body being connected, about tranquility and inner peace and everything being whole.  I haven't even started to feel any of that yet.  I feel unable at the moment to access the feelings he talks about or experience the contentment that he says he experiences.  But there has been a change in my perception of what's possible and I think that "with a little time, and a little consistency", I can get there if that's what I want.

Day 3: Real life kicks in

Today was the first day in the programme that I had plans other than work and yoga!  But I managed to fit it all in.  I dragged myself out of bed half an hour early did Hardcore before work (can't even get up to Travis's minimum of 15 reps yet), went out for dinner after work (managing to stay true to veganism and an alcohol-free existence) then came home and did Strength. 

I think Travis is trying to kill me softly.  Those people in the video are definitely super-human.  I can only do about 30% of what they do (actually I think that's optimistic, especially when it comes to flexibility) and I can't even do that 30% without farting every 10 minutes!

My sciatic nerve was giving my some bother this even too - think I need to ease up on a few of the stretches and replace them with my neglected physio exercises.

Despite all my moaning, I did actually enjoy the yoga today.  I don't think I got anywhere near the inner equanimity that Travis talks about, but it was nice and I look forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Day 2: Commitment

I was hoping for another amazing night’s sleep, but was restless and got up feeling a bit sleepy.  Made it through the day without any sugar (unlike yesterday), had another delicious vegan dinner and did the Cardio DVD.  I didn’t find it as hard as it sounded before I started, but I am taking it easy.  I don’t want to tire myself out in the first week and I have a sore sciatic nerve to look out for!  So no plough pose for me until it’s better.

This is really embarrassing, but I keep getting gas during my yoga!!  I guess it's because I spend all day sitting on my backside, so when I finally move my body around, my guts can start working.  For now at least I'm practicing on my own!

Today I am feeling like I will get to the end of the 108 days - I feel committed.  But I am determined to keep thinking one day at a time. 

I’m still not sure about the meditation.  I mean, it sounds great!  But how do I actually do it?!  I will try more than 5 minutes tonight.

Day 1: Commitment?

I was going to start the Ultimate Yogi programme at the beginning of November.  Then I was going to start in mid-November.  Then the end of the month… and now it’s the 1st of Dec.  This morning, I still hadn’t mentally committed to the programme, although the note in my diary had been there for weeks and the Ultimate Yogi calendar had been up on my fridge for almost a month.

Yesterday I was an absolute wreck – no energy, no motivation, no strength, no happiness.  I had my first good night’s sleep in ages and today was so much easier.

When I got home, I felt like giving it a go – just day 1.  What have I got to lose?

So I prepared dinner, did the Hardcore DVD whilst it was in the oven, turned the oven off, did the CrossTrain DVD and managed to get in 5 minutes of ‘meditation’ before my boyfriend Dave came home.

That wasn’t too bad…