Day 18-22 - and the bad yogi-blogger award goes to...

  I`ve been absent as you might have noticed. I really don`t have an excuse other than life happened. I`ve been lazy and also busy at the same time. I went to Positivus festival on the weekend. It was amazing. Spent some time alone there too and figured you totally don`t always need people around during these kinds of festivals. I did some people watching and met some new people and it was great. I did hang out with my friends which I loved and saw some amazing acts as well (shout out to Chet Faker who changed my world :D). Anyways I got left behind with the challenges but I was a good girl and caught up with them so I am back on track now. I must say though I did miss doing yoga during these days. I feel like it has become part of my day and when it`s gone it feels weird. I am glad Erin is doing another challenge in august as well so I will be able to continue my little yoga adventure. If you want to sign up for the next one visit www.erinmotz.com/challenge
  So on to the challenges. There has been quite a few but some of them sort of matched. Like day 18 and 19 were vinyasa flows in which movement is synchronized to the breath.
  Day 20 was about yoga twists which I loved because twisting your body is good for the digestion and also in my case good for my back. I enjoyed it very much.
  Day 21 was all about the headstand. It was a bit of a struggle in a sense that it scared me and I wasn`t sure if I can master it. Well turns out facing my fears is sort of my way of life these days so I decided I am not afraid and I am gonna at least try to do it and I did. Sure enough I only did the one with my legs bent but it was a headstand and I was proud of myself. I will try to practice it more and get the straight legged one as well in time.
   Day 22 ended up being a restorative yoga session which was awesome because I really needed all the stretching after sleeping in a tent and rocking out during the festival. I also was at the beach the whole day yesterday and I was tired so a lot of stretches and relaxation was just the way to end my day.
 

Namaste!
Kris

Day 16 & 17 - it all works out in the end

   So remember my small meltdown in the last blog. Well turns out it is so true that you shouldn`t really stress about those little things and it`s the Murphy`s law that the second you stop worrying and let go the things will fall into place and it will all work out in the end. That is exactly what happened with the whole festival situation and I am so glad.
   I made the conscious decision again to put two challenges together today. It seems I have strained a muscle behind me knee. Don`t know if it was from the yoga for runner`s stretches or I did something in my own classes but it feels like I have overstretched a bit. So when I saw that day 16`s challenge was about splits I opted to combine it with the day 17`s non-stop standing flow. I started with the flow and it was really good. It is so warm here in my apartment right now that I broke out into a sweat immediately and felt how my muscles quickly got warm. I felt at ease with the breathing, it definitely has gotten better and longer. It was an easy routine with lots of downward dog- plank - cobra - downward dog sequence. Also stretches and warrior poses. I enjoyed it a lot.
   Then I did the splits challenge. I made sure I wasn`t overdoing it and that I made sure I was stretching the big muscles rather than the little ones behind my knee. It started out nicely with some good warming up exercises that lead up to the splits. Well I can safely say I am nowhere near nailing a full split with none of my legs. There was a time I could do it with my left leg in front but it seems I have lost that flexibility as well. As I do feel I am a bit injured I didn`t really push it too much not to strain something else. I know the way to a full split is hard work and dedication. I am not sure I have that going for me in the summer. It is much more fun to just relax and enjoy the summer than to worry about stretching so I could nail it fully. I must say though that I would most definitely like to achieve a split again one point in my life so I have made a conscious effort to work towards it more when the summer is over. ;)

Namaste!
Kris.

Day 14 & 15 - #feelingwhiny

 

   It seems I have been good with yoga but bad with the blogging. I must say it is pretty hard sometimes to find words to write down the experience. I am not sure if to even write this but hey I have been pretty honest with this blogging thing so here goes nothing. Most of my days lately are boring as hell, I feel more alone than ever, only time I see people is when I have to give my classes. To be honest the only time I feel remotely alive is when working out. Sweating it out has always worked for me so I am glad I have that going for me even though one part of me feeling so down lately is also due to the fact that I am not entirely sure how much I love my job anymore. Outside work I don`t really feel like being overly social because eventually the questions always end up being what I want to do with my life or why am I so down and I really don`t feel like explaining all that because I don`t know the answers myself. Plus I feel like lately I haven`t been much of a friend to my friends anyway so better to whine here than to them.
  This weekend is a big music festival near by. Last year it was the highlight of my year. This year I have been going back and forth if I even want to attend let alone enjoy it. This year the whole situation is a bit weird. The line up is not exactly exciting me even though I know there will be good acts no matter. Also the money is really tight for fitness instructors during the summer so every euro counts. The most prominent fact is that this year I am the only single one in my group there. Which means I will be an extra everywhere and I don`t know what to think about that. I know my friends are reading this and thinking "No, don`t say that. You are very much welcomed etc" but I want them to put themselves in my shoes and see it from my perspective. I would most likely feel like a third wheel even though there are thousands of people there. I just haven`t really felt like myself and don`t know how I would do during the weekend. I could even say I`m a bit scared to go knowing the emotions have been so up and down lately. It could go either way, maybe I could just get really drunk and not care at all, could that be an option? :D
   Continuing with the yoga challenge. I made the conscious decision to put day 14 and 15 together. There was the yoga for runners on day 14 and when I watched it late at night yesterday I decided that I wouldn`t want to make the stretches right before bedtime since I wasn`t feeling very stretchy. Day 15´s challenge was standing yoga flow so I started off with that one to warm up my legs and ended with the yoga for runners. The standing flow was really enjoyable, it was some warrior poses and intense poses. All n all a nice flow which quickly warmed my body. The yoga for runners was mostly leg stretches which is always a welcome treat because I don`t spend nearly as much time as needed stretching my legs. When I was doing the yoga challenge today though I sort of felt very emotional for a minute breathing heavily. Is this a sign of me releasing tension or am I just slowly losing my mind I don`t know but the tears kept streaming down my face and I started laughing a bit because I couldn`t understand what was happening. Crying as a side-effect of yoga- let me know if this is common? :)

Namaste!
Kris.

Day 13 - the back issues

 

  The challenge today was related to the lower back and opening up the hips more. There weren`t as many exercises as I would have hoped but they were okay. The fact that I missed a couple of days really were eminent now. My back was really stiff and it seemed like I had gone back a few steps after already feeling sort of a breakthrough before. The hips are still stuck as ever, no progress there but the exercises and poses were nice and helpful so I will not lose faith. Can`t really tell much about it because the challenge went really quickly, I did it in the afternoon which was again much better than the evening and after that went to see my parents and my little brother. Went for a swim in the evening which was extremely nice. The summer is by far one of my favorite seasons just because you don`t have to wear many clothes and if its warm you can go and swim and sunbathe and play volleyball. I purchased a volleyball for my little brother yesterday as I promised and we practiced a bit outside. All n all a chill day with nothing special.

Kris.

Day 10 & 11 & 12

   So I knew this was gonna happen at some point but didn`t know to what extent. Turns out I am lazier than I thought. :D I missed 2 days of the challenge. I have been extremely tired these couple of days. On Thursday I was so exhausted after being in the sun the whole day and doing my 2 classes that I totally forgot about doing the challenge. On Friday I had 3 classes and also an event in the evening so when I got home at 1 at night it was most definitely not the right time to do the challenge. So I had like a full on yoga session today with 3 challenge videos.
  Day 10
It was a side body workout. It was sort of strange at first, I didn´t really feel it in my side area but as it went on I got the point. I love stretching out the sides of my body, it makes you feel 10 cm longer on each side. It was a pretty short one so nothing to talk about it really.
  Day 11
This was a restorative yoga session. It was really nice. I have been on my feet and out in the city walking the whole day so this was right up my alley in terms of waking my body up and stretching all the right muscles. There were the familiar twists and poses but you could hold them longer. Focus on the breathing and really silencing your body as you breathe. It also had a longer meditation at the end which was really relaxing. I tried meditation for a while after I started practicing Bodybalance but quickly lost track of it and didn`t really find time to do it which is sad because I do really like being quiet for a change. Especially since I have to be very vocal in my job. I should really try to make an effort and meditate some more. Maybe I`ll try to do a longer meditation after the challenges. We`ll see.
  Day 12
This one was my favorite of the three. It wasn`t so much of a yoga challenge as it was helpful tips of making your wrists stronger. As you know yoga challenges your wrists quite a lot. You have a lot of poses where you have the weight on your hands so you need strong wrists. Actually in general what people don`t know is that to get stronger wrists you can`t just save them from the load but you have to train them just like you train the rest of your body. So this challenge really had some awesome stretches to strengthen the small muscles in your hands and arms. I really recommend checking this video out if you are interested. Pretty much all of the exercises were executed sitting down so you don`t need a yoga mat or anything and you can do it in front of your computer.

All n all I will try to get back on track with the challenge`s but I didn`t really mind doing three of them in a row. It felt like a complete workout which was nice. :)

Namaste!
Kris.

Day 9 - hold your focus

  Today's challenge was all about balance. Since I am a big fan of balance exercises I use them regularly in my functional training and toning classes. And it really pays off. The yoga balance poses are so much easier when you have strong core muscles. Of course my balance isn't perfect, I forget to breathe quite a lot and have to remind myself often. Then when I do breathe I feel wobbly but it's normal. I liked that today it wasn't like a pose-break-another pose kinda workout but it actually was like a little flow and a small routine. I felt like properly doing yoga for a minute. :P I also think I want to do the balance sequence one more time at home since I am visiting my parents and didn't take my yoga mat with me. I did the whole sequence on a carpet which isn't ideal for holding your balance. One of the poses today was the tree pose which has three options on where to put your leg. I can only put my leg on my shin but you can go as high as up to your thigh. I hope I make it there someday because right now it is not happening. I feel like my legs are too thick for that but I have learned that is has nothing to do with the thickness but it's all about the flexibility which will come in time.

Namaste!

Kris.

Day 8 - bend and snap

  Today was simply awesome. I was at the beach most of the day. Sunbathing, eating strawberries, swimming and most importantly I got to play beach volley for the first time this season. Still not really 2:2 over the net but still a good practice with Riin and Henri. My little brother also tried it and he really liked it which is making me happy. So I need to get my own volleyball ball so we can practice some more.
  Then in the evening something wonderful happened. Before my regular toning class I was discussing the yoga challenge with some people. One of my clients Kaire is also doing the challenge so we compared notes on how far she is and when I said I was practicing the crow pose I tried to do it again and actually DID IT! Then after my class I showed it to Riin and did it again. And also did it before today`s challenge just a few minutes ago. I feel awesome. Don`t know how I didn`t manage it at all yesterday but it seems when you set your mind to something and think positive and don`t give up you can actually do it. I am so happy.
  Today´s challenge was like answering my prayers, it was about enhancing back flexibility. As I`ve talked before my back is pretty stiff so I can use all the help I can get. Today it wasn`t actually hurting as bad as I thought it would. I think being in the sun and having a few classes less than normal is helping it to function better. I even did the full wheel pose which I also did during my bodybalance classes and I was focusing on tightening the glutes and not the lower back and it felt good. So all n all a good day. :)


Namaste!
Kris.

Day 7 - bird vs crow

 

   Today's challenge was mastering the crow pose. Here comes my question, is there a difference between a crow pose and the bird pose? I can do the bird pose when the knees are placed on the inside of the hands but in today's challenge Erin placed the knees on the backs of her hands and now I am a bit confused. I remember when a year ago I conquered the bird pose at my bodybalance training. I still remember the feeling like it was yesterday. I felt like I could take on the world. And after taking on the bird in a basket pose which I also got the hang of, it was exilirating. Today I had mixed feelings. To be honest I was frustrated because I couldn't do it exactly like she did. Now thinking about it maybe I do not have to do it like her. Someone more knowledgable should help me now. I know yoga is all about practice but today felt like I am so far away from achieving anything because I just couldn't balance my body on the hands. The fact that my weight is pretty high because of my muscles isn't really helping me either. The fact that that muscle is turning into fat so quickly this summer is a whole other story :D Anyway, if someone could tell me the difference or if there even is a difference I would be very thankful. Plus I really feel like I want to practice more so I could master it because even though in the morning I was so angry at myself I am not willing to give up just yet. 

Namaste!

Kris.

Day 6 - happy go lucky

  I just saw that I have done 50 blog posts as of now and this one will be 51 so let`s see if I make it to a 100. My day was pretty chilled today. I spent most of it alone. I went to the beach alone and was at home alone and watched the song festival on tv alone. Story of my life- being alone. :D When I was at the beach I had time to read an article in a magazine that really inspired me. It was from Tiina Tiitus who`s job discription is "The inspirator" . The article talked about relationships, about love , about receiving love etc. But the one thought that stuck out to me was "Please let`s be in this world and do this world here right now" which was very amp in my situation right now since I feel like I`ve sort of lost the idea in my own life. She meant that people tend to live in their dreams and in their past and in different realities but should be living their life which is happening right now. She is also a firm believer of throwing your ideas and wishes in the air and they come true that way but you have to be careful what you wish for and that you only make wishes about yourself. For example she said: "When you want a happy relationship you have to think what YOU would feel being in a happy, fun, sexual relationship. Focus on that and you will attract what you need. Don´t think what your partner should look like or smell like because there are millions of people in the world like that and you can`t go through smelling them all". I thought that was a really awesome new point of view which I should practice. If you want to read the whole article , get a hold of this months Anne&Stiil magazine. She also has a book that I am dying to read now.
  But on we go with today`s challenge which was about yoga for your lower back. I must say this one was my favorite so far. The exercises mostly contained of twists and stretches. As you might know by now my back is sort of messed up. I have a really flat lower back so it is hard for me to get the curvature to it. I have to position my body very precisely to get the stretch to my lower back but I do find that the twists are helping me a lot with that. Also the fact that you have to aim your breathing to the right spot is making it a lot easier to get the full affect. The happy baby pose in the end was a tough one though, I have never really liked the pose because it is challenging for me to keep my lower back down and it is pretty intense because I am not flexible but let`s hope it will also change when the time is right. I am also making progress with the timing of my workout. Today I did it in the afternoon rather than right before bedtime and it is definitely more enjoyable that way. :)


Namaste!
Kris.

Day 5 - extreme planking

Credits: Theboers

  

   The summer is here!!! Finally. We had to wait a long time for this. I was at the beach most of the day today with my bff. I did get a bit of a sunburn on my stomach which is not good but it still is worth it since it was pretty much the first time we got to sunbathe this summer. As always with us two the topics went wall to wall but the one that stuck out today was the subject of being together with someone just to be with someone. What do you think about that? I think that is actually sad when people just settle with their partners not loving them anymore but being with them just for the comfort and familiarity. I am single myself and I think one of the many reasons is that I am not willing to just settle with someone just to not be. Of course you can have fun with people and you don`t have to be in a relationship right away but in a long run you have to be with someone that you need and want and love 100%. It is a rare thing to find someone you love unconditionally so if you have someone special in your life, go and tell that he/she is special to you right now. :)

   So about today`s challenge. It was part two of the core challenge. It was mostly different plank poses and movement in them. I had a slight problem today, I discovered that my right palm is hurting when I stand on it. It could be a bigger problem if I progress with this challenge but I hope it was just a bad angle on my part and the pain will eventually go away. We will see and I'll keep you posted. Another thing I discovered, and this is totally TMI, is that don`t do yoga in your swimming suit, I saw terrible cellulite on my legs doing the downward dog with my bare legs. :D And still the inner core strength is lacking these days so I was shaking pretty hard in these poses. I am still hopeful though, I will get it back eventually. Positive thinking!

Kris.

  

Day 4 - dreaming of abs

  Day four has gone by. Had 3 classes my own. Was very happy people were attending because it seems summer is finally peeking its lovely head and the weather is nicer which means it is always touch and go with indoor classes. Anyway it was a pretty chilled day, got myself a pair of sunglasses for 3 euros which was a great find and hopefully we get to see the sun now too.
  Let`s talk about today`s challenge. It was an evening one for me again and this time I wasn`t fully into it because the Brazil-Colombia soccer game was on and I didn`t want to turn off the tv so I combined the two things. Luckily it wasn`t really yoga this time but it was part one of a pilates inspired core workout (tomorrow will be part two) so it meant I didn`t need to concentrate on stretches or anything. The exercises were pretty hard, I am not sure what has happened to my inner core strength because it seems I don`t really have it right now. :D At least that`s what I felt when I did the challenge today. I think the las time I had visible stomach abs was in 2007 and I know that is not intirely true but I am very critical when it comes to my abs, I rarely show my stomach outside the beach. Well I do think I am probably in better shape than an average person doing this challenge but it still doesn`t mean it was easy for me. I got through it, it was a short one and now I am concentrating on the game. Olè!

PS! Also talking about football what are the chances that Norbert is single? :D The estonian readers know who I am talking about ;)

Kris.

Day 3 - posture! balance!

    So it is day three of the challenge. I know I said yesterday that I will attempt to do it in the morning this time. Well that didn`t really work out in the end. I did wake up at a decent hour. Okay so the 9-17 work people are gonna laugh now but 10.30 in the morning when it`s your morning off is pretty decent right?! :D But when you just wake up that`s only half of the attempt done because I didn`t get out of bed til 12.15 and had an appointment at one so no yoga in the morning for me this time.
   The day itself was pretty good. Had a lovely lunch and catch up with some friends which is always good and then had 2 classes in the evening.
   I got around to yoga when it was 23.15 ( a lot of numbers in this blog post :D). It was the posture challenge which meant exercises for the back. My back is sort of a sensitive issue right now. I have discovered that it is totally crooked, one of my shoulders is higher than the other and maybe even one of my legs is shorter than the other but not sure. Some of it is caused by ballroom dancing that I practiced for ~9 years and the posture that you hold there. Some of it is due to the fact that I have been a dancer for 24 years. Some of it is caused by the fact that I am a full time fitness trainer and have been for the last 10 years. And most of it is due to the fact that I am the most lazy person and don`t bother to stretch correctly outside my classes. So right now it is all about controlling and managing the damage with my back. The exercises in today`s challenge were not hard but my back is stiff so it is difficult for me to stretch it fully and feel the right effect. But I am hopeful that as the time goes by I will gain back flexibility in my back. Maybe I should try taping it as well. Also a massage would be nice once in a while. Oh the luxury... :D
 

Namaste!
Kris.

Day 2 - opening the chest but not in a surgical way ;)

   I know that technically it`s the third day already when I am writing this but I did start the challenge when it was still day 2 so it still counts. Today it was difficult to find the time to do the challenge because since I am a fitness instructor I do have to deal with my normal classes as well. Since today I had four of them and all of them pretty demanding then the yoga challenge was pushed back until the wee hours of the night.
  I still got around to it and it was really good. It was all about opening the chest area muscles and there were some familiar poses like the warrior pose for example. To those who don`t know this is a good time to mention that I am actually a Bodybalance instructor but I have been on hiatus since spring so sadly I haven`t had the chance to practice it since then. So I am familiar with some of the poses and sequences. Today I felt that the breathing part was tricky at first because my nose was kinda stuffy but as I committed to breathing in and out of my nose it started to get better by the end of the challenge. This was actually a surprise for me because I have heard that you can easily open up your nose with only just breathing but up until today I really did not think that it actually worked. The breathing is really important in yoga and I slowly seem to get the idea why. Because my body and muscles are so tight right now I really feel the need to breathe slowly in these positions in order to completely get the beneficial result out of them. It really was a revelation today in that sense. So I am actually getting more and more into it which is really nice. Hopefully I get to do the third challenge tomorrow (well actually it is today) morning because I feel like I have so much energy now that it will be hard to go to sleep. :D

PS! I am really glad so many of you have given me positive feedback and encouragement with this little journey. No criticizing yet (well none in my face at least) which is good. But I do need to point out something. Some of you have congratulated me on taking up yoga and to me that feels a bit too soon calling it a real yoga practice. So let`s take it one day at a time and just get through this 30 day challenge first before calling me a true yoga lover :)

Namaste!
Kris.

Day 1 - rain and pain

 

    I woke up today thinking that I will start the challenge in the morning. It was 12 o´clock in the afternoon so there went that plan out the window. I have a thing with sleeping lately in sense that I tend to sleep a lot. And when I say a lot I mean a l o t. Like 10-12 hours straight. I don`t know if I am just tired or is this the way I am resting my body or dealing with stress but sometimes I get worried that I will sleep trough my life. The weather was miserable today, it has not stop raining all day. So I decided that I would do the challenge in the evening after my class and I did.
   It was all about opening the hips which is my worst nightmare because I am totally stuck in my hip area. The challenge was pretty easy in theory, in reality I was hurting. A lot. But I got through it. Enjoyed the 20 something minutes I had to myself all alone. Was struggling with the breathing because the positions were pretty invasive to my knees (I am old don`t laugh) but I am sure this will keep getting better as time goes by.
   All`n all it was a good start today, looking forward to the next days. No major changes in my mood or attitude or look of life have not yet occurred so I will keep you posted.
  If you would like to join the 30 day yoga challenge visit www.doyouyoga.com

Namaste!
Kris.