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.

30 day challenge!

I`m back!!!
    It`s been longer than a year since my last blog post. I got over it that time, didn`t really feel my life was worth blogging about. Not really sure it is now but I do feel the need to document this next chapter even if it is just for myself but maybe something good comes out of it for others as well.
    If I am being totally honest life has been crap lately. Maybe it`s due to the shitty summer weather here in Estonia maybe it`s the fact that a lot of stuff has been building inside me for quite sometime now. Haven`t really felt the purpose of life. Doesn`t feel like anything is going that bad but doesn`t really feel anything is going great either but doesn`t really feel the strength to change anything either. I just don`t know how right now. I don`t have a goal, I don`t have any ideas how to make life better, I don´t know how to make my job more interesting and challenging, I am still single etc. All an all this sounds pathetic even to me but that`s how things are. I don`t think anyone has really noticed because I do enjoy being social with friends and doing different activities. Most of the time these days with my friends keep me off thinking about the reality.
    Don`t get this the wrong way though, this is not a suicide note even though the life I am living right now is definitely not the life for me. I am too stubborn to give up that easily. I feel like I have fallen into a funk and I need to get out now. I feel like I need change but I am too afraid to take big steps so I am starting slowly. This is where the 30 day challenge is going to happen. It is actually going to be a yoga challenge but also I am documenting my days for the month of July and see if change is gonna happen during this time. I found this on http://www.doyouyoga.com/challenge/ and thought that since I have never really practiced yoga before and this challenge is on youtube with videos and instructions this is right up my alley. So challenge accepted. I am going to do the 30 day yoga challenge with the help of Erin Motz. I have always believed the healing powers of yoga. I am sure this will not be as spiritual as practicing real yoga every day but hey it´s a start for me and I am really excited to try it and I haven`t really been excited about anything for a long time now.
    I could do this whole thing by myself as a soul searching thing but I feel sharing it with you will be a whole new experience and I have always been pretty candid about my life so why not. It could bite me in the ass since people are very judgemental about other people but at this point in my life I am not doing it for anyone else but me and I really don`t care if you don`t like it. My goal is to maybe inspire somebody or maybe keep you entertained but mostly my goal is to find myself again and this challenge is the first step. My tshakras are really closed, my flexibility is downright awful even though I am a fitness instructor so it will be challenging but hopefully something good will come out of it.
    I am starting tomorrow on the 1st of July since I am a bit weird with these things, I like that my first day is on the first.:D If you thought you might be interested in the whole thing feel free to come along with me. Also follow me on twitter and instagram to see the progress or any additional things happening this month. It could be a slow sail or a hell of a ride.

Kris.

I say YES to my very first tattoo

Me and Kersti and the firsts

 


    So here is a little dept I had from last years "Year of the YES" promise. I got my very first tattoo. Que the balloons and clapping. I myself am really happy about it but as I predicted the tattoo topic is still sort of a hot topic with some people. Especially the ones who have strong opinions against it.
  Of course everyone can have their own opinion about getting tattoos that is part of life but I just don`t get why criticize the people who like them and want to have them. Especially AFTER somebody has had one. You can`t actually reverse it, you know (okay so you can but it is difficult :D). Not that somebody`s opinion really gets to me in this case but it just got me thinking. Comments like "what do you think about your tattooed skin when you are 85?" - I mean WHO THE F*** CARES how my skin looks like when I am 85. I hope I have a tattooed 90 year old husband who thinks I am just as awesome as before. :D Or "you ruined your skin"- I mean, come on people, get a life, life is short. YOLO!
   The other topic is the fact that to some people a tattoo has to mean a lot of things to the person who has it. I myself don`t really think that has to be the case. Mine has sort of a little meaning to me but most of the time I just look at it and the word is utterly positive. It only makes me smile. It only reminds me to enjoy life more. It is simple yet meaningful and I love it.
   It probably won`t be my last one, because it is really true what they say about tattoos being an addiction. I still want to say that a tattoo does not change a person and his/hers personality so be more tolerant and accept the people for who they are and respect their decisions and enjoy! :)


Kris.

Have you seen...

... the show "Girls"? I think it`s the most innovative and raw new show that`s out there. It focuses on 4 girls and their different lifestyles and stories and it`s HBO so it is not PG rated which gives it a whole new meaning. I love the show, it really is refreshing in my opinion. If it sounds interesting to you now you should definitely check it out. ;)

Kris.

Kids or no kids that is the question

                                  

   I happened to see a talk show where the subject was "Career women who don`t yet have kids" or something like that. It sort of made me think about these things. The women in the show were happy with their choice of not having kids yet they didn`t say they never wanted them which shows that they do think about it but not just yet. They were mostly in their thirties or early forties. I am still only 26 but thinking about it my mom had 2 kids already at my age and some people are still under the influence that women have to have children before they are 30. I don`t agree with those people whatsoever.
    Firstly nobody HAS to do anything they don`t want to these days and those old school point of views are definitely old. I think these days it is not the norm to have 2 kids and a husband. As those women were passionately speaking about their careers I started to think that I too love my job and am not thinking about having kids yet. Okay true, I haven`t really found the one person missing in this equation and that is the baby daddy but I think when you find somebody you love you don`t necessarily need kids right away. Take the years to enjoy each others company and travel and enjoy life all together. Though that is where the age issue comes in. When is it too late to have kids. An old school man in that show said that girls should have children by the age of 22. In which case my train has left the station. I think I was a total child at the age of 22 and didn`t even dream about having kids but I remember when I was like 18 or so I thought that by the age of 30 I would totally have at least one child :D Being 26 now I think I will have to eat my words because I really don`t see kids in the near future for me and I am totally okay with that. I have a baby brother who is 6 years old so I sort of "have a kid" already :D
    The thing is I actually admire the young mothers under 30 who have gotten their shit together so to speak. Who have worked out their lives and are happy about their decision and who are doing great raising their children with the ones they love or alone. I have friends who have kids and are doing just fine. I just think it is also okay to not want kids and I think the society should also accept the choice of those who want to work or do other stuff instead. Sometimes I feel the pressure on women having children is so big that some women almost purposely rebel against it. I luckily don`t have those kinds of parents or friends who pressure me but then again I don´t really have a relationship either and it is sort of hard to get pregnant on your own. :D
   So what do you think of the matter? What is the right time to have children? Is it still related to age these days or is it more about the status of life you`re in at the time?


Kris.