6th Entry

Seriously! I know I've said this over and over again, but Yoga saved the day : )  Monday was the busiest, frantic, cluster f@#$#, of a day at work. We were short handed, I was tired and cranky, and the only thing I could think of was getting on my mat.  But when 7pm rolled around, the rest of the day went flying out of the yoga studio door like a summer breeze.  My favorite day is Monday nights at Beluminous Yoga near South Lake Union, because the instructor plays the best mix of music of anyone and has the best energy that is absolutely contagious.  I'm finally going to put in a plug for the studio, so definitely go check it out. http://www.beluminousyoga.com/

I've only been practicing yoga for a little over 8 months now, but I think my favorite pose is a "Chaturanga Dandasana", which means Four-Limbed Staff pose in sanskrit.  I've attached a photo of the pose, but its the half way point between the start of a push up and your chest down the ground.  Basically your arms are at a right angle holding your upper body in place as your back stays flat with your legs.  I also love the breathing technique they encourage which is called "Ujjayi Pranayama".  Ujjayi is a breathing technique which tends to use your nose only and produces a Darth Vader like sound from the walls of your throat. This technique is suppose to allow you to keep a steady breath and move through different poses with the rhythm of your breath.  The breathing technique also really allows you to remove any negative thoughts out of your mind with every deep exhale.  Seriously, I can't get over how much I love this stuff!

5th Entry

Wow, what an amazing weekend!  I got some really exciting news on Friday afternoon that I was getting a promotion at work, so it made the weekend extra fun.  Maybe I celebrated a little too much, because by Memorial Day, Monday I was exhausted.  But once again yoga saves the day!!!

Crow

I went to a Monday morning hour and a half class of Vinyasa Flow yoga.  Oddly, I felt very strong that morning, even after going to a nightclub until about 1am the night before :)  So I decided I wanted to try a new series of poses that I had never done before, just so I could kick my own butt that day.  I did a "Crow" into a "Tripod Head Stand" back into "Crow".  I've attached some photo examples, but basically a crow is where you're crouched over with your hands on the floor, then you carefully rest your knees on your elbows, lifting your feet off the ground.  And a tripod head stand is where you're standing vertically on your head, with the support of your bent arms and hands on the floor.  I love the various benefits of being inverted and I make it a big focus of my practice.  I've also attached a link to "livestrong.com",  which displays it benefits in detail. But whenever I'm able to do something new, I leave the class feeling so accomplished and so proud of myself.  Once again, yoga allowed me to practice the art of finding a new edge, and experiencing something different.  As I've said over and over in my previous posts, yoga has taught me a way to translate my efforts in yoga practice to the actual practice of life, and I am very happy about that!

Tripod Head Stand

http://www.livestrong.com/article/403490-what-are-the-benefits-of-headstand-yoga/

4th Entry

I just got out of yoga class a couple hours ago and I feel great!  As I've discussed in my previous entries, yoga really gives me a sensation like a yoga "high".  I feel so accomplished and at peace with myself, that my entire being feels alive.  One of the many great things about yoga, are all the different instructors and their different styles and characters.  Tonight, we had a guy named Russ teach our class and he emphasized getting the most strength and endurance out of the practice.  He almost had a "drill sergeant" way about him in that he was very active in making sure no one rested, or cheated themselves by doing the poses lazily.  He was kind in his nature, but he also was very serious about his teachings.  I appreciated this because I like to get the most physical benefits out of it that I can.  I also enjoy the mental aspects and being able to let all the problems of the day melt away, but I do love to push myself to upper limits physically.  Some instructors are definitely a little more gentle in their approach, which I do enjoy sometimes, but today I felt like I needed a good butt kicking.  As I've said before, many aspects of yoga practice represent facets of the way I want to live my life.  Tonight I really tried to reach new edges in my practice and push to the extreme, which is definitely how I've lived my life and how I want things going forward.  Whether it has to do with my job, my family, my relationships, I want to push them to the extreme and get the absolute most out of them.

As I promised I always want to leave everyone with some word or phrase or concept I learn in class.  Well this word isn't new to me, but I really enjoyed this pose the most tonight.  Savasana, translates to corpse pose, which is usually done at the end of class where your lie flat on your back and let go of everything and enjoy a final rest.  It's really a great time to feel the gratitude of your practice and to clear your mind of any negative thoughts.  Today was very powerful, because I felt so physically drained and felt so much accomplishment in my day.  Savasana is a great way to meditate and really come back to what is really important in life.

3rd Entry

Once again yoga saves the day! I was having quite the classic difficult Monday (definitely a case of the Mondays), and nothing seemed to be going right.  I had back to back meetings from 10am until 4pm and didn't even get to take a lunch until 4pm, so needless to say I was getting a little cranky.  But every Monday night I go to the 7:15pm Hour of Power class, which is a Hot Power Vinyasa Flow Yoga practice. Basically its an hour of various yoga poses, in a somewhat organized sequence, done in about a 90 degree sweaty room, all crammed into a 1 hour session.  By the end of class your dripping in sweat and feel so accomplished.  After almost every yoga session, you come out feeling a kind of "high", but this particular practice really saved the day.  Besides the physical aspects that allow you to remove any negative thoughts or stresses of the day, the class gives you an optimum time to meditate and clear your mind of any bad emotions and really get a grasp of what's important in life. 

As I discussed, every week I wanted to share a Sankrit word that I learn in class that really has a positive message about how I want to live my life.  At the end of every class we usually end with our eyes closed, and our hands close together in prayer at our forehead, bowing and expressing the word "Namaste".  As I'm learning, their are many different translations, such as "greetings" or "be well" or "I bow to you", but my favorite variation is "the light within me, honors the light within you".  The meaning that I get from this, is that every person is important in their own way, and I as a human being, also acknowledge that importance.  This teaches me that every person is special in their own way and has a inner glow that shines.  I know this may seem a little cheesy and maybe a little overboard, but if everyone, accepted this concept just a little, maybe the world would be a better place.

Larry's Yoga Discovery 2nd Entry

As I discussed in my previous entry, I'm excited about my new found discovery of the practice of yoga.  I'm still in the infant stages of my studies of the yoga culture, but I feel it is has a direct connection to the way that I want to live my life going forward.  I know that I want to be able to grow and strengthen my mind, body and spirituality as I go through this journey of life.  Although I'm not totally giving myself to the Hindu religion and philosophy, I appreciate and embrace many of its ideologies and beliefs.  Although I don't see myself, gravitating towards the religous aspect of yoga, I see myself following many of its traits and embodying many of its practices.  As it applies to my yoga practice and also my real life, I want to see what happens in the next 5 years or so as my practice grows.  I want to see how aware I am of my mind, body, and spirit and how I can affect others around me.  One thing I know for sure its that every time I finish a practice, I have yoga "high", and it's a feeling I can't explain. I could be having the worst day, but so many I just come out of practice feeling like a million bucks.  

Every time I post to my blog, I want to share something that I learned from one of my recent practices.  For example, yesterday I learned that the word "ahimsa" means non-violence, which is one of the subproducts of 8 limbs of yoga.  I've always been a peaceful person, but it's these types of features of yoga that I want to life my life like always.  And you thought yoga was just about stretching, lol.....

My Yoga discovery started in November of 2011, when I broke up with my ex-girlfriend.  My very good friends had been doing yoga for over 7 years and were always wanting me to try it out. I always heard great things but I had many doubts.  So I thought it would be a great way to meet new people and also a way that I could stay in shape.  I've been very physically active my entire life. But most of it involved sports such as basketball, soccer, golf, and various other activities. I also enjoyed running, and completed my first marathon in November of 2011.  But since November of 2011, I've been consistently doing yoga at least 3 times a week, and I've never felt so powerful both mentally and physically.  I'm excited to share my discovery of Yoga with the hopes that everyone can share this feeling of enlightenment.