Out of the 30 days only 24 days were complete. I have a 15 class pass I intend to use to do these “missing” classes..

 

Psychologically:

When I missed them I felt guilty as I had done something shameful.. But then came the reasons why.. A friends car broke down, Spending extra time dancing, catching up with friends and family, work, and just running out of time on the weekends. Eventually that feeling faded, I accepted that everyday was not a possibility. I felt happy and relaxed knowing that Monday would be a day I could start fresh and prepared.

Physically:

At first I was a bit in pain around my lower back and hamstrings. My shoulders over the years (of physical labour) have hunched forward a bit. It was/is a bit awkward to re-align my shoulders back but it is key to the binds and looking good in dancing ehe. My hamstrings felt fine after a few days but my lower back pain would always come back.. Once I realized the core was essential to many of the poses the lower back faded away in the next couple of days.

Conclusion on 30 Days(sorta) of yoga:

I feel comfortable and humbled on the later poses. From Marichyasana C (Binding posture) to Kukkutasana (lifting lotus through hands?) I feel like a fish out of water trying to breathe. aha. At first I thought my body couldn’t even move like that, but as I practiced more and realized it was just a matter of time before I could grasp my hands in a bind. Even my downward dog became more pronounced (shoulders back). My core became stronger making my postures longer and more intense.  It felt like starting all over again but in a good way.. In a new light.

Though I missed some classes I felt stronger doing Utthita Parsvasahita (standing leg hold to the side). I felt guilty but soon realized you can’t expect everything to go your way. Classes can’t be taught around one persons schedule. As long as the intention to commit is there, a missing day or two isn’t the end of the world.

 

 

 

Link to challenge updates: not exciting..

https://pasoapasocan.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/ashtanga-yoga-30-day-challenge/