#YogaRevolution: Week Three

Day Fifteen: I woke up at 4:45 this morning sick as a dog.  I finally got some relief around 10:45 and spent the rest of the day focused on re-hydrating and self-care.  I got on my mat this evening feeling uneasy but determined to listen to my body and follow through with the practice. Adriene was right, today's practice was fierce and FEARLESS. I loved the fiery chair repetitions and deep lunges as they gave me an opportunity to focus on other parts of my body instead of those that are hurting.  Now I'm back to feeling like jello and ready for my heating pad and bed!

Day Sixteen: What a treat and a reward today's SWEET 16 practice was after yesterday! My hips needed some serious love and they got it today. The focus on self-talk was on point as well.  Plus, who doesn't need a reminder to hug and love themselves every once in a while?!

Day Seventeen: I will never think of the word STILLNESS in the same way after today.  I've said it before that one of my main challenges when I get on the mat is quieting my mind and just being in the moment.  Today's practice challenged that to the nth degree! Holding that Toe Stand and Half Warrior, just staying still and breathing, THAT was a challenge.

Day Eighteen: Who else is thankful for that Rumi poem this morning? After a restless night, it was exactly what I needed to get me motivated! Yeah!  I'm also here to tell you that BALANCING practice and I got along much better today.  My focus has improved and my feet were much happier with today's postures.

Day Nineteen: I can't lie to you, I really struggled with the LIGHT practice.  I woke up feeling less than great today in either body or mind and it was a challenge to find any positivity or light as I came to my mat. BUT I made a great effort to simply try and by those alternating side planks I was beginning to feel much more like myself. WHOO were my arms and shoulders on fire at my desk later in the day! Here's hoping we get a break for our arms tomorrow!

Day Twenty: I have been feeling some complicating feelings this week and am desperately seeking some PEACE. Peace in Mind, Pease in Body, Peace in Speech. YES! May we all find some peace today whether on or off the mat.  I'm glad I began my day with this intention as I think we'll all need this today!

Day Twenty-One: Today was one of those practices that remind me of the power of yoga. I was grumpy about having to get up early on my "day off" with my laundry list of morning duties already running through my head.  Then Adriene, asks me to find something I love about myself and use that for my mantra for STRENGTH practice. Ha! The last thing I was feeling toward myself was loving and strong! But I chose to just appreciate the fact that I was there on my mat and let that be enough. Well sure enough, as the practice went on, with my mantra in the back of my mind I started to feel stronger and to think about the strength around me. Right now it's most apparent in my friends, both women, and men, who are marching around the country today. It was they who picked me up and carried me through the end of my practice. Thank you, friends!

As they say in An Affair to Remember, "We changed course today." Week Four of the practice brings a lot of travel and late nights for me.  I'm committed to getting my daily time on the mat, but I am already a little stressed out about what that will mean for my rest and my focus.  So I'm going to take a minute right now to really feel that. I'm taking in all the stress, anxiety and pre-meditated exhaustion, I'm sorting through those feelings, their possible outcomes, and now I'm going to let it all go.  There, that was easy! HA! Of course, all those feelings will come back as the week goes on, but I've set my intention and I intend to see it through to the best of my ability.  What's your intention for this week? - xo Sydney