Rob - Taking the practice home with you.

I don't know why, but for some reason I've always found doing a vigorous practice at home to be especially challenging. Even though I have a strong self practice via mysore, at home I don't push myself nearly as hard as when I'm in a warm room full of sweaty people doing the same thing. Home has generally been the perfect place for some yin, restorative and maybe some slow and/or abridged flows. Well, I think it's time to change this.

This morning I did a YogaWorks style flow with a focus on inversions. And I actually pushed myself pretty hard! The other cool thing is that "good" sequencing is becoming more second nature, so now I can basically make up the flow as I go and have it lead to an intended destination without having to plan it out ahead of time.

I did about an hour and a half practice today that included Pincha Mayurasana, Adho Mukha Vrksasana and Sirsasana as the peak. This is the first time outside of a public class that I've ventured into such extreme inversion territory...and it was freaking awesome! I had no trouble getting up into pincha and handstand and even played a bit with divorcing myself from the wall into full balance. I realized today that practicing these guys at home will be the only way that I'm gonna learn them. Frankly, most teachers don't get there in public classes and understandably so.

So, I'm not making any promises, but I think I'm gonna start trying to add 1-2 YogaWorks style home practices per week to my regime in order to work on more challenging poses. Also, I think this will give me a chance to discipline myself towards more diligent home practices. Stay tuned for updates.

Also...

Yesterday I got a box full of props from YogaAccesories.com. Awesome home practices here I come!!!

Rob - Maybe I'm just not much of a blogger, but that doesn't mean I'm not a great yogi!

So it seems like I kinda suck at this whole blogging thing. Which I guess is an improved perspective over I suck at the whole yoga thing. My apologies for the continually expanding gaps between entries. Before I seemed to feel like the two were completely intertwined and if I didn't blog I wasn't doing the practice very well. LIES!

After coming to the realization that practice every day was an unrealistic perspective it's like the whole thing took on a new momentum all together. And, perhaps ironically, now I'm much closer to practicing every day than when I was trying to make it a requirement. Curious... :\

The thing I've found most surprising in the first 6 months of this endeavor is how much my perspective on yoga has changed. At the get-go I was the steadfast Ashtangi looking for an epic, sweaty, full of jumbacks practice. And yes I balanced it with a consistent Yin practice, but honestly Yin is the most intense of the calm styles (if that makes any sense).

Lately I've found a loving place in my heart for a slower, more restorative sorta practice. I'll usually start with some Yin poses, but by the end it's all really chill. I think I would live in Viparita Karani if it were safe to do so. Haha!

What's most surprising to me is how beneficial just a half hour to an hour of simple poses, without any striving or intensity can really have a profound effect on my day. I sleep better and seem to reap most of the benefits of a stronger practice. I think that it's because of this new perspective that I'm falling back into a very consistent rhythm with yoga and meditation as well. (fear not Ashtanga/Vinyasa friends, I'm also still doing that practice.)

From the beginning the whole idea of this blog was a little too striving if you ask me. And if you know Heather and I maybe it wasn't a good idea to encourage our tendencies towards perfectionism. But even if I "failed" at the original goal I still feel like I've learned so much. This whole process is just as (if not more) transformative than I ever thought, even though it hasn't looked quite like what I imagined.

So most of you probably know it's the new year. The time when people love to make promises to themselves that they can't keep (kinda like this blog :p). This year I'm not doing that, at least not in the traditional sense. All I'm trying to do is the best I can and let the rest fall in place. No specific goals. No promises or commitments. Just do my practice and all will be coming.

Namaste friends!