Day 21 - Self Love

Day 21 - Self Love #yogagirlchallenge
Practice - DVD: Elements of Air and Water Flow
Length - 1 hour 10 minutes
Meditation - 10 minutes

Today’s theme is to take a moment and celebrate just how awesome you are.  Since I really did not want to give up my sugar-free choice quite yet, I decided to reward myself by going to the beach at night even though ice cream may have been the first thought that went through my head.  I love walking on the beach at night with the moon overhead, the sound of the waves crashing upon the shore, and the feeling of solitude as I swim beneath the stars.  And as much as I love doing this, I do not do it enough.

Progress:

It has been quite the journey and honestly I am going to miss these daily challenges. The challenge itself went by way too fast, but I’m happy to see all I’ve accomplished in this timeframe.

Yoga Every Damn Day - I managed to not miss a day of yoga and I will continue to practice every day from now on.

Meditate - Meditation, from 5 minutes to 30 minutes, is a great way to end my yoga sessions. I plan on continuing to do this every day as well.

Rise and Shine - Still getting up early. It’s nice to have a little extra time in the morning and since it seems to want to be super humid and hot this first week of September, I may start getting up even earlier to get in my workout in the morning while it is somewhat cool out.

Get Rid of a Bad Habit – Still sugar free! I think this is the thing I am most proud of.

Start a New Routine – Well, I may have missed a couple of day of writing my story, but I always wrote in this blog. So far I’ve written 56 pages of a story, which is turning into a novel or maybe a novella depending on where it takes me. I’m having fun with it and that’s all that matters. I was also thinking of continuing this blog and making it just a focus on positivity as well as my daily yoga practices.

Be Fearless – I haven’t managed a handstand yet, but I did get half way up today. I’ll have to get my husband to take a picture of it when I finally do manage it!

Day 20 - Something New

Day 20 - Something New #yogagirlchallenge
Practice: DVD: Yoga Shakti
Length: 1 hour 30 minutes
Meditation: 10 minutes

I wanted to embrace the idea of trying new things all day. So, I started out my day with a yoga DVD I've owned for a while but never actually tried. Sadly, it was still wrapped in plastic; never used. I found that I enjoyed the practice and it added challenges that my regular routine and DVDs did not have. I defiantly have very tight hips in which adding this DVD to my schedule could help with.

I got a little silly and decided to try a new hair style today as well. I ended up braiding all of my hair into small braids (10 to 12 braids total; I didn't count) and included some clip in bright blue and purple hair extensions! I really liked the look and it reminded me of being in high school when I'd dye my hair purple, blue, or sometimes green.

Next, I went to the craft store and picked up a canvas. I love drawing in black in white or with colored pencils and occasionally use oil pastels, but I never, ever paint. Today, I finally used my acrylic paint set and painting brushes and started to work on a painting of a fox. I found I enjoyed the change and may have to paint more in the future to improve my technique! I at least, will have to finish the painting another day this week and am looking forward to it.

Lastly, I went to meet my friend for tea at a local cafe. It was really nice catching up with her and I think it may have been over a year since just the two of us hung out and talked. I enjoyed her company and hope to spend more time with her in the future. I was going to try a new recipe for dinner tonight, but that's not going to happen as I spent far longer at the cafe with my friend than I thought I would, but that's just how great of a time I had!

Day 19 - Random Act of Kindness

Day 19 - Random Act of Kindness #yogagirlchallenge
Practice: Freeform
Length: 40 minutes
Meditation: 20 minutes

Today, for my random act of kindness I volunteered at the zoo even though I volunteered there yesterday and was not obligated to volunteer today. I was there from 10am to 1:30pm and simply did whatever I was asked to help out with. Volunteering is one act of kindness after another. Being kind to others is a magical experience. Every act increases your happiness as well as the happiness of the person you're helping.

Today, I went out of my way to say "hi" to every guest at the zoo and answered any questions they had. I volunteered for one of the less glamorous positions, so my fellow volunteers could have a better time, and I stayed a little late to help a costumer get money back from a broken machine. All in all, it was a great day at the zoo and I came home a little tired, but extremely happy.

Day 18 - Mother Nature

Day 18 - Mother Nature #yogagirlchallenge
Practice - DVD: Power Flow Yoga
Length - 1 hour 30 minutes
Meditation - 15 minutes on a large rock in the woods.

I try to honor nature every day. From using reusable bags at the grocery store to riding my bike through a forested trail, I love to surround myself with nature. In fact, my dream house would be a log cabin in the woods on a lake or by the ocean.

I grew up in a small house that was about a minute walk to the beach and had a large forest behind it. My brother, our friends, and I would spend endless days in the woods during the warmer months of the year. We were always exploring what the forest had to offer and I fell in love with the sound of the wind through the leafs, the endless forms of life to discover, and the feeling of freedom one can only find when wandering alone through the woods.

Today after volunteering at the zoo, I walked down my favorite near-by trail. The trail starts off through the forest and ends at a rocky beach. I love the transition from shaded forest to bright, rocky beach.  The smell of the woods transforms to the smell of salt.  Sounds start off as bird songs and frog choruses and changes to the sound of waves crashing along the beach.  The wind starts off mellow and ends strong.

Day 17 - I Love You

Day 17 – I Love You #yogagirlchallenge

Practice: Freeform outside (flow)

Length: 1 hour

Meditation: 14 minutes (guided)

Today’s challenge is all about telling people that you love them. I am not very good at expressing my emotions. I’m more of the type to keep them to myself. More because I think if I let them all go, no one would quite understand me. But that is just who I am.

I tell my husband I love him every day I see him. He knows I love him and he feels loved as I do in return. We have a wonderful relationship; a perfect balance between romance and friendship. We share many hobbies together but also have individual things we enjoy.

I love my parents and my brother. They helped shape me into who I am today and I am grateful for the life they’ve given me and the love they’ve shown me. I may not get to see them every week, but I am thankful that I get to see them as often as I do. We all currently live in the same state and I’m lucky to be so close (physically and mentally) to my family.

I love all of my friends and family. I may not express these emotions directly to you, but if you all knew what was inside of my head, you’d know that I appreciate our moments together. From those of you I only see once or twice a year to those of you I see on a weekly basis, I want you to know that you all bring much joy to my life and fill my heart with love and kindness.

Challenge Progress:

Yoga every damn day – I haven’t missed a session yet and I defiantly feel my poses getting much stronger than they’ve ever been.

Meditate – I haven’t missed a meditation session either. Though some days I only meditate for about 5 minutes, I have noticed an increase in calm.

Rise and Shine – Still getting up with the birds.

Get Rid of a Bad Habit – Still sugar free. Today was the real test though since someone brought in donuts to work, but I was able to avoid them and had a cup of tea instead.

Start a New Routine – I’ve written about 4 chapters for a book and my writing sessions seem to be getting longer each day.

Be Fearless – Still working towards a handstand. I think I may have to start doing pushups to get a bit more upper body strength.

Day 16 - The Altar

Day 16 - The Altar #yogagirlchallenge
Practice: DVD - Namaste Yoga Water Light Sequence
Length: 23 minutes
Meditation: 5 minutes

The altar I made has a number of items that are important to me. The pile of amethyst represents the earth element as well as my birth stone. The mason jar filled with water represents my love of nature and effort to recycle as well as the element water.  The glass beads in the heart container are shaped like elephants. I obtained these when I was about 10 years old and I always had this unexplainable connection to them. These glass beads represent the fire element and my connection to my childhood. The feather represents the element air and my connection to nature and respect for all living things.

The Egyptian Ankh represents the deep mysteries I seek in my life. It also reminds me of my family;  we live an eternal life through those that love and remember us.

I made the yarn doll when I was a teenager with my closest friends. It reminds me of how important the friendships we form are and to be grateful that though I have very few friends, those that truly matter have stuck with me. The note is from a friend that knew me and saw me for what I truly was. I do not let many people in and to see that I was praised for being who I am, made me keep this note to remember that sharing is not always as scary as it seems.

The meditation beads represent my spirituality. Though I rarely use them when meditating, they are a symbol of balance and peace in my mind.

And lastly, the wand. The wand was a special gift and I have always treasured it. It represents the possibilities before me, my creativity, and a reminder that magic is real as long as you believe in it.

Day 15 - Sweat

Day 15 – Sweat #yogagirlchallenge

Practice: DVD – Ease into Ashtanga with Yoga Hawaii

Length: 1 hour 10 minutes

Meditation: 10 minutes

For today’s challenge I went for an early morning hour-long bike ride followed by an hour of Yoga. I work out almost every day. I enjoy biking the most and this morning was lovely.  Along the bike path I was doing, I saw a family of eastern cotton tails, deer, and a lone frog that I stopped for so I wouldn’t run it over while it was crossing.