Weakness Wednesday: Back again!

Have I mentioned that with these intensive, summer classes, I get to sit in lectures for 6 hours a day?
No, I haven’t mentioned it? Hmm... maybe I've just been complaining constantly to Music Man.

Well… let me just tell you: it creates havoc for my back.
You would think sitting would be much better than standing all day, but in fact, it doesn’t.

I get lazy.
I slump.
I already have back issues.
But there’s this new spot on my left side, middle back that is just killing me this week.
Sometimes I think it’s my kidney exploding.
Probably just the stupid classroom chairs.

Today’s Weakness Wednesday pose focus is most definitely the cat-to-cow sequence.
I love to open my yoga routines with these poses, and I seriously do them for about five minutes every time.
It’s a great sequence to open up my spine and to warm the muscles.
Plus I feel like it hits all areas: shoulder area, middle, and lower back.
And it’s really easy.

As you breathe in, arch your back like a cat. Then, exhale, drop your pelvis to curve you back, and look up.
Match the movement to your breath.
If you inhale/exhale slowly, you’ll get the much needed stretch/muscle warmup.

Here’s a 4-minute back sequence video as well. No cat-to-cow example, but I do like to sometimes begin my yoga sequences with these poses as well. This video would be a good warm-up for your 30 minute session of the day!

I’m off to do some yoga, then back to studying.
Namaste everyone!
______
Seek Peace.

Weakness Wednesday: Working on the Back

After a late night last night, I decided to curl up in bed and stay there as long as I could this morning. Suffice it to say, I didn’t get any yoga in before heading to work.

I didn’t get any in after work either. In fact, I’m sitting here blogging about yoga to pump myself up about my practice. I’m thinking a little something like this tonight

Ok. Not really. But someday I would seriously love to be able to hold that pose. I  mainly do yoga to release my muscles from all my training, but I also use it to help balance my crazy life and de-stress myself. But sometimes I get bored. So look at all the crazy balancing poses on pinterest and wish I was that cool.
Then I tell myself that maybe someday I’ll be able to focus enough on yoga and use it as a challenge to really find balance. Probably when my hamstring blows out and I’m forced to quit running forever.
But I’m not thinking about that tonight.
Instead, I think I’ll focus on bridge pose

Slightly more my style, a bit of a core workout, and hopefully some release to the trouble spot in my back.
Time to get practicing.

 

Passing the Baton: Do any of you suffer from chronic back pain? Or, are you like me and have a super tight lower back from running/lifting? If so, have you tried yoga? Any poses you like that help the hurt?

Weakness Wednesday

This 30 Day Yoga challenge is surprisingly challenging for me this time around.  Life has gotten slightly busy at the moment, even if I am on “vacation” from work.  I have to get 15 hours of class observations done this week for my first summer class which starts the 21st. I’m trying to catch up on my house cleaning, I started triathlon training, and I’m trying to fit yoga in everyday.
Not to mention writing and oh yeah, resting.
Life is just busy.
But oh is life good.

And I honestly think this yoga challenge is part of that goodness.

It’s helping me relax, and it really does release all that tension in my muscles.
My own yoga dvd collection is really small these days, but I do have a couple of books that I use for my own quiet class sometimes. Mostly though, I've been practicing on my own, putting together sequences from what I know and based on what hurts.
Through this challenge, I’ve realized how much I miss practicing in an actual class, but unfortunately, that’s just not available in my town.
I think I should change that.
Maybe someday.

The guidelines are set

Hopefully, over the next coming month you will see constant posting. It's part of my yoga challenge. Not only do I want to push my body, but I also want to push my writing.

I've brought the guidelines forth on the Yoga Challenge tab, and you'll notice they are very general.

It's for a purpose.

Sometimes I get bored easily, so I want to keep the idea of yoga fresh everyday. I want there to be change. I want different sequences and different purposes attached to each daily practice.

I want to stretch out my IT bands one day, and then sweat a little the next with a bunch of chaturangas.
I want to do a relaxation sequence right before bed, and then wake up the next morning to stretch my lower back out.
I want to stay calm while I'm learning to practice again and not worry about what is coming next.

But on that note, it doesn't mean I won't help guide you if you've chosen to do the challenge.