I have been remiss in posting. I will post something more thoughtful later, but for now, the minutes:
3/1: 40 mins
3/2: 45 mins
3/3: 90 mins
3/4: 75 mins
3/5: 40 mins
3/6: 30 mins
3/7: 30 mins
3/8: 90 mins
3/9: 30 mins
3/10: 90 mins
3/11: 30 mins
3/12: 45 mins
3/13: 30 mins
3/14: 30 mins
3/15: 90 mins
3/16: 35 mins
3/17: 30 mins
3/18: 75 mins
Whew! Today will be my 73rd straight day of yoga!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thinking too much about Savasana
Still doing yoga everyday. I also officially signed up for that half marathon. I ran to my office to drop off rent and back yesterday morning--about 5 miles when I include the wrong turn I took which ended up looping back to the confusing intersection in question. I was TIRED! And I'm only building from there.
In contrast, my yoga practices have been more and more compact lately (aside from when I go to a studio). When I first began my yoga 360, I had a really hard time putting together a home practice on my own that lasted 30 minutes. I did a ton of podcasts at home and sought out classes at studios left and right. For most of February, though, I've mostly sat down on my mat in silence and created a practice of my own. Sometimes, I feel like I am not making myself labor enough or sweat enough. But then again, that isn't the point of this year. It is about seeing how a regular practice, difficult or not, benefits me and what kind of impact it has on how I approach life.
I will say that I don't find it so hard now to fill up 30 minutes of home practice; I could spend half that time in Savasana, but I don't. In fact, I still struggle to stay in Savasana for long enough. What is "long enough?" I read somewhere that a yogi/yogini should reserve at least 1/5 of their practice time for Savasana. For a 30-minute practice, that breaks down to 6 minutes. Now my average home Savasana tends to be about 1/15 or 1/10 of my practice time. Because I know that I have a hard time staying in corpse pose at home, I don't assume that pose until I've been practicing yoga for almost a full half hour. This is a benefit of classes and podcasts, which include a silent break in the recording for Savasana. When I follow a podcast, I stay with the recording through the long pause to the point where the instructor rings a bell or uses a bowl to summon the listener out of rest. Occasionally, I'll set an alarm on my iPhone for Savasana, but this feels like a lot of hassle when I am supposed to be settling into relaxation.
I think my preconceived notions about whether or not I am laboring enough physically in my home practice are at the root of my struggles with abiding in Savasana. I aspire to question the logic behind these judgments as I continue to practice. Even if I don't feel my body has worked hard enough to "earn" the reward of Savasana, my mind certainly deserves some relaxation time. Just look how much overanalyzing it has done in this post!
And with that, my minutes for the end of February, Days 47-54:
Feb. 21: 35 minutes
Feb. 22: 90 minutes
Feb. 23: 40 minutes
Feb. 24: 90 minutes
Feb. 25: 75 minutes
Feb 26: 30 minutes
Feb. 27: 40 minutes
Feb. 28: 40 minutes
In contrast, my yoga practices have been more and more compact lately (aside from when I go to a studio). When I first began my yoga 360, I had a really hard time putting together a home practice on my own that lasted 30 minutes. I did a ton of podcasts at home and sought out classes at studios left and right. For most of February, though, I've mostly sat down on my mat in silence and created a practice of my own. Sometimes, I feel like I am not making myself labor enough or sweat enough. But then again, that isn't the point of this year. It is about seeing how a regular practice, difficult or not, benefits me and what kind of impact it has on how I approach life.
I will say that I don't find it so hard now to fill up 30 minutes of home practice; I could spend half that time in Savasana, but I don't. In fact, I still struggle to stay in Savasana for long enough. What is "long enough?" I read somewhere that a yogi/yogini should reserve at least 1/5 of their practice time for Savasana. For a 30-minute practice, that breaks down to 6 minutes. Now my average home Savasana tends to be about 1/15 or 1/10 of my practice time. Because I know that I have a hard time staying in corpse pose at home, I don't assume that pose until I've been practicing yoga for almost a full half hour. This is a benefit of classes and podcasts, which include a silent break in the recording for Savasana. When I follow a podcast, I stay with the recording through the long pause to the point where the instructor rings a bell or uses a bowl to summon the listener out of rest. Occasionally, I'll set an alarm on my iPhone for Savasana, but this feels like a lot of hassle when I am supposed to be settling into relaxation.
I think my preconceived notions about whether or not I am laboring enough physically in my home practice are at the root of my struggles with abiding in Savasana. I aspire to question the logic behind these judgments as I continue to practice. Even if I don't feel my body has worked hard enough to "earn" the reward of Savasana, my mind certainly deserves some relaxation time. Just look how much overanalyzing it has done in this post!
The author in Adho Mukha Svanasana at home
Not pictured: author's brain in a frenzy over whether camera took the photo or not..
And with that, my minutes for the end of February, Days 47-54:
Feb. 21: 35 minutes
Feb. 22: 90 minutes
Feb. 23: 40 minutes
Feb. 24: 90 minutes
Feb. 25: 75 minutes
Feb 26: 30 minutes
Feb. 27: 40 minutes
Feb. 28: 40 minutes
Namaste!
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