There was a time not too long ago when yoga made its way into my routine on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you when that time was, because several weeks have now passed and although I keep thinking, “This is the week I’ll get back into yoga”, every week comes and goes with nary a downward dog in sight.
That’s why I decided it was time to shake things up a little and infuse some challenge into my non-existent om by getting started on The Yoga Project.
The Yoga Project is a progressive six-week yoga challenge that I’ve designed myself, and with myself in mind, although I tried to make it sufficiently universal that it could appeal to anyone, at any level, whether they practice at home or in a studio. Ultimately, the goal is just to spend more time on the mat; however, each week will have a different focus in order to emphasize different elements of what yoga can do and what you can do with yoga and could conceivably allow you to work a few mini-goals into your routine. Here’s the way I’m breaking it down:
- Weeks 1 & 2: Building a strong foundation and breathing;
- Week 3: Energizing;
- Week 4: Balancing;
- Week 5: Opening up;
- Week 6: Calming.
One of the things I’ve always loved about yoga is that what you practice on the mat becomes part of what you practice in your every day life, and I tried to take that into account when laying out the different themes for each week of the Yoga Project. And because I’ll be journaling regularly about my experience going through the Project, I’ll be able to see how these themes are playing themselves out beyond my practice.
I’d originally intended to start the Project on Thursday, but a few things got in the way and I ended up not being able to get a practice in until this morning, so I’m officially calling this Day 1. I mean, I want to make the most of the next six weeks, which means not starting out with two missed days! I’d love to have you join in on the Yoga Project by sharing your experiences, class reviews, comments, or anything else related to your practice for its duration. Let me know if you’re in!
Update (6/5/11): I decided to start over for a second time, and this is the one that will stick! The “new” and now official Day 1 was Tuesday, the 31st of May.
Week 1- 5/31-6/6
I’m pretty satisfied with the way this week went as far as yoga is concerned. I managed to fit in three practices, each over an hour long, and I hope to be able to add one more tomorrow.
All three practices I did were from YogaVibes, and all of them were from Sage Rountree’s Yoga for Athletes series. I am really enjoying her classes, and (don’t tell Nat) wishing we could move down to North Carolina so that I’d have a chance to practice with her in person. Since that won’t happen (at least not any time soon), I’m happy to have the next best thing.
On Tuesday and today, I did the Basics class, which I thought would be appropriate for the first two weeks of the Yoga Project since my focus right now is on building a stable foundation for my practice. I really enjoy this class, just in case you hadn’t already guessed from the fact that I have done it twice in the past few days. It’s a great practice that runs about 70 minutes and that you can take easy or more intensely. As someone who is already familiar with more than just the yoga basics, I still find myself challenged by this class. In fact today as I was working to go deeper into one of the moves, I toppled over (much to Nat’s amusement). Luckily I was close to the ground so I didn’t fall far, and I didn’t hurt myself at all.
Sage Rountree puts a lot of emphasis on what is right for now, a concept that can apply to yoga as well as your athletic pursuits. If you’re struggling with a pose, how can you back off from it, dial back your effort, and make it more into something that works for the present moment? Focusing on this approach will, I hope, help me to take it off the mat and into my running, leading to a bit less struggle and greater ease and success.
4 comments
2 pings
Sonia says:
May 16, 2011 at 9:11 pm (UTC -5)
I love it! I’m in!
Sonia recently posted..La pluie dont vous êtes le héros
emlit81 says:
May 17, 2011 at 4:51 pm (UTC -5)
Yay! I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience!
Laurie says:
May 21, 2011 at 10:11 am (UTC -5)
Nice project, I love it!!
I just started yoga a fiew weeks ago so I don’t think i’m good enough to do that project but it’s a really nice one 
emlit81 says:
May 21, 2011 at 6:18 pm (UTC -5)
Laurie, you could certainly do it! Yoga is all about having your own practice and doing what you need to suit your own needs, and I would be happy to help you find resources to modify things for your level. Si cela t’intéresse, envoie-moi un message, on en parlera
Body of Knowledge | I Came to Run says:
May 14, 2011 at 5:58 pm (UTC -5)
[...] The Yoga Project [...]
Le projet yoga | En forme de femme says:
May 20, 2011 at 6:17 am (UTC -5)
[...] Le projet yoga, c’est un défi de 6 semaines lancé par Emilie, extraordinaire auteur de I Came to Run. Certains d’entre vous se souviendrons peut-être que c’était aussi à la suite de son initiative que j’ai participé au défi Embrace : Me. Le projet yoga vise à installer une pratique régulière dans la routine, un objectif pour lequel Emilie propose une série de 5 thèmes, qui correspondent chacun à une intention particulière. Je reprends ici les thèmes suggérés sur son site : [...]