New Year, New Challenges

This year in lieu of a New Years resolution I decided to do something different. In the past I would declare that I was going to quit smoking, or lose weight but that never really worked out for me. This year I decided to document my yoga journey. 

I started practicing yoga a few months ago. Self admittedly I used to be very anti yoga. I just didn't get it. I couldn't get out of my head and quiet my mind. I tried a few classes a few years ago. I was sitting there surrounded by all these "real" yoga people running through my grocery list, planning my weekend, and thinking about what I had going on later that day. I wanted so much to like yoga. These "real" yoga people seemed to be on to something. It was like they all knew the answer to some secret question I wasn't privy to. 

Last September I got a notification that the gym by me was offering a free month for Military. In the interest of getting as much out of my free month as possible I decided to give yoga another try. Something was different this time.  Fast forward to the end of September, I was hooked and signed a year long contract with the gym.

I regularly take four classes a week, and try to pop in to a few more if I have the time. The instructors for the classes I take are pretty amazing, and I'm sure their names will pop up here now and again. (I already spoke to them and cleared the use of their names.) 

I've learned alot in the few months I've been practicing. I have a few specific goals to work towards. The first is a perfect yoga headstand. I have an irrational fear of breaking my neck and am terrified to be upside down, so this will be a challenge. The second is to be able to get my leg on my thigh for tree pose, this one seems a little bit more attainable then the headstand. I also want to work on meditation and quieting my mind in order to hear more clearly. I'm sure the universe is putting out all kinds of good stuff and I'm missing it because I'm too wrapped up in my own thoughts. 

Here's the deal, I'm not a skinny girl. I've had two babies, and you can definately tell when you look at me. I don't have a "yoga body." I don't know if that's a real thing, but what I can tell you is when I get into certain poses (or asanas for those in the know) things get in the way... like my post baby gut. There I said it. But despite all that, I'm still going to try, and work as hard as I can. 

So, here's to a great year ya'll. I'm going to put these words out into the great big nowhere. I hope someone reads them and likes what I have to say. Namaste friends :)