I'm thrilled to be chosen Student of the Month. As I start my second year here, it is impossible to summarize all that has happened as a result of stepping into that hot room for the first time, but it has been life-changing for me both physically and mentally. I know the changes happen day by day, posture by posture under the unfailingly encouraging and caring, sometimes demanding, guidance of our instructors, but I was not prepared for the enhanced effect of the 60-Day Challenge.
I signed up on my birthday thinking it would be the best present I could give myself. Since I had been practicing for nine months, I knew full well it would not necessarily be the most fun gift I would receive, but I was curious to find out what kind of difference coming to class every day would make versus coming three to four times per week. And, as the t-shirt proclaims, I was ready to change my mind, my body and my life.
The biggest advantage to coming every day is that there is little to no backsliding. My body was ready, in most cases, to pick up where it left off the day before. Being motivated to work hard day after day was another story, so I learned to be persistent and patient with myself. That paid off at the end when I needed to finish up with the infamous "doubles" and learned just how hard I could work (more than I thought possible) at something I really wanted to achieve.
Here are some insights I gained during the sixty days:
1)The Challenge is a journey. You know the beginning and end points, but you don't know where the middle will take you. Wanting to find out is what kept me coming every day.
2)When the warm-up reveals the state of your body for the day, use the information to maximize your workout, not determine it. Sore hip? Concentrate on back flexibility.
3)When you're too tired, too hot or feeling too bad to do anything else, you can always work on your breathing. I don't find it easy to control my breathing in the postures and I often forget to focus on it when I'm working hard in a posture, so concentrating on regulating the breath is good practice.
4)Don't pre-judge your ability to do a posture. Get into the set-up. I truly did not appreciate how much you can benefit from that.
5)The amount of strength you can build from coming every day and "trying the right way" is unbelievable. The increase in strength was the biggest change from my former practice of coming every other day.
6)A great advantage to coming every day is that you can push just beyond the edge of comfort in your postures and make significant improvement. When you come less regularly, you have to push harder for the same gain.
7)What you strive to improve in your practice and what actually changes the most might be different things. Enjoy the unintended benefit. I wanted to build strength in my legs and ended up with a flatter stomach as well.
8)For me, it is easier to control my body than my mind. If I just listen to the teacher, my body will follow the instructions. It takes a lot more effort to keep my mind in line.
9)Your body can fundamentally change in 60 days. All of my bad posture habits are gone, replaced by a strong, supple, well-aligned body that doesn¡¦t get tired or uncomfortable from regular daily activities. I have gained enough strength so that I can isolate and activate various muscles that allow me to get further into postures or maintain postures with more control.
10)A candy bar as lunch does not make for a good afternoon workout. Daily yoga increases awareness of your body's true needs.
11)Beyond the physical benefits, the Challenge has helped provide focus, balance and determination in other areas of my life.
12)You get to know your body, mind and the postures so well that you begin to see how much the practice has to offer and where it can lead for years.
I had no idea that just doubling my yoga practice would make such a difference, but the Challenge has honestly been a transformational experience. I encourage you to sign up for the Challenge and see what it will do for you.
Then, when you have finished, keep coming every day and ask yourself: What else can I accomplish in my life by patiently and persistently doing it every day?
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