30 Day Yoga Challenge ~ Day 5
- July 2nd, 2009
- Posted in yoga
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“Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.” — Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Okay, so my last blog entry was written not only for everyone else who wants to take on the challenge of a daily yoga asana practice, but also for myself. Right now I’m on day five of my own 30 day yoga challenge. Prior to the last five days of yoga, it’s been a while since I had strung out any number of consecutive days that resembled anything like a dedicated yoga practice. My list of excuses for a “lazy” practice goes go on and on. I’ll spare you the details.
Right now, even though I basically work 90 plus hours a week (12+ hours a day, seven days a week, tis my life in the military these days), I probably have more free time in my day than I have had in a long time. I go about doing my military/lawyer stuff over here in Iraq during the day, and then I’m lucky enough to have a little time in the evenings to go back to my room and chat with my family, relax, and get some exercise. A few weeks into my little adventure in Iraq, I realized that despite the nasty dust storms and wicked-awful heat, I could make my six months here memorable by really focusing on building a “constant” yoga practice; a yoga habit if you will. Funny thing is, I don’t even have a mat yet (though one is on the way). I bought a six dollar blanket that I fold in half and throw out on the floor. The idea was good in theory, but in reality it’s like a two hour battle with a large piece of polyester, with all the bunching and slipping and shifting around it does. Despite the less than perfect floor covering, I have a totally quiet room, with nothing better to do than to sweep the floor, lay out the blanket, turn off the A/C and work up a dang good yoga sweat.
Thanks for stopping by Daily Cup of Yoga and indulging me as I share a few details about my life sprinkled with tidbits of yogic wisdom. Namaste!
I have often wondered about the 40-day practice vs the 30-day challenge. Either way it’s tough to maintain the disciple of an every day practice. Each time I have done one of these practices I have learned something valuable that I’m sure I would not have learned if I had not done the same thing, every day for 30 or 40 days. I do find that around day 30 I start losing interest, so to push on through to the 40 day mark seems interminable, but once I have made it there the practice is so much part of my daily pattern that I often keep on doing it.
It’s worth it. Keep up the good work. Namaste ~ Sara
Sara – Thanks for the encouragement. Right now I’m pretty gung-ho about my yoga practice to the point that I’m secretly telling myself that I won’t miss a day of asana while I’m gone from home. That would be quite the feat, and the stars would have to line up perfectly, so for now I’ll just be content to get on the mat every day. In my mind it would seem tragic to go 30 days and then ease up. Kinda like finishing off a 4 day fruit fast with two cheeseburgers and a large fry. Been there, done that, so we’ll see how things progress.