How do you keep motivated?

During this thirty day challenge, my goal is not to do thirty days worth of yoga, but to try for six sessions a week. If I was trying for all thirty days, I would already have failed.

Let’s be honest, who realistically has the time to commute and do a yoga session every single day? I certainly don't. There are certain people in my life that would feel rather neglected. I already have enough going on to fill that possibility. So that leaves me with a home practice. I have armed myself with knowledge of poses to practice in my living room along with podcasts off Itunes for when I'm looking for something more creative. Podcasts tend to push me harder than my hodgepodge of asanas that I try to call routines; it also prevents me from becoming distracted or bored of thinking of the next pose to move into.

But what motivates me? For instance, right now I am writing this instead of setting up my mat in the living room and getting ready to practice for 20 minutes. It will be a great way to go to sleep, once I get to it, but the time is ticking.

Once I am on my mat and in a class I am committed and I am so very grateful for being blessed with the time and opportunity to practice in a very pleasant studio. But what I find difficult is getting from point A to my mat. I have found that friends are a great motivator, lots of free time helps. If I have a big open window to plan in advance I almost always make it to a class. Apparently a so called 30 day challenge isn't enough to get me go there more often or to set up shop at home. So how do I build a yoga habit?

One help/habit site says that I should:

Make myself accountable: well I'm good at ignoring that...!
Prioritize your life: well that is what I do already and what I am attempting to do with yoga, but I have to work, that's not an option, but I also don't want to give up my social life, I guess that’s why I love yoga with friends so much...
Set a time and have a practice time: well that's an ongoing problem, without a regular work schedule...pretty much impossible!
Educate yourself: Well I got one

So let’s see how I am doing, I've got one and a half out of four... not promising.

How do you motivate yourself in your practice? And most importantly keep yourself on track? Do you practice at home? how did you get yourself to practice daily?

Well off to get my 20 minutes of bliss!

The Story of OM

Last night my partner asked me what Om actually meant. And I realized that I only learnt the significance to Om in a practice a year ago. That was about 3 solid years of practice where I didn’t even know why we chanted Om while on our mats! I think the first year I generally opted out while sitting quietly.

It was descried to me as embodying the universe, both the beginning and the end. That OM exists in everything, although we may not notice it, the sound is present in all sounds. And the story to accompany this explanation was as creation began, the original vibrations manifested as the sound “OM”.

I really have enjoyed this explanation and it has brought meaning to me for this simple chant. I find it calming as I feel for those vibrations within my own throat and for the vibrations formed in the air by my peers chanting alongside me.

Another tidbit of meaning that I found on Wikipedia was that “The syllable is taken to consist of three phonemes, a, u and m, variously symbolizing the Three Vedas or the Hindu Trimurti or three stages in life ( birth, life and death ).”

I don’t yet understand what the Three Vedas are and am unfamiliar with Hinduism, but the three stages of life rings true. Being the beginning and the end and everything else in between is what OM in fact is. This is why a practice or a mantra begins and ends with “OM”, because it is “OM” that brings its meaning.

So now if you are curious try chanting OM next time you are by yourself. Open your throat up and feel the movement of the sound as it passes through your throat. Use your lungs as bellows and push the air through and the sound will feel natural. If you are still too shy, be sure to feel the vibrations in your next class as I always do when I am in practice. And it will be then I hope that you too will find its meaning in your heart.

Namaste

Accomplishing Crow pose

On the weekend I attended an Anusara class at the studio that I volunteer at. The instructor had us work on some arm balancing poses, crow/crane pose and side crane. I had only once come across a teacher ambitious enough to work on this pose with their students and that was already two years ago! (I'm not comfortable enough to attend an intermediate/advanced class yet!) But I have an itch (and a goal) to attempt more difficult and advanced asanas.
I had found this YouTube video a few weeks ago as I was working on strengthening my arms. Even a week ago I still was not able to find my balance or my trust in myself to master it. I still think this video was good and definitely worth sharing, but it certainly wasn't enough to finally "get it".
Perhaps it was the sheer exhaustion that this instructor had built breaking down all energy to think beyond her instructions. But still being able to get it four days later, on every try, I'm thinking it is her emphasis on making sure to look forward.
I no longer feel the pinching on my arms where my knees rest, nor do I hesitate when lifting my feet.
So for all of you trying to get your crow pose: lift your bum up, really! And look forward, stick that neck out and I guarantee, you will get it. Soon.

April 6, 2010 - Day 6 into the challenge

So here I am contemplating what I have already learned and what I wish to accomplish over the next 5 months.

Let’s start at the beginning... why 5 months? 5 months brings me into September. September is when I hope to begin Yoga Teacher Training at Langara College here in Vancouver. I have been practicing Yoga for well over four years now, mostly on and off, but always with an interest for there to be more. The first time I tried yoga though was about 7 years ago. My sister convinced me to try Bikrams yoga with her while still living in Toronto. She had already been practicing casually for awhile but was interested in this popular style that she couldn't access in small town Peterborough. Of course as a young idolizing sister I agreed and followed, dehydrated, to this class uncertain of what I was entering into. Three things I remember from that day was; the pristine of the studio, the sweating slipperiness, and the horrendous dizziness. I also remember passing out at the end of class during Savasana. Something I continued to do well into my first year of classes. I somehow would always be the last person out of class and often it would be the next class coming in that would stir me to life.

What I don't want this blog to become is a what I "should" be doing when I look around. I only should be looking at myself and being witness to my own transformation.

I will write here about what I learn about myself and about the practice of being a yogi.

Remember one thing - Yoga is a Practice NOT a Perfection!

Namaste!