21 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 4

Apparently it doesn't take too much for my body to adapt to a new wake up time--because I woke up at 6am today with absolutely no prompting. I was actually missing my morning Yoga a bit, but ultimately glad for a little more time in bed and a quiet morning before work. Although I have to say the day did not start out super great...I was not feeling well, I had a giant pimple on my chin, and then I accidentally poured chicken stock on my cereal instead of soy milk. I thought maybe I should just go back to bed.

I was really looking forward to tonight's class; beforehand I was getting hung up on trying to figure out something I can't figure out on my own and I knew I really needed to just let it go. I started to try to divert my attention by rocking out to some fun tunes in the car--which helped to lift my spirits. When I arrived to the studio, it was pretty full and I had to take a spot in the middle of the room--a good way of being reminded that I need to get out of my comfort zone every once in a while. And at the beginning of the practice, during the setting of our intentions, the instructor reminded us of this month's theme (which I had forgotten): "letting go." So for tonight's practice I embraced the idea of letting go of expectations--which are similar to judgments--and focus on staying present.

I had a fantastic practice! I was focused, filled with positive energy, and the time flew by. I had two triumphs--first was being able to complete a series of dolphin poses. Dolphin pose is kind of like a cross between plank and downward facing dog--you rest on your forearms with your hips up behind you. It sounds simple...but then you're supposed to swing your body forward over your clasped hands and that's where it gets tough. I also managed to go deeper into an utkatasana (chair pose) twist than I ever had before, so that was also exciting.

I wish I could remember for you the exact reading the instructor read during the meditation--it was a great message about how letting go of the past opens one up to the present and the future; the deeper we are able to let go, the more positive energy and resources will come our way to help us move forward. It's not easy...