Falling on my Face (or, my troubles with yoga).

​I don’t always (read: almost never) find yoga relaxing. There, I said it. I know it’s about breathing, connecting to your inner self, finding your chakras, blah blah blah, but for me, it’s often more about trying to balance not falling on my face with overworking my mind to find “calm.” When a yoga instructor says to clear your mind, let all those thoughts drift away, are there people out there that can actually do that? If anything that suggestion refocuses me on my stressors of the day. And for all the marbles in the world, can someone tell me how you actually balance on your head? And then please tell me you find that relaxing.

Ok, so why am I talking about yoga? Because I signed up for a 31 day “REVOLUTION” of yoga, of course! Bet you didn’t see that coming (well, unless you read my post from the other day)! Adrienne is a highly-followed online yoga instructor based out of Austin, Texas, and offers FREE yoga class videos on YouTube. Say the word “free” and I’m already practically there. Adrienne’s YouTube page is filled with a variety of different yoga classes, from short videos for when you’re on the road, to a small series focused on weight loss. But a friend of mine mentioned the 31 day “Revolution” that was starting January 1st, and knowing that I could successfully commit to doing something for 30 days (and would align with my Whole 30), a 31 day “challenge” seemed doable. Even if I was still dubious of yoga.

So why’d I pick yoga if I keep complaining about it? The last round of Whole 30 I paired aggressively with the gym. I’d hit the treadmill and weights regularly each week, but found the repetition to be getting old. It’s also getting a bit chilly here in NYC, and the thought of not having to leave my house to get some exercise in really appealed to me. I’ve done various workout tapes in the past, and still go to those when I’m looking for something higher energy (this and this are my favs, while this one makes me strongly dislike all “dance” type workout videos, and really question Tracey Anderson). But I was craving something a little calmer, something that would make me feel really connected to my body, to the calmness I was bringing by cutting out processed foods from diet. I wanted...YOGA.

Now I’ve just completed Day 4, and minus a minor back injury (did I mention I’m clumsy?), I have to say, I don’t hate it. Adrienne minimizes the hippy-dippy language, and balances the breathing portions with moves that feel more pilates-ish than yoga. I’ve tried various yoga classes (in person-where I left after the instructor started balancing on her head, and online) before, but so far this seems to be the winner of them all. At least for now.

Has anyone out there recently picked up a new workout routine, or can suggest a new one for me to try? I want to hear from you!