30 Day Yoga Challenge

   C was curious about what videos are on Amazon Prime, so he signed up for a free 30 day membership. One of the videos I was excited to watch was a 30 Day Yoga Challenge. It's 30 days of various yoga flows with bonus health tips at the end of each video. I had seen it before and wanted to do it, but really didn't want to have to pay for it if it turned out to be something I didn't like.
  I've been doing it for about three weeks now and I like it a lot. The primary focus is that yoga is good for weight loss. My reason for wanting to do the challenge wasn't because of the weight loss. There is no way a short stubby person like me can suck down into what is considered a fashionable weight. My interest is in being healthy, fit and mobile.
  I've found that doing this challenge is really helping me. I'd like to write about a few things that I've noticed as I go along in the challenge.
   The first thing I noticed is that I simply felt better. It's kind of hard to explain. I just feel good almost all the time. Even a couple weeks ago when I caught the crud that was going around, I didn't feel really sick. After I finish my shift at work I don't feel tired, even if it's been a busy day. I also feel better mentally, better than I've felt in a few months. Some of this has to do with the fact that I'm working again and in a good place. I think some of this has to do with the yoga. The teacher in the videos talks about how moving your body releases "happy hormones" (Her words) I really think she's right. She also talks about how yoga helps to manage stress. I didn't believe it before, but I do now.
   My clothes seem to fir a bit better. As I said, I didn't go into this to lose weight. In fact I've given up on trying to lose weight. My thinking on this is that I'll exercise as much as I can, eat as healthy as possible and whatever happens happens. A lot of what I've been doing in yoga is weight bearing so it could be that my muscles are toning  up, which is a good thing. A few days ago I looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. I smiled at myself. This is not like me. I don't like looking at myself in the mirror unless I have to. I can't remember EVER smiling at my own reflection. Clearly there have been some physical changes, even if I'm the only one who notices.
   Some of the poses are becoming easier. I can hold a plank for 20 seconds. Maybe this doesn't sound like much, but for me it is a lot. I can hold down dog longer too. I can twist a little more and put my hands down flat on the floor during a forward fold with only a slight bend in my knees. All things I could not do before. One of the things the yoga teacher talks about is impermanence. Just because you can't do something today does not mean that you will always be unable to do it. Some things take time. You have to work up to them. One leg balances are still a challenge, but with time the challenge will become less.
  I've been sleeping better. It's amazing how much you can do in a day when you aren't tired because you didn't sleep well.
  I'm not sure what I'm going to do when this challenge is over. Hopefully, I'll figure out some way to down load the videos so I can watch them again. There are a few I'd like to do over again for a few months to see if I can get better at some of the poses. Until then though I'm going to enjoy the rest of the challenge.