Day 10 of 20 Days of Hot Yoga!

Wow. Half way through my 20 days already. . .

This morning my lower back was pretty sore from volunteering at an event last night. We carried a lot of stuff and some of it was heavy. It made doing the poses just that much more difficult. Even getting into shavasana hurt.

Please Note - my lower back pain today had nothing to do with the yoga class and everything to do with the fact that my lower back is not as strong as it's going to be and I schlepped a lot of stuff around last night. And, it actually feels much better tonight, having done the yoga class this morning. 

I have to say that, being half way done, I'm a bit disappointed by my progress. . . it's my lack of balance that bothers me the most. It's slightly better, but still pretty pathetic.

I wonder how malleable my body really is.

At 47, can I really become flexible enough to do this?:

Can I get strong enough to do this?:

Can I actually get centered and catch my balance long enough to do this?:

You'll notice that his hips are level. When this is done correctly, it simply defies gravity. He should tip over - like I do.

I have a feeling that it's going to take a lot more than 20 sessions to get where I want to go. . .

There is some weird correlation between eating after class and suddenly feeling a deep desire to go to sleep. I drop into a food coma. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat. I haven't tried just fruit. I may try that over the weekend. Maybe I'm eating too much. I am really hungry by the time I get to eat. I need to figure this one out. I don't think it's going to fly at work for me to close my door and crash on the floor for 30 minutes every day. . .

I'm tired tonight. I'll sleep well and tomorrow will be another yoga day. Every morning I hear someone different say "my practice is different every day". So is mine. Sometimes slightly disappointing, sometimes fabulous.

Here are the benefits I am seeing so far:

Better flexibility.

A sense of calm. 

Consciousness and the ability to stay in the moment longer.

Increased ability to listen.

Increased strength and muscle awareness.

And, yes. I've lost some weight. Three or four pounds, which is great.

I do like having a regular yoga practice. It feels really good and like an accomplishment every day. 

Is it worth the time and effort? Absolutely! Can't wait to see what the next 10 days bring.