Day 13

Here is some inspiration for us this morning:

Back in 1996-97, Sianna Sherman and a group of friends committed to getting together Monday-Friday for one year, at 5 am for 30 minutes of meditation and 2 hours of silent asana practice. She said that the year changed her life, and that the friends that she did this with are still her best friends.

She shared this little gem with us this morning during practice, and I could not help thinking, How Timely! And it was more fuel toward all of my inspiration for practice as a community sanctuary and my eventual desire for us to be able to come together in person and not just through the ether's.

I actually got inspired about a great many things, one of them being the June workshop with Christins Sell that we will be hosting in Viroqua again this summer. So many people that we there this weekend from all over told me they were going to make the trip this summer. It should be a great group, it sure was this weekend.

So, when I get home later today, I am going to add a few tidbits to the sidebar. Helpful and inspiring little morsels for you.

For now. Here are a few poetic, grace infused, delights from this morning.

AMS

plank (eka pada, eka hasta)

Surya Namaskar A 3x

Surya Namaskar B 1x (long Uttkatasana)

Parsvakonasana

Garudasana to Vira 3 to Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana

Parsvottansana with the ball of the foot up to UPEP again

Wild thing

Pigeon to Mermaid

AMS

Uttansana

that should do for today. I will lead most of the sequence that we did this morning with Sianna at next Sunday's practice.

Day 12

Good Morning! I am at some fancy Madison hotel with my kids and fella. Eider is snoozing, Maple and Papa are swimming, and I am checking in here before getting ready to head for a day of yoga with Sianna Sherman. A day of yoga. How nice is that? I have been looking forward to this for awhile, not only because a weekend workshop in Wisconsin is not so frequent of a happening, but this is Sianna's first time teaching in our lovely state and it has been a long time coming! The lovely ladies at Main Street Yoga here in Madison have been making every effort to get her here for over 5 years at this point. Thank you so much Barbara and Iris!

So, if you are not down here already and I am not about to see you in an hour, it is still not too late to hop into your car and head down here for the afternoon session that starts at 3. It will be so great that you will want to stay the night and wake up for her 7 am practice tomorrow (which really should be old hat for those of you who have been doing that with me for the better part of a year). Then you can just check off your practice for today and tomorrow and there you have it, it is a done deal!

But if I have not succeeded in convincing you yet, or you are otherwise unavailable, how about a little something to whet your yoga whistle today? Twists anyone?

AMV (childs)

AMS (down dog)

Uttanasana

Uttkatasana

Parsvakonasana

Trikonasana

Parivritta Trikonasana

Parivritta Parvakonasana

Twisted Uttkatasana

Lunge, with a twist and a thigh stretch

Parivritta Ardha Chandrasana

Janu Sirsasana

Ardha Matseyandrasana

Marichyasana 1 twisting stage

Marichyasana 3

Bharadvajasana 2

Paschimottanasana

Savasana

1 minute each/side

feel free to repeat a pose more than once a side, especially the seated poses.

Doesn't this look like such a blast? Think around 40 minutes.

Day 11

Already?

I have a confession. I have not practiced for a couple of days. I hope that that does not kill anybody's moral. I have been pretty sick and Chris has been away extra this week and well, basically all that I want to do when I have a moment is lie down and close my eyes. If you want to think of it as me doing savasana you are welcome to, even though I most certainly I am not. Desperately praying, maybe. Savasana, not a chance. Also, I am really trying to feel better for this weekend.

Today is Flow Friday. Which I personally love as a concept. Get on your mat and go kind of a thing. Just breathe. Unwind to your breath and your body. Let loose. Love yourself. Celebrate the unique gift of you. (You get the point. I could keep going...)

So, go for it. Try to be on your mat for 20 minutes minimally. And please check in. No loss of morale!

Day 10

Can it be? Day 10 already? 1/4 of the way through the challenge?

So I am late posting this again. We spent the night down at a friends farm and I am sick as a dog and so, well, here I am late putting this up.

I am thinking something brief and something mellow today. For 2 reasons. The first being malaise, the second being that tomorrow is Friday, and Sianna's workshop starts tomorrow in Madison. I have been plugging this shamelessly, but I mean, really. If you are anywhere in Wisconsin, this workshop is well worth the trip and the time and the effort. And if you live in the sticks like me, there is the added bonus of the city weekend. And if you are doing the challenge, here are 3 days of yoga just being handed over to you. And Sianna is really and truly one of the best yoga practitioners teaching today. I could go on and on here, but I should get to today's practice.

Here you go:

Adho Muhka Svanasana

Uttanasana

Supta Padangustasana 1-4

Parsvakonasana

Trikonasana

Ardha Chandrasana

Gardudasana

Virabadrasana 3

Uttanasana

Adho Muhka Virasana

Savasana

1 minute each per usual.

Day 9

It appears that my immune system could handle only so much malaise before I too went down. So, I didn't get this up last night. I apologize to the early risers of the bunch.

At any rate, I am thinking about flowers this morning. Well, really there component parts. Especially seeds. It is the end of February, and one very useful survival tool in Wisconsin this time of year is to start turning Winter's daydream of next season's garden in to a reality. So in February, especially at the end, I think of flowers. And I begin to gather all of the seeds and make a definitive plan for the next few months. I love the energy of this time of year.

But there is another flower that I think about all year long.

The Lotus Flower.

This flower, like many, is a sacred bloom. It is revered as something that grows out of the much to become Splendor itself.

Today, lets get to lotus. This is a great sequence for doing so (and the very same one that we will be doing at my 8:30 class this morning if you want some instruction....)

Adho Muhka Svanasana

Parsvakonasana

Uttanasana

Pigeon prep

Janu Sirsasana

Uppavista Konasana

Parsva Uppavista Konasana

Baby Cradle

Agnistambasana

Bharadvajasana

Padmasana

Viola!

Day 8

Here is a sequence that I do several times a month. I love it. It is about 45 minutes if you do the inversions, 25-30 minutes if you skip them. Let me know how it goes.

AMS

Uttanasana

Sirsasana (and variations, 5-10 minutes)

1 minute each side:

Crescent Pose

Virabadrasana 1

Anjaneyasana

Parsvottanasana

Parivritta Parsvakonasana

Supta Virasana (5 minutes)

Ustrasana

Danurasana

Parsva Danurasana

Urdhva Danurasana

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana

Sarvangasana and variations (5-10 minutes)

Savasana

Backbend Day!

Day 7

I had really wanted to put up video, or at least some photos over the weekend, but sadly I have not had the chance to even make the said video or pictures. As I write this, I have a very croupy baby on my back. So sad. I have been vomited on 2 times in the last 3 days, by both kids. The hidden underbelly of the path of the householder.

So, I do have something great to offer you. Elsie Escobar. Check her out. She puts up a free podcast of her classes. And she has great thumbnail photos (just like the ones that I want to make!) Not to mention the leg warmers. Love the leg warmers.

This is the 7th day of the challenge. The end of one week. Something that is of great benefit to your asana practice, is self-reflection. You can dialogue with friends, you can have some quiet time for contemplation. But what I want to specifically recommend it the power of journalling. There is nothing like taking some time to write down what you are experiencing to help you get more clarity. In doing so, you will become incredibly potent in your ability to articulate what yoga really is for you.

So I would like you to journal for a little bit on each 7th day. On Mondays. You can set your timer for a realistic length of time (at least 10 minutes) and have at it. I would especially love if you could share an excerpt from your process in the comments. Yoga is a conversation that has been going on for 1000's of years and we get to be a part of that conversation. So amazing.

This is what I want to do tomorrow in the way of asana:

Supta Padangustasana 1-4 (1 min each)

Supta Virasana (5 min)

Uttanasana (3 min)

Adho Muhka Svanasana (3 min)

Setubandha with a block support under the sacrum (3 min)

Savasana

short and sweet.

Love it.

Day 6

I am tired today. Both of my kids are sick, and I am on a serious run of sleepless nights. Today I literally practiced amid sobbing. It was kind of crazy. And yet in the end it was immensely helpful. I really believe that when my children can see me tending to myself, that they are learning something vital. Not just about mama, but about all people and our basic human need for heart-centered self care. Often, when I finish, we are all settled more deeply in ourselves. Not just me. And there are days when nothing works out remotely as I had hoped and we are all punting. And that is great too because there we are practicing in another way what it means to be in the flow.

Sunday is traditionally one of my longer practice days of the week. Probably because it is the one day that I practice with other people and we hold each other there much more easily. So, I am going to give you the sequence that I will be doing in the morning. You can take it or leave it or just do some of it (or better yet come and practice the very same thing in community at 7 am in the morning.)

This is a sequence that we did at a workshop that I attended when I was pregnant with Eider. I loved it then and I love it now. But then again, the teacher was THE TEACHER and he is pretty much brilliant at all things including teaching a phenomenal class with a phenomenal sequence.

Adho Muhka Svanasana

Pigeon prep

the following poses in a Vinyasa:

Parsvakonasana

Trikonasana

Virabadrasana 2

Virabadrasana 1

Ardha Chandrasana to Trikonasana

Parivritta Trikonasana

Parivritta Parsvakonasnana

AMS

Uttanasana

Janu Sirsasana

Ardha Matseyandrasana

Triang Muhk Aikapadapaschimottanasana

Bharadvajasana 2

Uppavista Konasana

Parsva Uppavista Konasana

Hanumanasana 3x

Uttanasana

Ardha Baddha Uttanasana

Standing Kurmasana

Supta Tadasana

Supta Padangustasana 1,2,4

Yoga Dandasana 2x

Uttanasana

Savasana

Gets kind of crazy there at the end. Do what you can. Or go back and snag something from a previous day. That is the great thing. You should have a little folder building of possible practices. Love it. Rock on Yogins! And do not forget to check in.

Day 5

This is from Christina's blog. I think it pretty well suits us now, don't you?

"Abhyasa (practice) is a dedicated, unswerving, constant, and vigilant search into a chosen subject pursued against all odds in the face of repeated failures, for indefinitely long periods of time."- B.K.S. Iyengar

Pretty much sums it up. This is the much distilled story. Longer versions forthcoming.

Saturday, how about some balancing poses?

Warm up:

3 Surya Namaskar A

3 Surya Namaskar B

1 minute each:

Vrksasana

Garudasana

Ardha Chandrasana

Virabadrasana 3

Uttansana

Malasana

Marichyasana 1

Baddha Konasana

Bakasana

Uttanasana

Savasana

Sweet and Short for your Saturday. Let me know how it is going. And as always, have fun!

Day 4

This is so fun. I mean really. I cannot think of anything else that I do where when I am done I feel that good. Yoga. It really is like nothing else. But, I have drunk the kool-aid. Tons of it actually. For almost 14 years. Yum.

And as awesome as it is to eek out 10 minutes on your mat, 90 minutes is better. Not as in better or worse. Just better. I feel that much better. I guess you could say that it is all on a spectrum, and everywhere on the spectrum is good, and the further you go it is just more goodness.

Day 4. Friday. Heretofore will be known as Flow Friday. Or better yet Flow and Glow Friday.

Here's the deal; Set the timer for a minimum of 20 minutes (or set your alarm for at least 20 minutes from when you start). Then simply do Surya Namaskar A until you hear beep. It can be however fast or slow you like. Just follow your breath and have fun.

Surya Namaskar A

Tadasana

inhale to Urdhva Hastasana (arms overhead)

exhale Uttanasana

inhale Ardha Uttanasana

exhale to Plank to Chaturanga Dandasana

inhale Bhujangasana or Urdhva Muhka Svanasana

exhale Adho Muhka Svanasana

stay for 3-10 breaths

bottom of an exhale hop forward

inhale Ardha Uttanasana

exhale Uttanasana

inhale Urdhva Hastasana

exhale Tadasana (anjali mudra)

(those members of my family who are participating, ahem, please let me know what is shakin'. You know that you want to let me know that you are out there. Or at least I want you to.)

Day 3

Thursday

Even though it is Wednesday night. But I turn in soon, and I really want to make sure that this is up for any of you crazy folks up before me. That is early. Or for any friends on the East Coast.

I thought that I would put up a sequence that I use a lot in my practice with a few small changes. In fact, I just finished doing these very poses in front of my wood stove.

1 minute each:

Adho Muhka Svanasana

Uttanasana

Trikonasana

Parsvakonasana

Parivritta Trikonasana

Parivritta Parsvakonasana

Uttanasana

Supta Virasana (5 minutes- again, if you do not practice this pose, do ardha bhekasana)

1 minute each:

Pascimottanasana

Janu Sirsasana

Triang Muhkaikapadapascimottansana

Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana (or Janu Sirsasana again if you are not doing lotus)

Marichyasana 1

Pascimottanasana

Savasana

I really do this all of the time but I add in some inversions. You are welcome to do this if you practice them regularly. I put sirsasana (headstand) at the beginning anywhere from 5-10 minutes, and Sarvangasana (shoulderstand) at the end for the same amount of time. This turns a 25 minute practice into more like a 45 minute one.

Let me know how it is going. Some of you have expressed frustration at having to spend so much time looking up the poses. Hang in there. Everything will keep getting more familiar. And if you are short on time you can always do a sequence that you have all set for yourself. I am going to put up a video clip of a sequence this weekend and that should be a big help.

Leave me your comments and have fun!

Day 2

I have a confession. I did not do yesterday's practice. Every other Tuesday I am fortunate enough to travel up to Iyengar Yoga Land in Lacrosse and take classes with one of the most seasoned teachers I have ever had the pleasure of studying with, Chris Saudek. But I think that many of you are most likely happier with the sequence that you did. Not quite so crazy. And that is saying a lot!

Here is my rap on timers. When you stay in a pose for a little longer than you are comfortable, something magical begins to happen. You are asked to be steady with a part of yourself that you do not often have the opportunity to sit with. You may be familiar with this part, but in a much more adversarial or reactionary way. However, when you invite it forward in a way that is tempered with a little curiosity, you are actually developing the ability to relate to that part of yourself in the moments when it "flares up" and gives you trouble. This to me is one of the great gifts of Yoga. Through the practice, we shine the light of our awareness of the multitude of different parts that make up who we are, as complex and beautiful as that is. So stay in the pose a little longer. Get a timer.

Again, for the beginners, any effort you can make to get to a class, you are going to be served so greatly. Unfortunately, I am not at a point in my life where I have the resources to put up images of every posture, I can only refer you to some reliable resources. Such as this book. I cannot tell you the value of this text for every student of yoga. Order it right now and it will come at the same time as your timer.

Day 2:

sit quietly
Uttanasana (1 minute)
lunges (lots)
Adho Muhka Svanasana (1 min)

1 minute each side:
Virabadrasana 2
Parsvakonasana
Prasaritta Padottanasana
Anjaneyasana
Uttanasana

If you are accustomed to Supta Virasana, take the pose for 5 minutes with the arms extended overhead. If you do not practice this pose, take Ardha Bhekasana, 1 minute each side, 2 times.
Adho Muhka Svanasana
Adho Muhka Virasana
Savasana

This should land you at around 20 minutes. Have Fun!

Day 1

Welcome!

Before we get started, I want to just say, you are amazing! This is such a gift that you are giving to yourselves and I honor that completely. The regular practice of asana can be an incredibly challenging commitment to make, but I assure you, it is something that will serve you more than I could ever adequately put into words.

One of the translations for the Sanskrit word for practice, Abhyasa, is "Steady practice with devotion, over a long period of time". It is my intention that we each bring the fullest expression of our hearts to the next 40 days of practice, and beyond. So much awaits to be revealed. And, it is also my intention that we have fun. Oodles of boundless, childlike, fun.

Many of you that have expressed interest in participating are either new to yoga or have very little experience. You are all welcome. And I think that each sequence should be great for most people. I may at times put up a sequence that is geared more toward intermediate students, and on those days simply pick a previous days practice to do on that day. For everyone, but especially the beginners, I encourage you to make it to some of your local yoga classes during this event. There are so many talented teachers out there and there is really nothing like the gift of having someone watch you practice and tell you what they see. In Viroqua, Tapestry yoga has a full schedule of great classes.

How about some invigorating standing poses to start us off?

Adho Muhka Virasana (child's pose- I often begin each practice this way, or by simply sitting quietly for a few moments and connecting to the breath)
Uttanasana (1 minute)
Lunges- 5-10 each side, 3-5 breaths each
Adho Muhka Svanasana -downward facing dog pose (1 minute)

1 minute each side:
Uttkatasana
Virabadrasana 1
Virabadrasana 2
Vrksasana
Parsvakonasana
Trikonasana
Garudasana
Anjaneyasana
Anjaneyasana with a thigh stretch (back leg in ardha bhekasana)
Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana prep (pigeon)
Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana with thigh stretch (back leg ardha bhekasana)

1 minute each:
Uttanasana
Adho Muhka Svanasana
Adho Muhka Virasana

Savasana

This practice should take about 30 minutes. I can't wait to hear how it goes!

A Home Practice Initiative

This is my alternate title for the 40 day yoga challenge. I think that it sounds very Driftless region. We are all about initiatives here. For those of you not from the area, the Driftless is the home of our quaint little hamlet of Viroqua. We love it here. And we love it even more when we are doing oodles of great yoga!

So tomorrow is the last day before we begin. It is my plan to put up posts the night before so that those of you who like to wake up early to practice do not have to wait.

I want to mention a few things that you will need for these practices and some other optional items. You need a mat. If you do not already have a yoga mat, they are pretty easy to come by. even if you live here. Most health food stores stock them, and in Viroqua I am pretty sure that you can pick one up at the VMH Wellness Center. (If you are stumped on this, or on any of the other props, let me know and I can help- I have a whole studio disassembled in my living room...) It would be great to have a blanket and a strap and a block. These can also be improvised in a pinch. I am used a shirt for a strap, a towel for a blanket, and a box for a block. But if you are interested in using the real thing (and live in town) again, let me know.

One last thing. A timer. I love to time holds when I practice. It builds strength and it helps me to stay focused. This is the kind that I love. But I have been using a regular 'ol kitchen timer for years. Oh well. It works.

So many people have expressed interest in taking the challenge. I really think that the more people that get involved, the more support that we will all feel and also the more momentum we will build as a community. So please, become a "follower" and put up a picture so that we know who you are and leave a comment after you practice. Let's get connected.

An Introduction

This is so exciting! I have wanted to do a 40 day yoga challenge ever since my friend Darren told me about the one that they did at his studio in Tucson. But then I moved to the country, had babies, and a bunch of other very cool stuff that made going to a studio every day for 40 days nigh impossible. Alas. Actually, I am not exactly sure why it has taken me so long to think about doing it this way instead. I suppose that it is because I enjoy the community aspect of yoga so very much. I was brought up in the Anusara Yoga(TM) method and community is a central aspect of that school. (As a side note, I am very much aligned with Anusara and pretty much everything that I have to offer comes directly from what I have learned from the brilliant teachers in that method, many of whom I will probably mention sooner or later- see Darren above- and to each of whom I am eternally grateful.)

As it is not currently in the stars for most of us to make it in to the studio to practice every day for 40 days, we will make it in when we can, and the rest of the time we will meet here. Every day I will post a sequence, some days they will be just a brief taste and other days a longer dish. Sometimes I will put up some pics of poses and maybe even some video clips, but always a list of poses. A note about the pose list. I try to use the Sanskrit names almost exclusively. I encourage you to learn these names. It will serve you immensely. Whenever you do not know what a pose is you can find it here.

Also, any public classes that you do go to, whether you live in Viroqua or not, count as your practice for that day. You, of course, are more than welcome to do the online sequence as well, but you do not need to.

I encourage everyone to leave a comment for each practice so that we all know who is out there and that we are participating in this as a community, even tho an on-line one. It will help us all to keep going. We are building a habit of health and self care here. By having structured discipline around this intention for a large chunk of time we are bettering the odds that the habit will stick. And whenever we do anything like this in any area of our lives be it diet or parenting or learning a trade, the support of our community is always invaluable. So rock the comments!