BBM Connection

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

Well, I was definitely feeling the effects of four consecutive days of abs work. I was certainly a little less vigorous in this workout that I’d normally like to be, mostly due to the fact that my abs were just tired. I think I still did pretty well… mostly because just making the effort is probably almost as effective as being able to go through normally. In some ways, perhaps even more so. Anyway, this is the last workout from home for now. I’ll most likely take tomorrow off from abs work, though I do anticipate getting a workout in. It’s possible I’ll just take the day off, but I really don’t anticipate that. Regardless, I’ll be updating from the road as events warrant.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 2
Author: chaos

Well, the facilities are pretty satisfactory for workouts here. Since I had someone new to yoga doing the workout as well, I decided to go with this since it’s quite easy to follow along. The poses aren’t necessarily the easiest, but it does give a decent overview of a number of poses. And because it’s slow, there’s time to attempt a pose a second or third time if you miss it the first.
Anyway, it was a decent workout. I had a really good crane pose, which was nice. I also managed to get off the ground for a little bit in pendulum pose. I think it’s somewhat hit or miss right now, but it’s definitely progression. I also managed to stay in all the poses for the time on the video, which was good. I was fairly shaky in a number of poses, though, which was kind of weird. Anyway, it was a decent workout overall, and nice to see that the pendulum progress probably wasn’t just a fluke. No further workout tonight, but possibly two tomorrow.

Workout: Power Yoga: Strength
Author: chaos

Well, I was taking another new person through a workout tonight. It went pretty well… I showed him the basics of the workout in advance so it would make a bit more sense. This workout works fairly well for that, since while it is quite fast paced, there’s a lot of repetition and so it doesn’t really take a lot of knowledge in advance to do it.
It went pretty well… crane pose went quite well again, and simple arm balance went pretty well too. I couldn’t lift off in pendulum, though. Not quite sure what to make of that… I seem to be able to hit it every other time or so. Whatever. The floor I’ve been on the last two workouts is pretty firm while not being hardwood. It’s still a little better for practicing than regular carpeting, I think. Perhaps that’s part of why my arm balances have been going well these last few workouts. Anyway, it was a fairly decent workout.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

I did something new today and did a regular workout and an abs workout back to back. I didn’t really plan on that originally, but that’s just the way it worked out. I don’t think my abs workout was really affected at all by that, except perhaps starting out a bit more tired than I would have otherwise. No real insights to offer… still continuing to try and push all the little things to make the workout as effective as possible. I’m going to try and get a workout in tomorrow as well, though I’m not quite sure when that will happen. I may end up taking Sunday off, if I still feel like I’m wearing down a bit.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

For the third day in a row, took another new person through a yoga workout. This is probably the easiest of all, since it’s not intensive in terms of poses, just the effort expended. I think the new people have been somewhat impressed by the workouts. Hard to say for sure.
It was pretty standard for an abs workout… I felt pretty good about it, though, considering the workout of the previous day. I was fairly focused, which was somewhat strange in a way. I don’t know. Anyway, another workout tomorrow.

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

Tossed the disc around for about two hours today. It’s nice to discover that after an half an hour or so, the rust does start to wear off and I can do things again. Followed that up with a flexibility session. It seemed like a good idea to do some good stretching, and hopefully minimize soreness. I don’t think that it will be too bad, really… maybe just a little bit in the shoulders. The workout was decent, although I was definitely noticing that I was tired after all the disc. However, I made it through with pretty good form, so I feel it was pretty effective overall. Now I’m going to get in a shower, a meal, and then probably drive for a couple of hours. Not sure if I’ll do a workout tomorrow or not, but it’s more likely now that I’m most likely driving tonight instead of in the morning. If not tomorrow, almost definitely Monday when I should be back home.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: chaos

I rather drastically underestimated how sore I was going to be from tossing the disc around the other day. It wasn’t a bad soreness at all, really, but it was definitely a soreness. So I did end up taking yesterday off, which was fine since I probably needed a day off anyway. I was somewhat surprised to still be moderately sore today, but it may have been the fact that the futon I was sleeping on, while quite satisfactory for general sleeping, was rather firm. Whatever the reason, the difference from the previous day was considerably less than expected. Although, since two days after doing an activity is often the worst for soreness, perhaps it wasn’t really a bad thing after all.
Because of that continuing soreness, though, I really didn’t feel like pushing through one of the power yoga workouts. I did want to get stretched out and hopefully manage to eliminate a reasonable amount of the soreness for tomorrow. So I went with this session, which worked out pretty well. I really didn’t feel like I was straining at any point, and felt like I was loosening up quite a bit. Shoulderstand felt pretty good… I held it for around an extra minute today, I think. Once the pose is well established, it’s pretty easy to hold for quite a while.
I did discover over the course of my travels that I’ve lost a rather surprising amount of weight over the past month. I’m guessing a combination of travel, erratic sleeping, and renewed commitment to yoga are primarily responsible. Whatever the cause, I need to start making sure I get enough calories in my diet, because I really don’t want to lose any more weight at this point.
Barring a great continuation of soreness into tomorrow, I’ll most likely get in a balanceball workout earlier in the day and then hopefully something else later. I’ll have a better feel for that once I’ve done the first workout, so I’ll probably comment more on the likelihood then.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: mlee

Wow. Finally got a follow-up session in, and much to my surprise I not only didn’t regress but I think I progressed during my hiatus.

I hurt my back a little playing softball on Saturday (not sure if it was a cold throw or cold batting), and my back is feeling the best it’s felt since then after this session! Very cool. It’s still not healed, but hopefully with a little more rest (and more Yoga) it’ll be near 100% for this weekend.

My downward dog felt rather good — I got both feet down and could stretch out my body — and I didn’t wimp out at all… even for the 2 minute hold. Many of the sequences felt natural and comfortable, and I think every one felt considerably improved from my first attempt (now some 5 weeks ago). I even got my head to touch my knees (keeping them locked) by the later Standing Forward Bends.

The two poses that definitely felt incomplete were the Bridge Pose and the Supported Shoulderstand poses — I couldn’t quite get my shoulders/arms flat on the ground for the former, and couldn’t quite get my arms together behind my back (enough to get the belt in proper position) for the latter. I just did the best I could and hopefully it should get better. The latter surprised me a bit (I think I’m flexible enough to do it, or at least used to be) — but I think the injury coupled with not having played volleyball in nearly a year probably contributed greatly.

Anyway, my back feels great, though I can definitely feel some of the tightness returning as I sit here (somewhat hunched) typing this. I think it’s time for a shower and some good old-fashioned rest. I am pleased to be returning to Yoga.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

Strangely, I found that my abs were considerably more tired than I would have expected given the last time I did an abs workout. Perhaps the lack of dietary nutrition in the past week has been affecting my recovery time. Hopefully after going to the grocery store later, I’ll be able to start rectifying that situation.
The workout went reasonably enough, other than the unexpected fatigue. Having watched the workout a few times during the past week, I realized that I was breathing incorrectly in a few places, so I worked on doing that properly. Other than that, things were pretty standard. I did feel a little more solid in my movements overall, despite fatigue. Perhaps just becoming more knowledgeable about the workout has helped with it. Not entirely certain if I’ll get another workout in today, as I have a bunch of stuff I want to get done, including some cleaning of the place. But I do seem to have mostly recovered from the soreness of the previous two days, so there’s a reasonable likelihood that I’ll get one in later tonight sometime.

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

I have to admit that I really didn’t much feel like doing a workout this evening. Don’t really know why, but I was having difficulty mustering up any enthusiasm for the project. However, I did really want to get a workout in, so eventually I managed to get going on this workout.
And, surprisingly, it was quite good. I felt connected to the workout, in the zone, so to speak. Not much in particular that I could point to, just an awareness of breath and movement. I did feel that I was stretching more and better than in the past, though. I also noted that my left knee appears to be healing, again. I’ve had that injury for around six months now, but I think that perhaps I’ll finally get it to heal this time. I’m sure I’ll be cautious with it for a little while after the pain is finally gone, and that will probably still be a while from now, but I can at least imagine that within a few months it will be fully recovered. So that’s a positive bit of news. Otherwise, another workout tomorrow… not yet sure if I’ll try for abs yoga and something else, or perhaps total body. If I actually get up and run errands like I should, the latter is more likely, but we’ll see.

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body
Author: chaos

Today’s workout was a little harder than I might have expected. Again, I had trouble really getting in the mood for the workout, but it didn’t come together quite as well today as it did yesterday. Not that it was bad or anything… overall, it still went pretty well. I felt pretty good, even a little bit stronger than usual for this workout until I got to warrior III. Pretty much flopped that on both sides… not really sure why. Just failed to ever establish the balance. Half moon went pretty well, though, so I was happy about that. I’m doing better with keeping the body open while in the pose as well. Some days I can do that really well, others not very. Today was kind of in between, where I couldn’t fully open, but wasn’t closed, either.
I managed to do all three of the upward bows again today, and they actually didn’t feel like they were killing my legs to do so, either. I placed my hands a little bit further up than I normally do, and that seemed to help. I think I may be too flat now, and not enough of a bow. Obviously something that I’ll have to continue to tweak. My left knee was definitely a little more achy today than was obvious from yesterday, so that kind of sucked. Not real bad, just not as good as I would like. Patience continues to be critical in that respect. Hopefully I’ll get in another two workouts tomorrow, most likely abs yoga and quite possibly Yoga for Strength session 2.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

Abs yoga yet again. I wasn’t too sure how well this session was going to go before the workout, because it felt like my abs were still a little tired from some previous workouts. However, once I got into the workout, I really didn’t notice any problems. I did notice that I’m more able to concentrate on what my body is doing as opposed to having to pay close attention to the workout instructions. Which is good and bad… the bad is mainly that it becomes easier to miss things or do things incorrectly when you don’t pay as much attention to the instructions. It shouldn’t be a problem here, but something to stay aware of, anyway. Feeling fairly good after the workout, though, so I’ll most likely get another workout in tonight.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 2
Author: chaos

Somehow, I managed to cramp my left hip area today while getting out of my car. Not anything terrible, just… a slightly tight and strained feeling in the area. I was hoping that tonight’s yoga session would stretch it out, but I don’t think that happened. The session was okay… it went pretty well except for the warrior III poses. They started okay, but I fell out of both of them. This was because I was trying to make adjustments rather than being because of fatigue, though, so that was good. That’s one of the nicer things about this workout, I can really practice poses without having to deal with fatigue. Crane pose didn’t go quite as well as it has been lately, I had trouble straightening my arms fully. I just wasn’t quite mentally prepared, I suppose. I’ll most likely try and get another two workouts in tomorrow, starting with a balanceball workout.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

I found today that this workout does require a fair amount of attention, if only during the segments when actually balancing upon the ball. I lost focus for a bit, and rolled off the side. No injury, but it was somewhat amusing.
I’ve been somewhat neutral towards workouts this week. I haven’t had any negative feelings towards doing them, like back in September when I stopped working out for a while, just haven’t really been inspired in any way. I suppose there are always times like this, when you don’t feel like getting in your daily routine. Since it’s not a dread, though, I’ve just been trying to work my way through. Not much has really changed, but since I’ve been getting fairly decent workouts in, I can’t complain. Anyway, I’ll probably try and get another workout in later tonight.

Workout: Power Yoga: Strength
Author: chaos

Well, I ended up going with this workout tonight. Not really what I was originally thinking, but sometimes that just happens. A fairly standard session… pendulum didn’t really happen, crane went well, I fell backwards while trying to adjust slightly more in simple arm balance. I do have that one down, for the most part, but if I try to adjust once I’m in the pose, I have problems. I have to concentrate more on maintaining the balance while making the adjustments, I think. Other than that, mostly par for the course. I have noticed that I don’t really have any issues with breathing during these workouts, now. Every once in a while I still get off, I’m sure, but for the most part I’m in tune with whatever workout I’m doing, and breathe accordingly. The only possible exception would be the Yoga for Strength video, since it’s pretty slow and the breath work is sometimes oddly timed. Still, I think I usually handle that at my own pace and it works out. I’m sure that makes the workouts easier and more beneficial, and might even be a sign of progression in the larger scheme of things. Right now I just plan on doing one workout tomorrow, but that could certainly change. It may depend on whether or not I feel up to total body again tomorrow, or if I try and hold off on that.

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility, Power Yoga: Stamina
Author: chaos

I was originally planning on doing this as a stamina + strength session, but since I ended up doing strength yesterday, I made it into a stamina + flexibility session. In ways that works out a little better, because it’s not as tiring. On the other hand, it doesn’t feel like I’ve gotten quite as good of a workout. Interestingly, after the dual session today I really feel as though I possibly could have done all three of them. Whether this is accurate or not, there’s no way of knowing for sure. I suspect that I’m probably overestimating my capabilities in that regard, and that had I done the strength session, I would have been too tired for the flexibility session.
Anyway, it was a reasonable workout. As always, one of the big benefits is that by the beginning of the second workout, the body is already warmed up, which enhances stretching quite a bit. I noticed today that the sessions are somewhat similar, even if flexibility is definitely the more challenging of the two. I also realized that it’s been quite a while since I’ve done the stamina session… while it was familiar, certainly, it wasn’t familiar in the automatic way that it used to be. Nothing much to report, although I have noticed that when doing a seated forward bend, my chest is starting to be able to touch my legs. So that’s a fair deal more flexible than I was starting out, or even at the beginning of this year. I’ll probably try to get another two sessions in tomorrow, quite likely abs yoga and yoga for strength session 1.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

Had a pretty decent workout today. Interestingly, this workout is starting to feel pretty routine most of the time. It’s definitely still working those abs, but the effort necessary feels like it’s greatly decreased. Which is a good sign, definitely.
It has caused me to think about something interesting, though… when do you have enough strength in a given area? At what point is my current abs strength and endurance sufficient, and I should attempt only to maintain what I have, not build further? I think for most people, at least, such a point exists. Not that I really think I’ve hit that point yet, but I can certainly foresee where in a few more months I may have. Is it just personal preference? Maybe the body somehow informs you? I’m not really certain. Anyway, I’m uncertain as of yet, but I may try out the modified version of the pilates abs workout tomorrow. It’ll probably depend on whether I’m inspired to delve into something new at that time, so we’ll see.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: chaos

Another good workout tonight. I like getting this workout in, because it really gives time to consider each pose, make adjustments, and consider it again before moving on to the next pose. While the power yoga workouts certainly have an important place, I feel these Yoga for Strength workouts really allow one to gain a better understanding of the poses through contemplation. Of course, since understanding can come at any time, the power yoga workouts have definitely had their share of times where I gained new insight into a pose. Perhaps I more want to say that I feel these workouts can really deepen the understanding of a pose, more than the workouts where poses aren’t held for very long. Anyway, the only real thing I want to note is that my downward dog seems to becoming more of a relaxed pose… it’s not there yet, but it does seem like it gets easier to hold for extended periods. Today’s big problem was slipping on the mat a little, but other than that, two minutes was fairly easy. For tomorrow, probably another two workouts.

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body
Author: Kristi

Well, I did my Rodney Yee Total Body last Wednesday, and on Thursday I was sort of regretting how hard I pushed myself. I think the full bows at the end stretched the muscles around my ribcage a bit too much. Then when I had to lift trays and trays of fruit at work I was unhappy.

Overall, that workout was good. I made it all the way through, cheating on some poses of course, and only really falling out of the full bows at the end. Everything else I at least managed to keep in some facsimile of the pose, though not really what the poses were supposed to be.

I’ll probably try again tonight …

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Pilates
Author: chaos

Oh, man. I am very distinctly reminded of the first couple of times I did the abs yoga workout. Which is to say, reminded of having my abs pretty thoroughly destroyed. I am (somewhat) pleased to note that I wasn’t overestimating the difficulty that this session would provide. I did the modified version of the workout, and I still wasn’t able to complete the entire thing. I did most of it, but there was a point in the middle somewhere during which some type of leg lifts were being done that I simply couldn’t lift my legs any more at that time. I certainly won’t make any claims to perfection or looking pretty during the rest of the workout, either, but for the most part I managed to struggle through with at least some semblance of performing the correct motions.
Perhaps my most relevant observation during this workout is how difficult it is to get the breathing correct the first time doing a new workout. I think this is somewhat true of any new workout, but particularly true when trying something pretty much completely new. The instructions for breathing weren’t quite as clear in this workout as they are for the yoga and balanceball workouts, although I think much of it is fairly self explanatory. It’s also hard not to tense up things that don’t need tensing, like the neck. Hopefully it’ll get easier after going through it another time or two.
So this did turn out to be a pretty impressive abs workout. Don’t know for sure how often I’ll hit it, since it requires the whole setup process that is annoying so that I can actually watch the workout. The advantage to doing it more often is that I’ll probably learn at least the theoretical motions fairly quickly, and then won’t have to set it up. But then again, since pilates motions are so unfamiliar, it might take somewhat longer. At any rate, sooner or later I’ll be coming back to this workout for a much greater abdominal challenge than I’ve been used to lately.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 2
Author: chaos

This was somewhat of a strange workout. One of the worst I’ve had in quite a while, actually, at least in terms of completing poses. It started off okay… my side arm balances felt a little strange, but I held them fine. I even felt like I made a little bit of progress with half moon pose, holding it on both sides and opening up into it. After that, though… completely unexpectedly, I wasn’t able to hold tree pose on either side. I certainly don’t lay claim to doing a perfect tree pose or anything, but even when I started doing yoga I usually had no trouble getting into it and holding it. So it was really odd for me to not be able to. I had slightly better luck with warrior III than I did last time, although I still felt out on both sides before the time on the video. Although I was working on improving the pose, so that was possibly part of it. In addition to those things, I fell out of position a few times when transitioning from something like triangle back into an upright position. Quite odd, overall.
Even the arm balance section was a bit strange. During the two boat poses, I definitely noticed the effects of the abs workout from earlier. It’s possible that was part of my balance problem earlier in the workout, not sure. I did use the blocks today, and was almost able to hold pendulum pose for the entire time on the video, at least the first time. Didn’t do nearly as well on the second, but I expected that. Even crane was a bit off, but that worked out kind of well because I managed to reposition my legs and lift fully into it without coming back onto my feet. So that was kind of cool. Tomorrow… well, I’m not really sure. I was thinking about doing total body, and I may still decide to do that, but it’s possible I’ll take the day off, as well. I’ll definitely be playing that one by ear. So until next time…

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body
Author: chaos

I really don’t know what to say in this entry. I feel as though I was struck by some sort of inspiration with this workout. All of a sudden, I just stopped fighting myself. Downward dog pose was basically effortless. Warrior poses didn’t drain my legs. Stretches stretched. I don’t think I managed to quite get the upward bows right, but even that seemed like less effort. Everything just flowed, like I imagine it has always been supposed to.
It’s going to take a little while to digest this. It’s somewhat funny that this finally comes after I’ve gotten pretty good at most of the poses while fighting myself. Not that I’m complaining… better late than never, as they say. I might edit this entry later after I’ve had a bit more time to contemplate today’s session, but suffice it to say that it was rather inspiring.

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body
Author: Kristi

After last week’s session, I was rather sore for a few days following. Last night I did my little session and I felt fine today. Except one thing.

You see, have you heard that yoga is very energizing? Well, perhaps doing my yoga from 8:30-9:30 at night the day before I have to work from 7:30 am to 10 pm is not the best idea I have ever had. I could not sleep I tell you!

Other than that, the workout went pretty well. I did a lot better with the upward bow, actually going into it all three times for most of the time and going on to the toes and back down and what not. It still hurts my wrists a bit; I don’t know what that’s about. The half moon poses, I was a bit off center, and I had to grab the tv more than once for support. I’m not sure if it was because my right knee has been being funky or if it was because I had some wine with dinner or if it was just because. We’ll see how it goes next time.

Another thing I noticed was that a few times when I was in weird positions (or more frequently, coming out of a pose), I would get horrible muscle cramps. This seems bad. I hope that with practice comes smoothness and less cramping.

I guess that’s it.

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

Well, this was my first workout after the revelations of last night. To be perfectly honest, I’m still somewhat dazed about the whole thing. Sudden epiphany! But then, to come back into the regular world of workouts. Certainly, I managed to translate some of it. But it still feels more artificial, a mimicry of the just _doing_ that I had last night. I don’t know. It’s still too soon to say what will come of it. The difference is that now, my understanding is no longer purely an idea, but also the memory of an experience. My problem, I think, is that it’s very unnatural for me to just “let go” and experience things, and I believe that this is very related to that idea. But now I know that there’s a key out there, and it won’t be found by pushing and looking for it, but by relaxing and letting it come to me, letting myself experience it. I’m not sure all this makes a lot of sense… I’m not sure it necessarily makes sense to me. But then again, I’m not sure it needs to, either. Whatever. I’m still thinking about the workout from last night, and will probably continue to post entries like this periodically as I attempt to work out what happened, exactly, and what it might mean. Other than that, business as usual… probably an abs workout later tonight.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

This workout turned out better than I expected. I was fearing that I was still going to be pretty sore from the pilates abs workout the other day, but that didn’t really seem to be the case. I could definitely still feel the effects of the workout a bit, but not anything to keep me from doing a workout tonight.
I don’t know that my new revelations had any real effect on this workout. Perhaps most of all the workouts, I wouldn’t really expect this one to change at all. All the ideas for being at ease during the poses were already there, and I’ve been already acting on them for a few months. It’s slightly different, I think, but not in a way I can describe right now. The relaxation of this workout isn’t as full, but I don’t really see a way to bring the other relaxation in, at least not yet. Part of the problem might be that I’m trying to understand all this in a very intellectual way, which isn’t necessarily going to get me anywhere.
Anyway, I checked out a pilates DVD from the library yesterday. I might try to watch it and try it out tomorrow. I’m hoping that if I practice that once or twice, it might help me with my pilates abs workout, make the motions a little more familiar. So I’ll probably try and do that tomorrow, and possibly one of the Yoga for Strength workouts as well.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

The thing that I really like about this workout, and all of the abs workouts probably, is that it’s almost always possible to make them a little better. Whether it’s through correcting posture slightly, or making slightly larger motions, there is almost always a way to make the workout just a little bit more challenging. Admittedly, after a certain point the improvements probably become pretty much trivial, and you really need to do a more difficult workout for continued improvement.
Today’s workout was decent. I made a few subtle adjustments which improved the use of my abs. Particularly the lower abs, I think. I was considering doing pilates again, but I want to try this video from the library first. So I should probably watch it at least once, so that I can actually do it in the next day or two. I’m thinking about a YfS workout tonight, quite possibly session 1.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: chaos

Another session 1 workout. I was somewhat eager to get back to this workout after the total body session of a few days ago, because I felt that it would give me a better idea of how much I had managed to absorb than any other session would. With this workout, I really have the time to relax into the poses before moving on to the next, so the question was, would I be able to? And the answer was… somewhat. To be sure, it wasn’t the easy movement through poses that I experienced the other day. Instead, it was a situation of trying to relax the body, and getting a similar physical reaction, but not quite the same thing. Obviously, the other way is preferable. But perhaps this way will help me learn more instinctively how to get back to that. I’m sure that what I experienced is the next step in the whole process. So I now have something beyond just the physical to aim for, which is a good thing… I was beginning to become concerned about my lack of mental progress in the last couple of months.
For the specifics… 2 minute downward dog went pretty well. I wasn’t getting the perfect relaxation of a few days ago, during which it felt like I could have just stayed in the pose forever. However, I was getting something similar, so while I did jump out after the two minutes, it wasn’t really necessary for me to. I’ll probably start extending that out to work on my strength. Shoulderstand also went pretty well… again, not perfect relaxation, but an improvement. I did hold that for an extra minute or two today. I probably would have held it longer, but my hands were slipping. At any rate, I’m just continuing to move forward for now. I’m planning on doing a stamina + strength workout tomorrow in the evening… I might try out the beginning pilates disc in the morning, not sure yet.

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body
Author: Kristi

Today and last session, I have been noticing that my flexibility is definitely increasing. I can reach much further in any of the bends each day. Also, in downward dog I am getting closer and closer to being able to put my feet down.

Also, each day, the whole thing gets easier in some ways and in some ways harder. It is easier in that the movements flow from one to another much more, but harder I think because I am actually going into the poses correctly. By going into the poses correctly I am really working the muscles.

Today the upward bows were much more possible, and I actually stayed in them all three times. I also didn’t lose my balance on the half moon pose. Woot!

All around, a good workout, and no muscle cramps …

Workout: Power Yoga: Stamina, Power Yoga: Strength
Author: chaos

Did another combined session of stamina + strength today. This is the first time I can say that had I wanted to, I definitely could have done flexibility as well. While I wasn’t quite at the same level as when I did total body the other night, I was closer than I have been the last couple of days. It’s like… well, I still don’t really know how to describe it. But partly, my limbs just feel light, like they’re just doing what they’re supposed to be doing, but it doesn’t take any effort, because that’s what they’re supposed to do. Kind of odd.
Anyway… I don’t know. Crane pose went well, again. I was worried that I was going to slip, but I didn’t have any problems. I didn’t get simple arm balance quite right, though. I really need to just practice that once or twice when I’m not doing this workout, so I can get it down a little more firmly. Pendulum was nothing special, just got off the ground for a tiny bit of time. While I certainly wasn’t anywhere near completely tired out, I also wasn’t at full strength by that time. Maybe the power yoga is better for this new thought process, at least right now, _because_ it doesn’t give me as much time to think about it, so I just do it. Not sure. I do know that a lot of poses are so much easier, now that I’m not straining to do them. Whatever. Maybe sometime in the future I’ll be able to articulate this a little better. For now, business as usual. Most likely two workouts tomorrow, unless something comes up.

Workout: Pilates for Beginners
Author: chaos

Decided to give the Pilates for Beginners workout a run today. Overall, it’s fairly easy… definitely nothing outside of my capabilities. On the other hand, it is unfamiliar, and the breathing pattern is sometimes hard to follow. Somewhat surprisingly, even the beginning level workout provides some moderate ab work. Then again, considering that one of the core ideas of pilates seems to be to improve that area of the body, the powerhouse, perhaps it’s not all that surprising. Not having much to base my perceptions off of, I don’t really have a lot to say about the workout itself. I’ll probably try to give it another run before returning it to the library. I might also try to pick up a different pilates disc, to get an idea of what the differences are between various workouts. Whether or not I’ll eventually incorporate more pilates into my routine on a regular basis remains to be seen.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

I wasn’t certain whether to go with an abs workout or a regular workout this evening. Ended up just deciding to do a bit of abs work. No particular reason, just happened to go that way. Pretty standard… I did start integrating some of the other ideas I’ve been working on into the workout. At least a few of them work well… at the beginning in particular, it’s fairly easy just to let the body lightly move into position. I don’t know whether it’s actually harder as the workout progresses, or if I’m just not good at it yet. I do know that I didn’t manage to get these ideas into the pilates workout earlier, although they should certainly be applicable. If I try it another time before returning it, I’ll have to make an attempt to do that. Probably another pair of workouts tomorrow, although I might take a day off here sometime soon. Might depend on if I’m still feeling a little sore tomorrow.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

Had some problem motivating to get a workout in earlier today. Finally managed to work up the motivation. It was a decent workout… I feel that, having viewed some pilates material now, I have a better understanding of some of the breathing patterns used in this workout. So I was trying to incorporate some of that into the workout today. That was fairly successful, I think, although I’m not certain it had any particular impact on the workout. Maybe a little bit of one… consciously drawing the abdomen up and in does change the effect, slightly, but whether it’s beneficial or not is more difficult for me to say. I presume it is, since that’s what the instructors recommend. *shrug* That’s good enough for me, for now, at least. Anyway, it was a fairly decent workout. I’ll probably try and get another one in a few hours from now, possibly flexibility.

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

Another decent workout. After getting the first one in today, I was much more ready for another than I would have suspected. I did like this as a choice, because my hamstrings have felt a bit tight the last couple of days. Of course, sometimes I overdo the stretching aspects, and then it doesn’t work out quite as well. But I think that I did pretty well with that today. Additionally, I noticed that in a few of the earlier extensions that I was holding muscles tight, so I worked on relaxing them while continuing to extend. Which resulted in a much better stretch than I had previously been getting. Overall, I think it was another fairly successful application of some of my new ideas. Right now I think my challenge is just to apply them consistently, and keep my mental focus on that. It makes me more aware of my body, and puts me more into the workout, as well as actually loosening my muscles. Anyway, I’ll most likely try to get in another beginning pilates workout tomorrow, and quite possibly total body in the evening.

Workout: Pilates for Beginners
Author: chaos

Tried out the pilates DVD another time before returning it. It definitely went more smoothly this time… familiarity with the motions is a definite plus. It really does make a rather large difference… it’s quite hard to do the exercises properly when you don’t really know what you’re trying to do. Not surprising, I suppose.
I did try to focus more on my “powerhouse” during this workout, since I had some idea of what I was doing. I guess it worked… my abs area definitely feels like it got a workout. My breathing was definitely better as well, although I still got lost for a little bit at one point. I wasn’t relaxing as much as I would have liked, though… pilates doesn’t seem to be as much about that as yoga is, from what I’ve seen. It does seem to be very much about building a strong abdominal area, though. Which has its points. Anyway… in theory, this is a one workout day, but I may try and get in my total body workout, anyway. If not, perhaps I’ll take it easy with one of the yoga for strength sessions.

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body
Author: chaos

This is my first return to this workout after the epiphany on last time. It went pretty well, if not quite as well… my ability to understand and integrate those ideas seems to be progressing fairly nicely. It’s still not as good as the intuitive understanding that I had, but it’s definitely progression from where I was just prior to that. I do think that this is the first time that I’ve ever fully completed this workout… every warrior III, every upward bow, even all the stretches. About the only thing I didn’t do was sit in half lotus, and that’s a limitation that’s hopefully being worked on. Well, I’m sure it is… it’s just a matter of how long it will be until it’s no longer a limitation. I’m not sure, but I do think it’ll still be quite a while. On a related note, my left knee was strangely flexible today. I was able to do more in terms of one-legged forward bend and such than I’ve been able to do for quite a long time. Unfortunately, I won’t really be able to tell until tomorrow if it’s a real improvement, or just a temporary alleviation of pain. Obviously, I’m still going to be cautious with it for a while regardless, but I continue to be hopeful of its recovery, and my eventual ability to start really working on increasing hip flexibility. With regards to that, I think that perhaps pilates will be quite beneficial in that aspect of my training. I don’t know that I’ll want to continue with it after practicing for a while, but I do think I’m going to try it out for a while and see if it helps promote hip flexibility. Not entirely sure what I’m going to do tomorrow, probably abs and something.

Workout: Power Yoga: Strength
Author: chaos

Well, this certainly wasn’t one of my better workouts in the last week. I had a very difficult time connecting to my body during much of the workout… it wasn’t until near the end that I finally started to actually feel the flow of the workout. No idea what the difference might have been… perhaps I was trying too hard. That wouldn’t be particularly unusual, by any means. However, the fact that I did start to get into the flow near the end was rather encouraging. Although it would be more encouraging if I knew what I did, or didn’t do. The physical aspects of the workout went pretty well, though. I feel that I’m doing much better with the raised cross-legged lunge, especially with the left leg. I didn’t really put a lot of effort into trying pendulum today… that was near the end of the disconnected phase. Had a pretty decent crane pose, and a really good simple arm balance. Putting my legs out fairly wide and also having my arms be wide in the stance really helps, I think. I should watch the video again to see if I can get a better sense of how he does it, just to make sure that I’m not vastly modifying the pose. So, overall, a decent physical workout, but somewhat unsatisfying.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

Did another back to back workout tonight, with a short break in between. Strangely enough, it was the same combination as the last time I did back to back workouts that weren’t both part of the #power_yoga_the_complete_workout">PY:Complete disc. That was purely coincidence… I didn’t even realize it until starting to write this. At any rate, the abs workout was actually somewhat tough. I’m not certain if I hadn’t fully finished digesting (which seems unlikely), or if all of the abs work in the past week is just finally starting to add up. I consider the latter considerably more likely, overall. I think I’ll probably try and get another abs workout in tomorrow, and then take a few days off from the ab work, give myself a bit of a chance to rest up. I’ll be traveling again this weekend, and will probably drop down to a single workout per day for that time. Anyway, I was still able to complete the workout with good form, despite the surprising soreness. On a different but also good note, I didn’t notice any pain in my left knee today, which suggests that yesterday’s activity did not strain it, at least not overly so. This provides continued hope that it’s recovering from whatever initially damaged it, and I’ll be able to be more vigorous in some of my stretches in the relatively near future.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

Went for the predicted abs workout today. I’ve noticed that it’s really not the full range of muscles that are sore… it’s actually fairly concentrated in the lower abdominal area. I’m not sure if that’s because that area is worked more thoroughly in these workouts, or if it could be because it’s a weaker area, and thus it becomes obvious when workouts keep hitting it that it needs building. Whatever the case, it’s certainly feeling the fatigue from the past week. However, that should be okay… I plan on taking the next three or four days off from ab work, hopefully, so that should give them plenty of time to recover. I do hope to still get in a workout every day, but we’ll see. Actually, I might try taking a day off in the middle, just for general resting purposes. I’ve gotten to a point where I can go far longer, do more intense workouts, and more frequent workouts without a break, but I’m not sure I’m quite to the point of not needing breaks. I suppose it depends on how I go about it, though… if I don’t do abs on some days, and don’t do other workouts on other days, I may not need to have full days off. I don’t know. I’ll probably just continue to play it by ear… I’m sure I’m overanalyzing it at this point. Anyway, I’ll probably try to get in a workout tonight, and possibly a long one early tomorrow before traveling for the weekend.

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

It was somewhat of a blah workout tonight. Not really with the workout, not really out of it, either. Some aspects felt like they were connecting, but nothing worked as a continuous flow. My body felt neither good nor bad. So perhaps blah isn’t the right descriptor… just average. Or, average in the sense that it wasn’t near any extreme. Which probably describes the overall experience the best.
I certainly don’t think that I’ve burned out on yoga mentally, but I do think that I’ve extended pretty close to my physical limit at this time. I don’t have specific plans to take a day off right now, but I do only plan on doing a single workout for the next four days. After that… we’ll see. It probably really depends on how I feel after that time, where I go from there. The last week has been somewhat crazy, since I’ve done a double workout every day during that time. So while I’m not sore or hurting, I think my body is starting to get a bit weary, suggesting that I’ve pushed just a bit too much. I still have a problem with willing myself into doing things that I probably shouldn’t, although now it shows more in doing more workouts than I should, rather than trying to torque into poses that I really can’t do. A different, and perhaps better level, but still not ideal. Anyway, I’m going to try and get a workout in early tomorrow, quite likely Yoga for Strength session 1, and then kick back and relax for the rest of the day, workout wise.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: chaos

Managed to get up and get the workout in today, although I’m not entirely sure it was worth it. Went fairly poorly, at least relative to the rest of the workouts of the last week or so. I was hoping that since I was just waking up, my mind would be somewhat less engaged, but that didn’t seem to be the case. At any rate, I just kind of worked through the workout without much in the way of inspiration. About the only real positive is that I did manage to stretch out not only my legs in particular, but my whole body in general. I also held shoulderstand for an extra minute or two, so that was probably good as well. Anyway, traveling for the weekend after this. I’ll probably get a workout in tomorrow afternoon, but possibly early in the evening tomorrow, depending on what happens.

Workout: Power Yoga: Strength
Author: chaos

Had an interesting workout today, outside and with no cues. However, I’m so familiar with this workout that I can pretty much cue myself without difficulties. It might not be quite perfect, but it’s pretty good. Outside was kind of nice, although perhaps having a slightly more level surface would have been more ideal. The mat did get more even over the course of the workout, though, due to the flattening of the grass. Anyway, I’m going to keep this one short, since I’m supposed to be dressing or something. I might have more to say about it tomorrow. Until then…

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

Did another outdoor workout today. Again, don’t really have the time to go into details. The most interesting thing I noted that was once I got into the workout, I really did maintain focus on the workout, perhaps because I was doing the entire thing from memory. But despite a conversation going on nearby and a lawnmower starting up during the workout, I really stayed with the workout mentally. I’m sure there’s something to be explored there, but I’m not sure what yet. Anyway, I’ll probably try to expand upon these last workouts a little more tomorrow, when I’ll once again be working from home.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 2
Author: chaos

Returned home today with this session. I modified it a little bit from the normal today, and did the middle part with all the standing balances as a vinyasa flow. I liked that, although my timing was a bit off from not having done such a thing before. But I think perhaps it makes the movements a little less jarring, and I’m fairly certain I shake the floor less this way.
The workout itself was okay. Did pretty well with most of the poses, with the notable exception of warrior III. That wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t too great, either. Pendulum was so-so, I lifted into it but couldn’t hold it. I definitely need to study the videos, because all the evidence (it being on beginner videos, and before crane pose) suggests that I should be able to do it. There must be something subtle that I’m completely missing.
While I was at a party this weekend, another practictioner also recommended what I’ve been thinking I should do for a while, go to classes at least a few times so that I can get an instructor to correct my poses. So that’s something I should really get around to doing one of these days, before I start getting into the more advanced poses, although I’m not quite sure when that’s going to be. Anyway, will probably return to normal schedule tomorrow with an abs workout and a normal workout.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

Returned from my abs hiatus with a balanceball workout. The workout went pretty well, although my abs didn’t seem to be quite as fresh as I would have liked. I was hoping with that much rest, they’d be fully recovered, and that really didn’t feel like it was the case. However, I was also hungry, so maybe I just was mistaking hunger pangs for ab fatigue. I’ll work that out later.
I did get some good work in on my breathing, though. From what I can tell, balanceball and pilates breathing is different from yoga in that you exhale through the mouth instead of the nose. At least, that seems to be a trend… I’ll have to watch a few more videos to get the full sense of it. So I worked on doing that today, and it did seem to be a little better for the workout. I also worked on breathing just into the ribcage as opposed to the abdomen, and that helped a little as well. It’s all a little unfamiliar, so I’ll have to keep practicing with it until I find a good rhythm. Anyway, I’ll probably get a workout in tonight, maybe something from the PY:Complete video.

Workout: Power Yoga: Strength
Author: chaos

I felt a little bit better during this session. Or at least, I felt a little bit better by the end of the session. I wasn’t very happy with the beginning of the session… more pushing to try and do things right, less feeling right about it. I think things usually get better after I attempt pendulum pose… not really because I do very well with it, but perhaps because I exert enough effort that it tires me out a little, and I’m more willing to have my muscles be in a relaxed state. I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.
In retrospect, I hit the session that I did outside almost perfectly. I missed a few of the times he goes into standing backbend, but other than that, pretty much perfect. I’m sure the timing for things was a little bit different, but that would be a hard thing to avoid, I think. I’m not entirely sure how that session felt in terms of relaxing the muscles… there was so much that was new going on, I don’t think I really paid attention one way or the other. Which in theory should be good, but in practice is somewhat less likely to be. Oh well. I could see doing workouts outside being very inspiring, especially if there were a flat (or relatively flat) surface to work on. Something that I’ll definitely look for more opportunities to incorporate into the overall workout structure.
I’ll probably go with another two workouts tomorrow. Hopefully this workout has revitalized me a bit, and I’ll start getting back into the groove. Most likely I’ll do an abs yoga workout at some point, and I’ll probably do a YfS:s1 workout for my other option, or possibly PY:Flexibility.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

Another abs workout today. This one seemed like it went better than the last, or at least it seemed like I wasn’t feeling any residual effects of soreness. So perhaps yesterday I was just feeling the effects of hunger. At any rate, the workout was pretty solid. During some parts, it definitely feels like things are easier now than they were before. In other parts, it doesn’t really seem like much has changed. I suppose that’s an overall improvement. However, I’m probably going to start mixing the pilates abs workout in more often, and that should definitely cause my abs to start building pretty quickly. Either that, or it’ll leave me too sore to move.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: chaos

Hmmm. This wasn’t a bad workout, certainly. And yet, it wasn’t really an inspired workout, either. I’m somewhat resigned to just going through the motions for now… whatever insight I gained two weeks ago has been lost for the moment. Just the memory of its existence remains, the knowledge that there is a higher level to aspire to. Which isn’t a bad thing, certainly, but it’d be nice to have an idea on how to get there. For now, all I can really do is try and take things as they come, and perhaps get back that way.
The physical aspects of this workout went pretty well, I suppose. Two minute downward dog was somewhat tiring, but I felt like I was extending the spine more than I usually manage. I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow if this was a good thing or not, since it involved streteching my legs down even more than usual. Bridge pose went quite well, except for what felt like a small cramp in the right middle of my back during the first one. Nothing serious, just something I noted. Shoulderstand felt pretty good to start off with, but then as I held it for a while, I started to feel a bit of pain in what seemed to be the same area, so I came out of it before I really wanted to. Oh well. Leg stretches also went decently, I definitely think I’ve become much better about not tensing up and trying to stretch for those.
Because I happened to be thinking about it, I decided to practice my pendulum pose a little bit. After reviewing the DVD and trying to do the pose a couple of times, I have once more decided that the pose is primarily using muscle rather than balance. The only question is why it was included in a beginner workout. However, I don’t feel as bad now about not being able to do it, as it seems like I need both more balance and more strength (but particularly strength) in order to pull it off successfully. Anyway, I might go ahead and try another pair of workouts tomorrow to finish off the month, tentatively abs pilates and PY:Flexibility.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Pilates
Author: chaos

Busted out on the abs pilates workout for the second time today. It definitely went better today. Probably a combination of factors… more familiarity with the motions, slightly increased abdominal strength, and simply having done the workout before probably all helped. This improvement allowed me to actually finish the entire workout (the modified one, of course). I did have to relax slightly such that I wasn’t in the full pose at one point (the same point I had to take a break last time, I believe). And I certainly make no claims as to it looking pretty, or being perfect form during most of the workout. But, I think it was a reasonable fascimile thereof, and it certainly provided my abs with a good workout. I’m hoping to continue integrating this workout into the routine more often, and thereby making some relatively rapid improvements in my abdomen. More details as events warrant, of course. That said, I’ll probably try to get in a slightly lighter workout tonight, possibly PY:Flexibility of YfS:s2.

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

Finished off a pretty good month with this flexibility workout. I was a bit concerned earlier that I was going to be straining myself, primarily because my shoulders felt a little bit sore from the extra pendulum pose practice I did yesterday. However, it ended up not being an issue at all… in fact, I barely even noticed. I feel like I was at least somewhat in the zone tonight, so to speak. I think that I do better in low light situations… tonight’s workout was done by candlelight. Perhaps it helps me to focus inward better, I’m not really sure. But I definitely felt more in touch with my body than I have the last few workouts. It seemed like I was getting better position for triangle pose, and like I wasn’t straining (or at least, not nearly as much) during the forward bends. I don’t know that this means anything in particular, but it felt good.
I’ve been posting an entry per workout up until now, for the most part, because it’s the easiest way for me to keep track of what workouts I’ve done, and how many. But I think in the future I’ll probably start consolidating more, particularly when I do workouts back to back. I’ll probably only write two separate entries in those cases when something particularly interesting happened during both. Anyway, I’m feeling fairly good about my practice right now, and hope to continue that into the second half of the year.