Yoga Belly 21 Day Challenge – Day 6

I feel like Jimmy Swaggart in a cheap hotel with a hooker….I have sinned! I skipped another day. I told you I am going to have to deal with myself. Tuesday came and I felt a bit overwhelmed and so I went back to bed after I taught my morning class and had lunch with a friend. My friend was going through a bit of a struggle and I spent my morning giving him a bit of a pep talk. Afterwards I felt a bit wiped and emotionally drained. I couldn’t take it anymore, I went to bed and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. The point of a daily practice is not to push yourself beyond your means. It’s to become comfortable listening to your body and being open to hearing what you need. Some days, you need to rest. Tuesday was that day for me.

I had promised my good friend Tiffany that I would take her class since she was gracious enough to sub for Vanessa Wednesday night in San Jose. This saves me from having to get up at 5:30 in the morning to go to her 6am class. I typically am not a night yoga person, or an early morning yoga person. My sweet spot is between 9 and 2. Generating the energy to practice outside of my sweet spot takes a concerned bit of effort. Needless to say my energy was low but I forced myself to show up and be a man of my word.

Its really amazing to watch the transformation that happens when you decide to go on a teacher journey. Transitioning from student to teacher is not the easiest thing in the world. Discovering your voice and deciding what it is that you would like to share with the world is like opening the deepest recesses of the mind and digging deep to understand and know yourself at a deeper level. I’m excited to see my friend that I love making progress on that journey. Tiffany is one of the kindest, sweetest friends that I have and her light shines brightly among others. Tiffany and I used to sit next to each other (and near each other) for many years when we both worked for Symantec. We’ve dealt with each other on many levels of friendship, peers, mentor, etc, etc… I am honored to be on this next phase of the journey together and see her blossoming and growing as a teacher. It feels good…

Even though my energy was low and all I could think about was a cheeseburger (I know, such a health nut) I managed to pound out another 75 minutes of yoga. The feet prevent me from prolonged balance sequences still but I am slowly starting to build up more tolerance as the month goes on. I’m sleeping deeper and feeling a bit lighter. The practice brings a little something yummier off the mat as well as the strength and endurance on the mat. As the body opens, the mind expands and you start to walk in the comfort of the disciplined mind rather than the chaos of the scattered mind. I already know that I am going to have to go every day for the next two weeks after this weekend since I am taking a day off for Valentine’s Day to spend with my boo thang. SMH…..Sometimes, I’m a mess but that’s okay, it makes me cute and quirky. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the spirit with which I walk through this life. Hang in there Yoga Belly….we are almost to the halfway point in the challenge. You can do it!

All my love,
Aaron