Daily Practice - January 2025

[Poisonwood]

Started the Sarah Beth 30 day challenge in the morning, then did an hour of power yoga in the evening. Meditation in bed.

Feel much more human, thanks. Did the SB 10 min morning yoga plus 60 min power SHINE practice. Have added that one to my favourites as it was a great all rounder with interesting variations.
Tomorrow is a stay-at-home day as the red weather warning is centred on us… so I’ll probably get plenty of yoga done 👍.

I’ve saved the 30 min Shine for another time @Poisonwood . I don’t yet have the stamina for a 60 min class.
I checked the forecast today for best dog walking time,was later than usual so treated myself to the Root chakra live on SB app. I gain so much from the lives,as no doubt those who go to live classes do,it a whole different level. I realised I rarely fully ground,there’s an element of holding myself away that I hadn’t previously noticed ,probably means something,will investigate

Fond this on good old Google,definitely resonates with how I am. One of the reasons I practice is to hold myself in the present moment & quiet my monkey brain. The fact I physically hold myself away from that is very interesting (to me) & shows where I need to direct the focus to gain more from my practice.

@Yogachick yoga is definitely better, for me at least, if I can fully focus. Sometimes it's not the case, esp when interrupted by DC needing things in the morning. I have realised I usually keep my eyes closed as much as I can and if I don't I am less "present".
Couple more SBs today, 14 and 15 I think so I'm slowly chipping away at them. Not sure I'll complete them by Friday though.

Todays SB for Weight Loss( excellent chatarunga tuition)& yesterdays back & hips one, great supine cow legs in that one. Both excellent practices.

Calm/. 10 min deep stretch for stress & anxiety relief this morning then the live this afternoon. Heart Chakra,yet again hit some spots that needed to shift. There were tears💜

Couple more 10 min SBs for me, one was neck and shoulder relaxation which was amazing. I did not think my neck and upper back were particularly tight but this practice showed me otherwise.

I'm still here, still yoga-ing, still trying to perfect my toe rolls. And trying to stay present and ground. This thread has been very thought provoking, thank you all.

Just calm+ 10 mins of SB from calendar today🌻

Oh the toe rolls! Now I never understood, even after watching the video. Then I was doing some yoga at the weekend where it went from up dog to down dog. I felt so clunky in the feet making that transition, and realised this is where the toe roll comes in. Unfortunately my brain still can't wrap its head around it so cannot send the right messages to my feet 😂 I am not sure I will ever get it.
On the other hand, I managed side plank on my left side, right side still a struggle. Planks definitely getting easier.

Our electricity has been off from Friday morning until 10 minutes ago - nice to catch up with thread and everyone’s yoga. I’ve done 30 minutes of free flow yoga every day but have definitely missed the sequencing of online/in-person teachers. Can’t wait to put some Sarah Beth on today.

I can only do them by going into a proper full updog - the forward movement of the body moving between the arms and the feet roll over the toes as you move forward horizontally, and then from updog its easy to toe roll into downdog.

Trying to explain is as difficult as getting it.
But once you do it it feels so right - and from there its just practice.

Its my day of rest from hotpod yoga today - I really need to do some self practice at home after work.

@Jumbojem well done on the side plank improvement 💪. I did 4 x SB 10 min videos to catch up more, a lovely practice. I enjoyed seeing her able to do shiva squats with hands in prayer position, my balance has improved definitely but I’m a long way from that. Would be nice to work on though. I asked my best friend and she can do it easily but she used to be a ballet dancer so I should have expected she could 😂. Tomorrow I’m doing 60 min powyin, can’t wait.

I have cracked on with SB and have the last 3 to do tomorrow so I can finish it in Jan, which I'm pleased about. I've had the email for the February one which is core focused. This is really what I need to do but it is app only and the link said it was £284. Not sure what the monthly charge is as it only shows in dollars. What do those of you who have the app do? I don't want to end up paying a currency conversion charge on top of subscription, also there's so much yoga on YouTube not sure I "need" a subscription.

I waited until there was a massive money off offer and paid for a year. I’m saving the money for next year in an account. I love the app. There’s so much there, a brilliant community & SB is VERY present. I’ve dabbled with others over the years but this one’s a keeper. I had a look and I didn’t get a currency conversion charge, maybe because I paid through PayPal ? I think you can do a 7 day trial so you could have a look around? The lives are an amazing resource SB does regularly,the ones I’ve done have brought a real shift in not just my practice but how I am dealing with past trauma. There are not just calendars,but programs & collections.There’s all length classes, you can search by time of day/length of time/ yoga style/meditation. There’s yoga tips & pose breakdown. So much. No annoying yak yak rambling, no annoying ads breaking into the zen.

I second everything that @Yogachick says.

Did today’s 10 min SB practice, it was really lovely, would like to do more but I’ve got something up with my back/chest so being careful till I see doctor. Feels like I’ve been kicked in my ribs tbh. DH thinks maybe I need new bras and I do agree, they are definitely not the correct size as I’ve lost weight but I’ve been putting it off as it’s a five hour round trip to get measured. It would be good if it was just the bras.

The app does sound good, I think I will do more of the YouTube SB for now and hold out for an offer perhaps! The reviews mentioned one at the end of the Jan 30 days in a prev year so fingers crossed!

I’ll keep 🤞🏻for you @Jumbojem
Take it gently @Poisonwood . If it helps I know Bravissimo does virtual bra fittings and I believe Freya does as well
https://www.bravissimo.com/how-to-get-a-bra-fitting/
https://www.freyalingerie.com/uk/en/virtual-fitting/
might be easier than a 5 hr round trip
I managed just 10 mins yesterday. I had a small medical thing which has had unpleasant after effects so being super careful right now. I’m hoping to manage 10 mins this morning,maybe todays 30minslater in the day if this eases off

Hope the weekend brings positive changes for you both.
I finished the SB 30 days this morning. Had to do it in the room where OH was WFH and he kept making comments so not the peaceful ending I wanted. I am pleased I managed half wheel twice, but reminds me that as a kid I could pop into a full one (or crab as I called it) in the playground without a moment's thought.
I am going to look on YouTube for another series to follow for Feb as it does make me get on the mat more. It may not be SB though. I feel stronger now so will refrain from shying away from the ones that say "core" or where the thumbnail looks challenging!

Did it! Every practice from January calendar,Adriene for first week but came back to SB and doubled down on days. I’ve never done that before🥳. Don’t know if I’ll be doing Core for a bit,although I desperately need it. The tests I’m having done are on my abdomen so things will be very tender for a while. There ‘ll be something for me though!
Enjoy whatever you choose @Jumbojem ,whatever gets you to the mat x

Well done @Yogachick
I found a SB 21 day series from last year so I've added that to my YouTube playlist. As I don't do yoga everyday the 21 days will hopefully be the perfect amount of days for Feb, allowing for a few days away/looking work days.

@yogachick, ooh I do love Freya bras, thanks. And well done on your practice, I hope you’re feeling a little better now too.

@Jumbojem sounds like you’ve found an ideal series.

I did the celebration SB practice plus the fit test… I actually managed to finish the test for the first time which shows a huge improvement 💪. I read somewhere on SB calendars that the fit test is good to do every couple of days to improve strength so my February plan is to do this on top of the SB core work calendar as it’s only 5 min. January saw me managing daily practice but drop length of time as I’m feeling tired… February I’d like to try and do more as it does make me feel better.

I now have the app! There was an email for 50% off the monthly subscription so since I'd had a glass of wine I joined up straight away. Been in this morning to have a better look at the ins and outs of what I signed up to!
So will probably try and do core calendar as that is key for me. But not sure I'll manage to finish it in Feb though, unless there are a lot of shorter ones I can double up on.

That’s great to hear @Jumbojem ! I hope you feel as good about it as @Poisonwood and I do!
Started with Day 1 of Core calendar,Pelvic Floor & Core,great for me with zero ab strength,straight to favourites as was a bit of a challenge but not terrifying. Followed up with one of the suggested videos 15 min Full Body Flow,another one to favourites for the same reasons. These will probably come in handy to sub in next week when I get to have another medical treat😳

I managed a bind today. In marichyasaba a.
I bound on both sides.

First time in 25 years I've managed any bind.

This is the result of 6 weeks of daily practice.

I was so pleased. It felt fantastic
😀