30-Day Challenge - Day 1

I was hoping to begin my 30-day challenge with a hot and sweaty hour of Moksha Yoga. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the studio, class was already full! Pretty disappointed, I headed over to my studio, Soul Strength Yoga & Fitness, to get my practice in. Knowing that I only had just over an hour to practice alone, I was a little uptight when I started off in child's pose...

...a few breaths and 5 sun salutations later, my monkey-mind calmed down and my heart opened up as I flowed to the sounds of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, the Pacific Ocean and Lila - it felt really good to know that I was getting my own practice in! Although I was focused on my breath and was being aware about the movements of my body, my focus was not totally on my asana practice. My monkey-mind would sneak in periodically and start thoughts racing about everything from "hmmm...i wonder if my students will be able to get into this posture" to "do i look dumb in this posture" to "what am I going to do about my day job" to "i want to be on a beach".

One of my hopes throughout this 30-day challenge journey, is that I learn to quiet my mind during my personal practice and not get so caught up in practicing for a class I am going to teach later or tomorrow. With the combination of home practices and class practices, I hope to find some stillness of mind as I move through the asanas without thought and without self-judgement.

As the standing series moved to the floor series of my practice, I felt good knowing that I made the time to practice today. I also felt good knowing that I made the commitment to begin my 30-day challenge today and followed through with it. Technically, this is my second attempt at the 30-day challenge and this time I am going to stay committed and stick with it. I am not going to let my day-job get in the way of completing this task.

I am looking forward to the next 29 days, one day at a time, one moment at a time, one breath at a time.

Namaste.