back at 'er like a black adder

15 minutes of the yogatic bedtime yoga. my hips feel kind of awful, but I love that stretch. 
 

Hiatus

I guess I was supposed to be exercising for 20 minutes all week. Not sure that I did that. Today I danced pretty hard for 20 solid minutes which was awesome. Tomorrow extends to 25 minutes which might inspire me to do some tae bo. Might not. I definitely am against beating myself up over what I didn't do this week. I have, for what it's worth, been walking a lot almost every day. I said I wouldn't count walking, but I wish I had allowed it to count for something. Ah, well. 
 

Only women bleed

So I didn't do yoga last night. I'd already settled down and gotten too comfortable and didn't want to risk getting revved up/distracted the night before the market. I made a deal with myself that if I couldn't get to sleep, I'd get up and do yoga, but zzzzz...........

Long day standing at the farmer's market today. My feet felt like cold, heavy plastic bags filled with damp soil. First day of my period. Forgot my tea mug. Shiiiit. 

Anyway, I decided I'd look up some yoga poses for menstrual pain. It's amazing that I knew this kind of thing existed for oh, 13 years or so, and I never bothered to try it. I always felt like during ladytimes I didn't want to do any exercise no matter what. Anyway, after clicking on one really stupid video that was advertisy and required too much equipment and offered no substitutes, I found this gem. It's basically a lady helping another lady into a comfortable laying position where she's instructed to lay there for 15 minutes with a heating pad, all bolstered and bundled up. Bruce was beside me while I watched the video so when it came time to get myself into the "Queen for a Day" pose, he helped me out, jacked me up with pillows and covered me up. I asked for him to light incense for me and he said, "be happy with what you have, honey," and so I was inclined to do so.

So I laid there for close to a half hour, hangin' with the string of LED coloured lights and the sounds and smells of pasta boiling away in the kitchen. 


The best part me doing this "yoga pose" today was that in the past, having my period meant that I missed days during my exercise regime and it became super easy to fall off the wagon and not get back on. Sometimes I wouldn't exercise again until I felt bloated and gross before my next period. Now I have a placeholder yoga exercise so I won't get thrown off course. And it was relaxing and fun and MY MENSTRUAL PAIN IS GONE. Ok, it's about a 1 where it was a 7 or so before. Also radiating down my legs and killing my back. Can only feel it a little in my belly now. Awesome sauce. Thanks, InsideOutYoga. I was ye of little faith at first. 


Now for some more X-Files!

Yawning yoga

For some reason it seems right to do 15 minutes of yoga at night as my daily exercise. It's been an insanely busy week, so dancing mostly during the first week and now doing some winding-down style yoga seems to fit this week. I anticipate amping it up a bit soon when I start walking less too (I've been doing a lot of long trudges  through the snow lately).

Anyway, yes, Esther again tonight until my computer died and I had to finish the rest from memory. 
And yes, I yawned for the first half of the practise. Perhaps I should be going to bed even earlier than I have been, which is still super early for me. 

BUT I DON'T WANT TO!
 

best. sleep. ever.

Yesterday's big ol' ten minutes of exercise was spent performing my new favourite pre-sleep activity (naw, not THAT favourite pre-sleep activity). Indeed it is Yogatic's Yoga: an evening practice, which I've mentioned before but not named. Pretty amazing stuff. The instructor is Esther Ekhart, who is as calming to look at as she is to listen to. She doesn't seem like she necessarily exists in the present day, which is as refreshing as it is untrue. Anyway, I practise this in the dark and it's been really great for me. I've finished the full video and sometimes only some of it (computer crashing, self-imposed exercise time constraint), and every time, including the notorious night before I work at the Farmer's Market, it's lulled me to sleep while watching X-Files episodes before bed (yes, even extra spooky and gory ones).

Esther: calming to look at, even hangin' with a tiger

 

I'm excited that tonight marks the switch to a full fifteen minutes of daily exercise for this week, and I can finish this video every night if I wish. It's an incredibly easy practice. For someone who's never done yoga, this is as low-key as it comes. And it will put you to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, or at least it does me.

2 a.m. bed yoga

Grossly tired, grossly busy day. I did 5 minutes of yoga in bed. Did the other 5 minutes in dancing this morning. Will do today's 10 minutes later.

Yoga for boring people

I'm pretty zonked because we were at the market today. It was incredibly slow. The good news is: I slept straight through the night last night (and most of the way through the X-Files episode). The bad news is, thr 4.5 hours of sleep I got didn't feel like any more than the naps I usually get. 

So it's after midnight and still no exercise. I knew bedtime yoga (in the dark, of course-- I love this) was the only possibility. I tried this video. Normally when I don't resonate with the instructor, I keep searching until I find someone whose style, energy and voice appeals to me. Tonight, like an old wife with no libido, I just wanted it to be over. Got my ten minutes in. Felt about 10% inspired to bother, but I got 'er done.