Five days ago, I had decided to do the 30 day Bikram challenge. After surfing for inspiration from others on how others dealt with finding the time to do so, I have now decided to keep a blog.
Since starting it, I have felt a few differences, but I think I will note down how my poses are the current moment.
Deep Breathing – Pranayama
I need to keep my knees locked out even more and keep my weight evenly between both feet.
Half Moon - Ardha Chandrasina
I am almost at 90 degrees in the sideways pose, and I need to loose the fear and stretch further back. In order to do this, I must lock my knees more.
Hands to Feet - Padahasthasana
The forward bending pose is a challenge for me to work on. I feel suffocated in this pose. My back feels really stiff in this pose and I cannot lock my knees. A lot to do!
Awkward Pose - Utkatasana
I need to push my buttocks out more when doing this pose. This is a challenging one!
Eagle Pose - Garurasana
As I suffer from pronated feet, this is difficult. I have to watch how I distribute the weight in my feet. I can’t tell my left from my right!
This is one of the most difficult poses for me. I can stretch my leg out whilst on one leg, but my muscles burn me so I have to do the pose for no more than 30 seconds. I will make it longer!
Standing Bow Pose - Dandayamana Dhanurasana
I am on my way to do vertical splits now. It is now a case of controlling myself mentally and push myself further.
Balancing Stick - Tuladandasana
This is another one that is more mental than physical for me.
Standing Separate Leg Stretching - Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana
I still cannot grab my ankles in this position. There is a long way to go, but I am happy with the progress.
Triangle Pose - Trikanasana
I need to push my hips out further in this one. I suffer from aching arms in this position and is the main reason why I do fall out of posture and rest.
Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee - Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana
I seem to be resting with this position. I need to push my forehead down and straighten my knee more.
Tree Pose - Tadasana
This pose is difficult for me. It is also a mental exercise. When I do this posture at home in a non heated environment, I can hold my foot against my leg without support. At a Bikram class, this is not the case.
Toe stand - Padangustasana
I hope to get there!
Dead Body Pose - Savasana
I have learnt now to keep my body still. Now the next task is keeping the mind still too!
Wind Removing Pose - Pavanamuktasana
I do not feel that I am really challenging myself with this pose. Something to work on.
Cobra Pose - Bhujangasana
I have curled up from the floor and it is quite high, but again I do not feel that I am challenging myself.
Locust Pose - Salabhasana
I do not feel that I am challenging myself in this pose at the moment.
Full Locust Pose - Poorna Salabhasana
This is challenging! Sometimes I can do both, but sometimes I can’t do any at all! It is more of a mental challenge for me and something to work on.
Bow Pose - Dhanurasana
I need to kick out more to form a circle. I do not feel that I am pushing myself at all. This is one of my strongest poses and I feel quite lazy about this. Not good.
Fixed Firm Pose - Supta Vajrasana
I cannot sit on my buttocks with this pose. This is a definite challenge.
Half Tortoise Pose - Ardha Kurmasana
I cannot sit on my heels, nor can I place my forehead on the floor before my hands. I really need to work on this.
Camel Pose - Ustrasana
I used to hate this. Now I love it, but I know that I must really push myself to the limit with this one.
Rabbit Pose - Sasangasana
Not my favourite pose. I can’t really get a full back stretch with this one. I also feel quite suffocated with this. I do not find this a comfortable pose.
Head to Knee and Stretching Pose - Janushirasana and Paschimotthanasana
This is definitely a challenge for me! It isn’t so much the stretched leg, but the bent leg which needs to be kept on the floor. Painful as it is, it is a pose that I look forward to work on.
Spine Twisting Pose - Ardha Matsyendrasana
I have difficulty in resting my hip on the mat. I need to work on this.
Blowing in Firm Pose - Kapalbhati in Vajrasana
I like this one and feel a really good stomach workout. I do make an effort to make my blowing as powerful as I can get.
Since starting the challenge, I have felt a few differences. I have listed how I feel about my postures at the moment and have found that the real problem with me is boredom. I know that I can do the poses, but I will simply go through the motions. In my fifth class, I even caught myself yawning during the standing postures, which are the most difficult postures for me. I certainly was not tired from lack of sleep or even affected by the heat.
In that class, the fact that I did yawn made me very reflective. Was I pushing myself to the limit? I was most definitely not. That worried me. What was the purpose of my being in the class in the first place? Keeping this in mind, not once did I flake out or drop out of any postures due to fatigue. I was going to complete all of my poses, whether my mental inner self liked it or not.
I had been getting pins and needles in my feet since Awkward pose, which was making my feet feel very heavy. It went away after Camel pose. It had affected my standing head to knee pose and I could only hold my position for only 30 seconds in the first pose. Nevertheless, I stuck it out. It was hard.
I did push in my standing bow pose. I never REALLY kicked before in my final posture. I always hung on in there. I never really pushed and I know that I should be able to do a standing split pose very soon. Now I know that it possible. I think it is now just my mind blocking me. I would have become challenged to push myself in every pose, even though I may have discomfort in other parts of my body.
It is definitely a more mental challenge for me.
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