If you have been following my blog, you will be excited to see this is my first week actually practicing yoga!
After finding myself stressed out and overwhelmed from other course work, I decided I needed a break. What a better time than to try out my yoga learning project?!
I wanted to start off with a beginner video to ease myself into this project. I also wanted to focus on my lower back and hip pain because it has been nagging at me even more than usual lately. With a quick youtube search, I found an isolated hip and lower back release yoga sequence with Adriene. Using youtube was so easy to follow along with the instructor, I will definitely be using it again!
What I admired most about this instructor was the point she made to remind her viewers not to worry about what the flow looks like, but focus on how it makes you feel. I appreciated this a lot because I felt quite silly and was worrying I wasn’t doing it properly. She helped remind me to focus on myself and get in touch with my body rather than my fear of being a beginner.
My favourite pose that I learned with Adriene is called the ‘happy baby’. While doing this pose I felt my lower back and hips open up and I felt immediate release. Hallelujah! I’ll be doing this one again!
The yoga journal website (where I got the image) also provides step-by-step instructions to preform the pose, along with beginners tips if you are struggling to hold your feet, which is good to know!
Houston, we have a problem
I did encounter a minor problem with my first attempt with yoga at home. My dog is SO needy. As soon as he realized I was on the floor, Oscar figured it was the perfect time to snuggle up with mom. Even though I love snuggling him, I found him to be extremely distracting and he took away from my focus on the breathing techniques and made doing the poses much harder.
Next week:
- make sure Oscar is somewhere he can’t bother me
- find other resources: maybe a yoga app that can track my progress
- try yoga focussing on flexibility
- I will provide pictures of how bad my flexibility is right now and hopefully I will have some improvement photos along the way!
BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO BE BAD AT SOMETHING NEW
jon acuff
10 Comments
Shana Blenkin
Hey Alex,
I also enjoy the “happy baby pose” we did yoga as a group at work for a PD day… and let’s just say we were all in “happy baby” pose when our super intendant walked in the gym… haha! Oscar, just wants to do yoga with his mom. I also have a very needy dog so I feel you! Can’t wait to here how your journey continues and your yoga experience grows!
Shana
Alexandra Crammond
I am so glad I was introduced to the happy baby pose, it feels wonderful! But that’s hilarious, I wouldn’t want anyone walking in on me while in that position, that’s for sure haha. Thanks for checking my blog out Shana!
Ian Mansfield
Hi Alexandra,
Awesome post! I am doing yoga as well and am very inexperienced, but it’s been fun so far. I also found Adriene’s videos to be the best, she is super knowledgeable but still makes everything really easy to understand. As for dog distraction, I am dealing with that to. My boy is just super confused by the whole thing ?
Alexandra Crammond
Hi Ian,
Thank you so much for checking out my blog! I agree, Adriene took the anxiety out of trying something new while making it easy and fun. I will probably use her videos again in the future!
Mitchell Smith
Hi Alexandra,
I really like the layout of your blog it is very welcoming. I love that we have a few of us doing Yoga as a focus for our learning project. I will be rooting for you as well during your journey. If you need any resources or suggestions during your process do not hesitate to ask us yogis gotta stick together. As for the research and content you presented I found it very engaging and useful. Keep up the good work!
Alexandra Crammond
Hi Mitchell,
Thank you so much for the compliments on my blog, it took me a while to get things figured out! I agree, we do need to stick together! It will be nice to have other yogis to bounce ideas off of and share resources. Maybe we could all do a yoga sequence together once we get the hang of it!
Laura Fiddler
Hey Alexandra!
The first thing I noticed was the fact that you were using a Yoga With Adrienne video! I love her. You will also notice as you watch more of her videos that her dog is also needy and makes frequent appearances in her videos. I was really into yoga during my internship because it brought me calm and forced me to stretch out during stressful times! Some other sources you might want to check out are Sarah Beth Yoga on YouTube, The All yoga app, and the Glo app. I used these a lot and think you might enjoy them.
Alexandra Crammond
Hi Laura,
I agree, it has already brought me calmness and an activity to turn to when I am feeling overwhelmed and in need of a break. With all the benefits yoga can provide, I hope you keep up with your yoga practices! But Laura, I have to say, you are the best! Thank you so much for sharing your resources I will definitely be checking those out!
Cyandra Cornish
Hi Alexandra!
Oh My Goodness. That is such a funny problem to have run into!
I love how much fun you are having with this project! I actually use the Nike Train app for a lot of my training (now that we are at home) and it has a lot of yoga classes on it! Oh and did I mention that the app is free (bonus!!!) Anyway, it is a great resource and I thought I should share!
Alexandra Crammond
Hey Cyandra!
Thanks for checking out my blog! Right, I hoped others would find it funny too! I’m glad Oscar was by my side through the fear of starting something new. Oh my gosh, I didn’t even think to look into the Nike Train app. Thank you for the suggestion, I will definitely be checking that out!!