I didn’t start out a regular runner, swimmer or cyclist. At the beginning it was difficult to motivate myself to get any exercise done. At times it felt like a chore to chuck on my running shoes and go for a half hour run. Then I began signing up for races. First a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon and finally a marathon. They weren’t easy, in fact they still aren’t. Each time I push myself the run is as hard as the last one sometimes even harder. What has happened though is that running has become a habit. It feels unnatural not to do it. Although I still have a long way to go to reaching my peak fitness and endurance, the regular habit of running is going to help me get there.
Then there’s yoga which is the main topic of today. I enjoy yoga but it’s not the habit I want it to be. I’d like to take an hour class two – three times per week but unfortunately that’s not realistic. However, thanks to Run to the FInish, I might be able to make yoga a habit with small steps. I’ve joined the Yoga Challenge for May. This challenge entails doing yoga every day. Now I don’t intend to do an hour of yoga everyday as that is completely unrealistic for me. There are time constraints and other commitments. But what I can commit to is a bit of yoga everyday. Even fifteen minutes is plenty to stretch out my body, practice good breathing and relax both the body and mind.
I’m hoping that this 31 Day Yoga Challenge will calm me and benefit my running among other things. It will also give my body some balance. My main sources of yoga are going to be a) my yoga Iphone application in which I can create my own program of poses I want to do ranging from beginner to guru; b) a yoga DVD that’s been gathering dust on my bookshelf for some time now; c) yoga classes at my local gym; and, d) free yoga sessions in the park at weekends.
With all the other training I’m doing for the marathon in July as well as trying to build a decent base for the swim and cycle leg of the 70.3 I’m signed up for in December, it won’t leave much time for yoga. So, I’m aiming to do just 20 minutes of yoga Monday to Friday and 30-40 minutes on Saturday and Sunday depending on other commitments.
Check out Run To The Finish for more info on the 31 Day Yoga Challenge.
