As the days go by, and the numbers keep going up, I am starting to feel a sense of unease. I would have thought that by the middle of April, there would be an end in sight for all of this craziness, but I’m noticing that it might not be the case. Yes, I tend to be an introvert, so the social distancing hasn’t bothered me. However, I do like to go out and about. I miss seeing people at my favorite spots and being able to go shopping (heck, even grocery shopping) whenever I want to. Now, everything is all chaos. The streets are eerily more quiet than normal, and people are scared to get near you when walking outside. Hopefully, it will come to an end soon.
In the meantime with my practice…
I’ve been advancing in both my yoga class and practice. I was super excited this week! I attempted a forearm stand holding myself up by the wall, and was able to do it. I am getting stronger in the upper body!!
During one of my Yoga Teacher one-on-one sessions, the teacher asked me to do a supported headstand. I was a little bit nervous because depending on how I feel, I can do it great, or I fall! I was so excited because I was able to do it!! Not only did I do it, but I was able to stay upright for several breaths before needing to come down!!
Unfortunately, I have used up my 5 free one-on-one sessions, but I can still sign-up for group classes. I have done a couple of them, and they have been amazing!! I would highly recommend it! Especially if you don’t want to spend money right away doing online classes, this is a good start. Since there has been more interest, they have put TONS of different classes (beginners, advanced, yin, restorative, meditation, etc.). Once you do your first one, the fear of using Zoom (and other people seeing you) goes away. Totally awesome!!
Below are a couple of poses that my teacher had me do! I was laughing while trying to do the Flying Lizard (utthan pristhasana)!! I could NOT get off my back foot. The only way I was able to do it was by putting my head on the mat (well, that’s a start)! I truly enjoy my classes and how she challenges me. In my head, I’m telling myself I can’t, but then she encourages me, and I notice that I’m able to do it! It’s all in your head!
My Yoga Teacher Training
I FINALLY finished reading the Sutras and Gita! Therefore, I’m back to advancing through the modules. Gotta tell you, I enjoyed reading both books. If you ever get a chance, they are great reads! A little heavy (I had to read some sections several times to understand) but very insightful.
During this week, in my YTT Facebook group, someone posted that Udemy Online had classes on sale! I checked them out, and they had SOOO many classes!! I was excited and signed up for two classes to get certified in, that would complement my yoga training. They were Chakra Healing and Mudras both taught by Melissa Crowhurst. I’m excited to start them, since everyone in my group was raving about her! Udemy is great because it has non-traditional courses.
Another website a co-worker suggested was edX for online classes through Ivy League schools. They are free, but if you want a certificate for the course, you would need to pay a fee. I am seriously contemplating taking two Nutrition and Health courses. One is Macronutrients and Overnutrition, and the other is Micronutrients and Malnutrition. I feel that learning more about the foods you eat is essential to working out. So, we’ll see. I am already signed up for so many courses, so it will have to be something I do in the future. But, keeping it on my To Do!!
Hopefully some of these suggestions can help you find online courses that you like!
Books and Reading
Finally, I started a page called A-Z Reading Log on my site. You will see the link at the top of the page. To keep track of the books I am reading this year, I found this cool way to do it from @mrtschalkboards. He is a 4th grade teacher and decided this year to read one book with titles that fit into one of the letters of the alphabet. I thought this was a good idea and decided to do it too. I felt that it would challenge me to read things that I normally wouldn’t. Right now I haven’t gotten very far, since I’ve been primarily reading the books for my course. However, I am half way through Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins and it is amazing! I love his “to the point” approach to being successful in life. Definitely an uplifting book! When I work out, and I get to that tired point, I always think of this book and what he says. Take that tiredness and use it as fuel to get where you want to go. It’s all a mind game. Telling ya, a must read!!
Hope you enjoyed these suggestions! As I read more books, I’ll update my page.
Have a great week and stay safe!
Grounding Fitness, LLC 