Days 10, 11, and 12....all is going well!! The Kundalini session this morning was unlike anything I had ever done before! I have been in really really good mood ever since!!!! Feeling fantastic....everyone has been so supportive of me, and I feel blessed for all the positive energy coming my way!!! So I hope I do not disappoint you in reporting that I will "fail" this challenge on my first attempt.....Some unanticipated events and travel opportunities have presented themselves to me, and i must take advantage!

Days 8 and 9: My perception of "normal" is in a state of flux.... It is starting to feel "normal" to go to class every day....Im definitely feeling a lot more strength in my legs and I'm more aware of the tension in my hips. My concentration and clarity also continue to improve, as does my tolerance for life's little stressors....I'm not doing so well on my 7:30 am wake up plan....some days I'm up before 7, but today i slept til 10......well okay I have to admit I know why I slept late today....I was feeling pretty wired after hot yoga last night ...I got very energetic, was bouncing off the walls, and I drank a little more wine than what has been my "normal" for the past week....but not any more than my pre-challenge "normal"....ugh...I feel like crap this morning! No different from how I "normally" felt every day pre-challenge....I guess I wasn't aware how toxic I was! Maybe that's why I sleep in so much? I hope I can continue to shift my perception of "normal" when I return to work next month....clearly a daily yoga practice is a better way to deal with stress than my "normal" methods of tension release........hmmmmm.....

 I made it through the first week! I am very glad I am doing this. It was physically tough for me for a couple of days - but by yesterday I was definitely noticing a change in my strength and stamina....it wasn't any easier, but I felt the need to go just a little deeper for more challenge instead of just "hanging on"....I did a Yin class today instead of the Hot Yoga -- It was awesome as usual -- and NOT easy, just not easy in a different way from the Yang poses....It really helped me mentally -i felt very focused and in deep concentration the whole session.

Made it thru days 5 and 6.....both yesterday and today I was really tired when I went to class.....but both nights the practice combined with the great group energy perked me right up! I walked in dragging and walked out rarin' to go!!! Today was the first day that I felt myself actually growing stronger during the practice....this means I am ready to challenge myself a little more during the next session......

Yesterday was day 03. I am glad my pride forced me to go to yoga....I was very sore from the Tuesday Yang/yin class and under normal circumstances would have said "ah - I went yesterday, I don't need to go today".... But I HAD to go because I have publicly made this commitment.....I'm so glad I went to the Ashtanga class with Erica! She was awesome! I had a little trouble with the Chaturanga due to sore triceps but otherwise did fine. I enjoyed the chanting at the end....the vibration of everyone's voice together is soothing. I'm still a little sore today but already feeling increased strength and seeing some muscle definition in my arms (along with pride comes vanity.....neither of which are good yogi qualities, I know!) Tonight I'll do hot yoga.....I love that class!!! Maybe Sean can help me get over my ego......

Day 2 of the 21 day challenge....Sean's Yang/Yin class at 12:00 -- by the time we got to the Yin I was SO ready to chillax (relatively speaking!) - the Yang was quite strenuous....I was really sweating!! I felt great after the class as always. Not much more to report except that I did successfully rise at 7:30 this morning, as was my goal. Yay for me! Tomorrow will be a challenge....even though I'm "on vacation" officially, I must attend an important meeting at work tomorrow....Can I show up for the meeting without checking 3 weeks worth of emails and staying in my office until 9 PM? Can I make a yoga class a priority, regardless of what i encounter at work tomorrow???? We can only wait and see.......I just need to remind myself...those problems aren't going anywhere...they will be happy to wait around until I return to work in July.....

Today was day 1 of the 21 day challenge! I'm not sure where the blog is so for now I'll post my journal entries here....tonight I took my first restorative yoga class with Irma. I usually go more for the physical workout than the meditative.....but I knew I needed some realignment that transcended the physical. It was awesome!! The only way I can describe the way I felt afterwards is "light". Like a heaviness had been lifted from me! I can see the benefits in doing this when I spend as much time under stress as I do! Okay we are supposed to give up a bad habit for 21 days......there are plenty of things that I indulge in that I don't wish to give up..but I expect my taste for these things will lessen if I do yoga everyday.....there is one thing however that I would like to fix.....and that is sleeping/procrastinating the mornings away....I have come to realize that my odd sleeping schedule and my reluctance to wake up is avoidance behavior....I don't want to confront the days challenges head on so I keep going back to sleep. This means that I usually dont get my work done until 12 or 1 am, so the late sleeping snowballs.... I will *try* for 21 days to be up and out of bed by 7:30 am.....even though I don't have to be anywhere. I'll provide updates....goodnight all