Week 6

The first week of cycle two has certainly been an adventure. We were able to try out some new classes which I discussed a few posts back that were very challenging but fun at the same time. I felt really strong going into this week and am loving the arm strength that I am gaining. Gio took the latter half of the week off because he got his wisdom teeth out, but is recovering very quickly. The one class that really stood out to us this week was Balance. It was definitely on another level from the previous classes we've been doing. As we challenged our balance, we were falling all over the place and laughing, but kept trying regardless of the amount of times we fell. It was our attempt at not letting our egos get in the way. Here's a peek into the class:

The way that Travis challenges our balance in this class helps develop a sound body, mind and spirit by working with both hemispheres of the brain. As he says, "Physical equilibrium leads to mental and emotional equanimity." We definitely underrated this class but are excited to conquer it throughout cycle two. Below are pictures of various poses we attempted in class:

This is Floating Pigeon Pose, a variation of a standing Pigeon Pose. It not only challenges your balance, but also lengthens the back, strengthens the shoulders, back and legs and opens the hips.

This is Crow Pose, also known as Bakasana. It definitely took us time to get here, but was pretty cool for our first attempt. I've been looking forward to learning arm balances, so doing this in class was really fun. This pose improves balance, strengthens the wrists, forearms, and abdomen, stretches the upper back and opens the groins.

This is a Warrior III Variation, also known as a Virabhadrasana III Variation. This pose challenges your balance, strengthens the entire leg, ankle and foot as well as the back and shoulders, provides an amazing shoulder stretch, lengthens and supports the back while also working the abdominals and improving posture.

This week has been new and exciting for both Gio and I, and we cannot wait to grow and conquer the challenging yoga classes throughout these next five weeks. We are taking on cycle two one day at a time, and are well on our way to becoming The Ultimate Yogi.

~"One becomes firmly established in practice only after attending to it for a long time, without interruption and with an attitude of devotion."~
Yoga Sutra