Week 9

With Week 9 complete, we are just one week away from 72 Sun Salutations to kick off the third and final cycle of The Ultimate Yogi. We continue to dig deeper every time we step on the mat for class, but it is starting to feel sort of repetitive so we are definitely looking forward to cycle three to switch up the schedule again. I can't wait to get the Yin and CrossTrain classes back from cycle one. They were two of my favorites and I've really missed them over the past few weeks.

This week, Gio and I planned to go stand up paddle boarding on Saturday. I was really excited to try and do a Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand) on the paddle board, but it ended up being rainy all day so we had to cancel our plans. Today ended up being a beautiful day and after I finished up my homework load, Gio and I went on a nature walk to soak in the fresh air. I couldn't resist doing some stop, drop and yoga on such a perfect day. 

There's something very calming to me about doing yoga in nature. It makes me so grateful and appreciative of all of the beauty around me, while helping me rid myself of negative thoughts and the daily stresses of life.

I love that every day, I am one day closer to becoming the Ultimate Yogi, but I feel that the end of this journey will just be the beginning of something bigger. I look forward to digging deeper every day through my practice and can't wait to continue exploring my body even after this program is over. There's so much for Gio and I to discover in yoga which got me to start looking into yoga books. 

I came across one called Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff which seems really interesting because it helps you see each movement in a completely new light. With detailed pictures/drawings and expert instruction, the book shows how each muscle is used, how breathing, the spine and body position are all fundamentally linked, as well as how the tiniest alterations of a pose can enhance or reduce effectiveness. It's definitely a book I am considering purchasing as this program nears its end.

Overall, its been another great week of The Ultimate Yogi. The most valuable thing I learned this week is how important and beneficial it is to take a moment to step back, inhale a deep breath and absorb the beauty in the world around you. It's always a major plus to have someone by your side to enjoy it with you.

Week 8

This week has been a pretty rewarding one. Just by consistently showing up on the mat everyday, we continue to improve and have even starting practicing some fun yoga moves on our own time. Over the weekend, we decided to enjoy a beautiful day out at the beach and of course practiced some of these fun yoga moves in the soft sand. We both practiced what felt like a million handstands, but were not able to hold them long enough to snap a picture. Before we knew it, an hour had already gone by, so we decided to play around with some other moves. The next morning, we both woke up feeling sore all over, which was pretty nice. Just by playing around and having some fun at the beach, we got a good workout in. Here are some pics Gio took:

This Supported Headstand is one of my newest accomplishments! Also known as Salamba Sirsasana, this pose tones the abdominals, strengthens the neck, arms, shoulders, legs, spine and lungs, improves posture and digestion, stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands, allows a healthy, pure blood flow to brain cells, calms the brain and helps relieve stress. This is my new favorite pose. It makes my body feel so amazing. As I hold the pose, I can feel the blood leaving my feet and making its way down my body just like when you flip a rainstick upside down. I continue to practice this headstand every morning and night, sometimes venturing into different variations of the pose.

This Wheel Pose backbend is one that I first ventured into during Week One and Two of The Ultimate Yogi. Also known as Urdhva Dhanurasana, this pose strengthens the arms, wrists, legs, glute muscles, lower back, abdomen, and spine, stretches the shoulders, chest, lungs, hip flexors and wrist flexors, increases energy, is therapeutic for back pain and stimulates the thyroid and pituitary glands. When I first started this program, I struggled to push up into this pose and could only hold it for a few seconds. If you compare this picture to the one I posted during those first two weeks, you can see the vast improvement I've made here. I'm now able to arch my back a lot more, completely straighten my arms, get up onto my tippy toes and have been trying to crawl my hands closer to my feet every time I practice. I am even able to get into this position from standing, called Standing Chakrasana.

Here's one more pic from the beach where I was playing around with a variation of Salamba Sirsasana. It's really fun testing my balance in this pose while strengthening my lower back and shoulders. Definitely going to continue practicing this to improve my back arch.

After a beautiful day at the beach, we went to publix, grabbed some ingredients and went home to make cauliflower pizza. This was our first attempt at making this, and it came out really good. We made it with non-fat mozzarella cheese, spinach, tomato, tomato sauce, turkey pepperoni and cauliflower crust. The entire pie was about 700 calories with only 15 grams of fat. Much healthier than your average pizza pie, but just as delicious!

~ "Do your practice and all is coming"~

Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois

Week 7

Week 7 has been a week of great improvement. Last week we we're falling all over the place doing the yoga Balance class, but this week we were able to hold some of the poses that we weren't able to before which definitely made us feel more confident. It's crazy how each week we can see so much improvement in ourselves in our classes and our daily lives. This week, I would like to focus in on the Flexibility class. Below is a video to get a feel of what the class is like:

This class pushed us into some deep stretches which we both really enjoyed. It definitely put our flexibility to the test and when we woke up the morning after class, we were extremely sore in our shoulders, groins and hamstrings. Below are some photos of the various stretches and poses we did in class:

This class has become one of our new favorites and we can't wait to see how much our flexibility increases throughout The Ultimate Yogi program. 

We feel our bodies improving every day and have even starting practicing new poses we would like to achieve on our own. I've been practicing forearm stands a lot and every day I notice myself getting closer, while Gio has been practicing some cool arm balances. Once we reach our goals, I will be sure to post a picture. In the meantime, we are now in the midst of Cycle Two and feeling better than ever!

~ "Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self." ~

The Bhagavad Gita

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

Week 5 - Part Two

The fifth and final week of the first cycle was really great. The schedule this week was slightly different from previous weeks. It was:

1. CrossTrain and HardCORE

2. Cardio

3. Strength and HardCORE

4. Mountain Pose Series

5. Gentle Yoga

6. Yin

7. Sun Salutations

The Gentle Yoga class was amazing. After being pretty sore from the first three days of the week, this slow yet constantly flowing class was exactly what Gio and I needed and has become our favorite class yet. We cant wait to add it to our routine for cycle two of The Ultimate Yogi. The class gave our muscles the time to repair and heal themselves while also helping us reduce our stress levels. We really enjoyed the slow pace of the class which helped introduce us to some new poses and motions. Throughout the class, the instructor kept us focused on alignment as well as our breathing techniques as we explored the variety of yoga poses we were experiencing. Here is clip on what this class was like:

Mid-week, I went to a park near my neighborhood, found a really peaceful and beautiful spot right next to a lake, and practiced some yoga moves in the sun. I usually do yoga in a dark room so this was a very different environment but it was really great. I had the best time and felt so calm and happy. Below are some pictures from that day:

Feeling the warmth of the sun and taking in the beauty around me made these Warrior poses truly special. In the first picture I am doing Warrior II, the second is Warrior III and the third is Reverse Warrior. I love doing these poses as a sequence because it helps me lengthen my spine, stretch my ribs, burn my quads, and challenge my balance and core. With this first cycle coming to an end, being at the park practicing poses on my own was a great way to celebrate my accomplishments. Speaking of accomplishments, since losing weight was one of my goals from the start, I'd like to share that I have lost a total of eight pounds throughout these first five weeks of the program. Here's a before and after picture to see my progress:

I am loving watching and feeling my body change. Everything is becoming tighter, my arms, core and legs are becoming stronger, my balance is greatly improved, and I am getting more and more flexible each day. Gio is loving the benefits he is gaining through this program as well and his new found flexibility is really helping improve his mixed martial arts performance. We have both acquired a new sense of calm which is making us much happier overall. With the first cycle of The Ultimate Yogi done and gone, we enter cycle two with high hopes and determination and are ready to take our yoga practice to the next level. I would like to leave off with this beautiful quote from Caroline Adams Miller, as we say goodbye to cycle one:

~"Your life is a sacred journey. It is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. 

You are on the path exactly where you are meant to be right now. And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing, of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."~

Week 5 - Part One

This week, is the last and final week of the first cycle of The Ultimate Yogi! Gio and I cannot believe how fast time has gone by and how much this workout has changed us. We are eagerly awaiting cycle two. This week, Part One of Week Five, I am going to focus on how this workout has impacted us as well as get into what will be changing going into cycle two. Next week in my "Part Two" post, I will sum up our final week of the cycle, focus in on our favorite class of the week, and provide stats and pics on how our bodies have changed now that the first cycle is complete.

Gio and I have both noticed changes in ourselves from doing this workout. We are able to find our calm throughout the stress, and grab onto the light in the darkness. We even feel a closeness to each other from going through this together. After class, we often find ourselves playing around with our new strength and flexibility by trying out new poses that are way beyond our reach as of yet. To keep us inspired and motivated, I decided to make us a board of inspiration to hang in our yoga room to always remind is to keep pushing and digging deeper. Here's a peek at how it came out:

It really excites us that one day, we will accomplish some of these amazing yoga poses. But we know that before reaching the top of the mountain, we have to go through that uphill trek. Our next step on the way to becoming Ultimate Yogi's, is cycle two of the program. With this new cycle, comes some new classes which we are really looking forward to. The new class schedule will be as follows:

1. Balance and HardCORE

2. Strength

3. Flexibility and HardCORE

4. Gentle

5. Detox and HardCORE

6. Cardio

7. Mountain Pose Series

We are going to miss our CrossTrain, Yin, and Vitality classes but are excited to face Balance, Flexibility, and Gentle yoga to help bring us to the next level. This 108 day journey has been way more amazing than I could've ever imagined, and we both cannot wait to enter phase two of the program.

~ "All problems are illusions of the mind" ~

Eckhart Tolle

Week Four

This week we started off strong with yoga CrossTrain. I felt stronger and more flexible than before and was able to do all of the moves 100%. The next day, I woke up SO sore. I know being sore is a good thing but the next two days of yoga Cardio and Strength were very rough because of it. When it was finally Yin Yoga day, it was amazing. The stretch felt so good especially since I was very sore. Somehow, I managed to truck through it and am still pretty sore today. Gio stopped cutting weight for his fight because his opponent dropped out so we binged on some food that was definitely not part of our diet. As a result, I did not lose any weight this week but will be back on the diet starting tomorrow. I'm really loving doing yoga every day and am excited to finish the first of the three cycles of The Ultimate Yogi next week. The next cycle throws in some workouts we haven't done yet which we are really looking forward too.

I wanted to focus this week on yoga CrossTrain as it is one of the classes Gio and I are really growing to love. It is the perfect blend of balance, strength, cardio, stamina and flexibility which makes it really enjoyable. Here's a quick peak in on the class:

It's very fast paced but we do so many different flows to incorporate strength, balance, stamina, flexibility and cardio which makes the class go by really fast and leaves you feeling amazing afterwards. It takes elements from all of the different classes we do each week, and puts it all into this one workout. It's a great class to do at the beginning of every week to check in with your body and see how you've improved. Here are some of the moves we did in class:

This arm twist opens up the shoulders and back. To get an even deeper stretch, we did a flow by holding this arm twist while we brought our heads low to the floor and then all the way back up and leaned back which felt really amazing.

This is Warrior II pose, also known as Virabhadrasana II. Holding this pose increases stamina, stimulates abs, stretches and strengthens the shoulders, legs, ankles, groins, chest and lungs, and relieves backaches. 

This is Reverse Warrior pose, also known as Viparita Virabhadrasana. This pose stretches the obliques, groins, and hips, strengthens the quads, arms, and neck, and opens the chest and shoulders.

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Our favorite pose of the week is this Seated Forward Bend, also known as Paschimottanasana.

This pose feels so amazing, especially when held for 5 minutes. When we first started this program, we couldn't touch our toes at all, but from holding this pose for an extended period of time, we were quickly able to do so. This pose has so many benefits. It improves digestion, stretches the spine, shoulders, and hamstrings, calms the brain, helps relieve stress, soothes headaches, anxiety, and reduces fatigue, and stimulates the kidneys and liver.

~ Do your practice and all is coming ~