Day 99 - Life is good

Can't believe I'm almost there.  It has been an incredible journey.  As Travis promised, I am finishing happier, healthier, fitter and more flexible than I have ever been.  I can't believe that after 10 years I am finally off the bodybuilding supplements and not feeling cruddy, not feeling sad, not feeling like I need them for focus, not feeling I need them for athletic performance.  I forgot what it felt like to feel so great so naturally.  I forgot how good you can feel just by taking a breath.

And guess what?

I'm even baking in 10-15 minutes daily for meditation and realizing that it really fuels and energizes me throughout the day.

My wife is so annoyed with me because I'm stopping to observe the trees, flowers, birds, really all the things that I normally would not care to notice.

I've also been taking a class through Coursera on Buddhism and Modern Psychology as well as reading some great books.  I highly recommend the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deepak Chopra for anyone who wants to explore the more spiritual side of yoga.  I keep them as calendar invites for myself now so I have some wisdom to guide me through each day.

I'm actually looking forward to the juice feast even though I know it will be a challenge.

Of course I still have my weaknesses.  I still get upset, sad, angry, pervy, bored, etc. just like anyone else, but I am better able to accept those things and better able to either control them or revert to a happier norm.

Grateful for this journey and now just wondering what I do once I complete the 108 days.

Days 51, 52 and 53 - I owe updates

Wow a 3 for 1.  Here is me trying to convince you that my laziness in not updating this blog is actually a good deal for you because it gets you more efficiency in the post.

So what have I discovered over the last 3 days?

1) Hippie Chick is present and looks amazing in more workouts than I realized.  I think I've developed my first vegan crush.
2) I am the kind of person that assumes that the hippie looking girl in the yoga program is a vegan and indeed the only vegan.
3) The other ladies are still pretty hot and distracting.  Particularly given the skimpy attire they wear.  Meredith is super buxom in the balance workout and Lauren looks like a ballerina when scissoring in the flexibility workout.  Sigh...

I'll stop there because things always work better in threes.

But I couldn't possibly justify that alone as an update soooooo...this is a perfect time to talk about meditation.

I'm still failing to meditate on most days, but I found a great app called Headspace that gives you the first 10 days free.  There is a lot of haterade in the reviews about how it is advertised as free, but really isn't.  I don't think it is advertised as free and honestly find it strange that anyone in this day and age is indignant about in-app purchases or a subscription model.

At any rate, the free 10 days are 10 minutes (really 11) a piece.  Although I've found it relaxing and helpful, it is pretty much the same thing every day and I just finished Day 6 so I don't know if it is worth plunking the extra cash down later.  That said the other segments are supposed to be different, but it is hard to tell for sure without seeing what they are like.  Perhaps a better business model would be to do a sampling of segments for the free trial, but what do I know.  I still haven't launched a business.

I'm also reading this terrific book called the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.  Still not sure whether I will be able to really modify bad habits, but it sure helps to understand them.  I actually have been working on some bad habits with some good progress so please keep your fingers crossed for my continued success.

Ok - low battery warning - better finish up.

Days 42 & 43 - Let's get that cardio flow & crack/pop goes the Tito

Just as I finish complaining about not sweating enough I encounter the cardio workout the next day.  Nothing gets you going quite like some sweet cardio flow.  Drizzled sweat on my matt, but not as sweaty as a man called Bibo (that's what you get for chasing me!)

Today I got through the Mountain (no surprise), the Pranayama breathing (no surprise) and failed the meditation (no surprise).  This time I just turned it off at the beginning.  Skipped meditation last night.  I just am not comfortable in my own mind.

I went to an awesome new chiropractor today.  I haven't felt this normal in a long time.  I still have some minor discomfort in my shoulder, but he really got the right adjustments.  Glad I finally switched.  This guy asked all the right questions and saw all the right stuff.  My hip was out of alignment so my right leg was actually 1/2 an inch longer than my left.  Once back in alignment through some adjustments (neck, rib, shoulder) the pain was gone and my legs were back the same length.  Crazy...

Pop goes the Tito!

Day 28

Didn't shy away from pizza and beer today either, but I did my mountain and pranayama.  Gave up on the meditation as usual.  Back getting worse again...

Day 14 - Can't meditate

Geeze - keeping this one short because it has been a horrible day and I'm swamped at work.  Lots to do before traveling tomorrow.

Meditation was so crappy today.  I just can't do it.  My back aches when I try and sit up for so long.  I tried Savasana instead, but kept getting anxious and stir crazy (and cold).  When asked to give gratitude I could only give bitterness.  When asked to give forgiveness I could only give blame.  When asked to focus I could only have my mind wander.  How did I get to be so far from gratitude?  Why is this concept so difficult for me.  Trying to be grateful actually makes me angry.  I feel a quiet rage instead and just have to bottle it up.  I made it through the practice, but it was so painful.

I guess it really set me up for the rest of the day because I ended up having a horrible crazy day - only to realize that there was nothing special about today.  Every day is like this, my perspective is just changing.  I really need a hard reset.

Day 7 - Mountain Poses & Pranayama Meditation

January 6, 2014

Bet you guys were worried I already gave up.  Nah, just late to the party because I had a crazy day getting back to work.  Happy New Year to me.  I don't promise to always update on the day of, but I will try to post something on each of the 108 days.  After a while I'll stop the workout posts and post on other fun yoga related topics since it might get boring/creepy to hear me go "aaarrghhh Travis no please not the PLOW"..."aarrghh that brunette chick in the leg warmers is SOOOOOO hot...." for 108 days.

Well today's workout was actually the first one I failed at.  How can I fail a day about breathing and meditation? You'd think you just have to show up.  Well you underestimate the ability of my little one to pick impeccable timing to get up early.  His moans turned into cries and then into screams and wails.  Sheesh.  I had to go get him.  Plus Travis was going on about being grateful to grasshoppers or something and I'm not exactly the grateful type.  When others are grateful for getting over a cold I wonder why they had to get one in the first place.  A deeper more metaphysical conversation for another time.  Oh and it was -15 today so definitely wasn't feeling grateful, particularly when I had to dig my nanny's car back out of the snow again.

I tried to make it up by doing 10 minutes of meditation this evening, but I got through only 7 and then started checking Instagram...I'm not even sure I should be calling myself the Mediocre Yogi right now...