Back to the Yoga Mat... and Cycle

For the past two weeks during the sickly build up to, and fallout from, my last attempted marathon, I have not been posting my training workout, because there hasn't really been anything to report, unless I were training for an eating competition. Today, I got (sort of) get back on track. While I am enjoying the new direction this blog ha grown in, I do need to continue posting my training stuff... sorry, but it keeps me honest! So, in that spirit...

Yoga: 24 mins.
Cycling (Trainer): 20 mins. @ 8:15 a.m.

The slow, deliberate return to running inched forward this morning as I attempted to work through a second short (24 min.) series of yoga poses with my video-yogi Rodney Yee. This time around I practiced with the golden "oldie" Yoga Journal's Yoga for Strength (Beginner's Practice)--and if you think the title is a mouthful, you should have seen me attempt the poses. My dog Gracie also sought to lend a paw by carefully placing herself in the role of challenging prop during some of the mat work. It does make me giggle when I try to attempt a "good" downyard facing dog pose with my upward facing mutt licking my face.

Of course, the opportunity to do yoga also invites the chance to obssess over my lack of flexibility and inability to really do yoga.

Exhibit 1: my ongoing struggle with the Adho Mukha Svanasana, or, the downward-facing dog pose, as illustrated to the right by yours truly. Although one is not supposed to think about how the pose looks as much an observing and experiencing how it feels, I can't help thing about whether or not I am doing the pose correctly. "Correctly" by my terms is "just like the yogi in the video who has been practicing yoga for twenty years or so."

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!