30/30 Yoga Challenge

I'm always looking around for a new challenge, something to occupy me outside of work. And parenting. (You'd think those two things would be enough, no? Apparently not.)

Traditionally, my challenges have been mental. I'm a big education-addict, and there was a period where I was registered in one continuing education course after another, pretty much year round. That ended when I decided to go back to school "for real" and get another Masters degree - not because I needed it, but because I thought it would be fun. (It was. I didn't end up getting the degree, but I did enjoy the work I put in!)

Lately, my challenges have been more physical. I did a couple of Learn to Run courses, where the only thing I learned is that I really hate running. Spinning, spinning, more spinning. Getting up early in the morning to do yoga before work. And as I've written before, I'm really enjoying it. I'm feeling a lot of benefits - my posture has improved, my lungs feel bigger, and my emotional state is a lot more balanced. It's working.

Then yesterday, I got talking with some friends about a 30/30 yoga challenge - 30 classes in 30 days. And you know, I think I can do it. I don't know of any local studios that are offering it right now, but I think the time and money commitment would be hard to manage at this point anyway. But I do have a bunch of yoga DVDs at home, and I have been doing reasonably well about getting out of bed early in the mornings, so why not push it a bit from there?

So, I'm in. Here are the rules:

~I'm cheating a bit, and back-dating it to Tuesday 8th, because that was the last consecutive day I did yoga. So the challenge will go from November 8th to December 7th, 2011.

~I have 8 short programs (20-25 minutes each), and 3 long programs (45-60 minutes) at home. I will do each program at least twice, and no more than three times. I will do one of the long ones at least once a week.

~If I miss a day, I can make it up either the day before or the day after. No more than one missed/made up class per week.

~And because this is a mental challenge as much as a physical one (especially when that alarm goes off at 5:45 am!), I will blog about it at least once a week as well.

Also, I'm going to need a reward of some sort. Something tangible, I think, because I can never find the time to go for massages or pedicures. Maybe a brand new yoga mat, or some other treat for the yoga retreat I plan to go on in January. Maybe a nice piece of jewellery. Maybe...???

And there we go. I'm not going to put out a call for anyone to join me, because I'm kind of a hermit that way, and I'd really rather do it alone. But anyone who wants to cheer me on from the sidelines is more than welcome! :) I'll keep you posted...