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I really liked the listening aspect of the yoga practice today. It think that listening, really listening, to others is something we could all work on. I sometimes find myself simply nodding and agreeing to others while my mind remains focused on work, writing, or something else. I’ve been practicing being a better listener to others.

But I also need to practice listening to myself. When I say that, I mean my body and what it needs. If my legs desperately need a break from sitting and a short walk, I need to listen. If my body needs more water, more time outside, more sleep, I need to listen. My body isn’t asking for these things out of self-indulgence. It NEEDS them to function to the best of its ability.

So from now on, I’m going to listen.

Day 18 was extremely challenging for me. It wasn’t the practice itself as simple fatigue. I spent most of the day in the car and at the dentist so I was tired. Because of that, I made the worst choice possible.

I kept putting off my yoga practice!

I did finish it, but I was really tired when I did it. On the bright side, I slept even better!

What can I say? It was a typical Monday. However, this Monday, I had a late meeting and a long drive afterwards. Because of that, I wasn’t able to do my yoga until late in the evening after a couple hours in the car.

Saying that, it did make my car ride more enjoyable because:

• I knew I was still going to be able to accomplish something for my own health that day.
• My muscles didn’t feel sore or stiff.
• I had a perfect way to wind down before bed.

I slept like a baby and I woke up the next morning ready to face the day!

I LOVED this practice. It was so relaxing after some very challenging practices. This is another reason why I find myself loving the Dedicate series by Yoga with Adriene. The list so far….

• The practices are generally under a half hour with many near the 20 minute mark.
• I feel like I am improving with each practice.
• More challenging practices are mixed in with relaxing and/or meditative practices.
• It isn’t overly repetitive. Instead, I find each practice differs while still mixing in poses that I can practice consistently.

It was a rainy day and a perfect practice to finish off the weekend.

I was lucky to have a more relaxing day on Day 15 of my 30 day challenge. I was able to get a few things marked off my to-do list and then I went to visit a loved one.

We hiked a trail together as storm clouds gathered overhead. It was a short trail, but enjoyable. I felt very lucky to see a deep blue pool of water formed by a spring. It created a small, but quickly flowing, creek that bubbled through the Tennessee woods.

The trail was very up and down. While I did have to stop to catch my breath a couple of times, overall I felt that I had much less breathing difficulty, which I attribute to my yoga practice.

After a long drive home, I got caught in traffic. It was a beautiful night and though and I enjoyed the scenery as I waited for traffic to clear. My practice that night was luckily shorter than most of them since I was tired and I found it challenging, but it was very rewarding and a great way to stretch after my long hike.

Today was a leg workout! lol But it was great. I held the poses much longer than I thought I could and even challenged myself to do some of the “extra” pose modifications.

What I’ve learned today:

• I enjoy doing yoga at night when I know I have a full day

Initially, I did my yoga practice first thing in the morning. It was great when I knew that I had a long day of traveling ahead of me.

However, I’ve found that if I know I’ll be sitting much of the day or working in front of my computer, I value doing my yoga practice at night. It’s a great way to relieve stress and rest well.

I can’t wait for tomorrow’s practice!