Why I prefer morning yoga

At first it was hard waking up an hour earlier than I normally would; given that I already wake up two hours before I leave for work. Having to be at work at 9:30am, I wake up at 6am. Now, I wake up at 5, sometimes 4am just to do yoga. 

Why? 

It is almost better than coffee in the morning. And when you have both... Watch out world!
 

Morning
Ashtanga Yoga.

This practice teaches you a series of poses, breathing techniques and how to quiet and center the mind. I like doing this in the morning because it wakes me up and energizes me for the rest of the day. I enjoy the sweat and burn in the morning followed by a hot shower. It's very refreshing. Waking up earlier than normal gives me more time in the morning to get ready for work, enjoy a healthy breakfast and prepare for the day ahead.

Right now I mainly practice with Hulu Plus yoga videos. 

My favorite video is by Yasmin Yoga. 

Yasmin is simply amazing. She makes every pose seem so easy and gives very precise instructions for every position. I go back and forth through three episodes of hers and pick random ones every once and a while from other instructors. It's been a great introduction to where I can go at my own pace, in the privacy of my cozy home. I've seen enormous transformation within my physical and mental self.

March 23rd.

April 8th.

My butt and arms look totally different! I was wearing a tight thong (TMI?) in this picture so it squished the top of my butt into a point. Never again..

Evening
Form and pose practice.

I like to practice certain poses I'm struggling with or interested in. Right now I'm pretty obsessed with being able to do a proper arm stand so I can eventually do an awesome handstand.

Why a handstand?

If I can do a proper handstand I know I have great shoulder, back and core strength. Plus they look awesome when doing one. Standing upside down increases circulation and re-directs blood flow throughout the body. To condition myself I'm stretching daily and practicing my crane pose and arms stands.

CRANE POSE

This picture was taken March 23rd. I held this position for maybe two seconds.

This was taken April 15th. I held this position for over 15 seconds and was able to cross my feet and pull my abdomen in, focusing more on form than length of time. I have more muscle tone here and overall strength. Three weeks may seem like a long time to nail this down, but with work and a happy love life, I didn't practice this everyday. However, I am excited to see what I can do in another three weeks.

An arm stand is where your forearms are shoulder width apart and flat on the ground and your body is held upright by your amazing shoulder, back and core strength.

Nighttime 
Gentle and soothing yoga.

I find videos online for nighttime yoga. It's basically deep breathing and stretching to get you relaxed for a deep sleep. At night, stretching and concentration on my breath relieves me of any tension or stress. I wake up feeling overall well-rested.

The times where I can practice a couple times a day,
I feel powerful, courageous, confident and peaceful.

I am so passionate about this because of what it's done for me personally. I've struggled with depression for five years and have always felt the need to look fit. It was difficult for me to clear my head of all the pain and heartache I carried.
Yoga may seem overrated and has become somewhat of a trend that rich, suburban moms can only afford. But you don't have to go to an expensive yoga class and buy colorful yoga pants in order to try it for yourself.

I like sharing with you what it's done for me because of how powerful it makes me feel. If I can in any way help someone feel the same, I must share.

It has improved my body, mind, confidence and sex life. The breathing techniques I learned from yoga got me through tough situations, dealing with people that make me nervous.. like when I interviewed for the job I have now. In every interview I've ever had, I literally choked on my words and couldn't even say what I really wanted to say from being so extremely nervous and insecure.
I NAILED my last interview. I did most of the talking, saying exactly what I wanted to say and it ended with me asking my boss the tough questions.
Even now as I write this I am sitting straight up with my legs crossed because I am naturally and constantly aware of my posture and body.


Yoga has been a one-stop-shop for me and I am absolutely in love with it.