Completion

I'm still in my hot room gear as I write this. We are now 32 days past the first mention of this challenge, and I'm proud and thrilled to say I did it!! And not only that, but I surpassed the challenge by completing 30 in-studio days and 2 at-home days. The studio was closed for two days over the course of the challenge (once to honour a member of the yoga community and once to honour our white weather), so I took the liberty of continuing the yoga streak and moving to breath every day for the last 32.

So how do I feel?

My teacher Mona has us offer gratitude to ourselves after every practice, in silence, in which we thank ourselves and our teachers. She dutifully reminds us that we are so blessed to have bodies that can move...not everyone is as fortunate as we are. These words resonate today in particular, as I think back on my challenge. The challenge is the ultimate fusion of body and mind, where our bodies are blessed with movement, and our minds are blessed with the control over that movement. Our breath, our muscles and bones, our hearts and our eyes. We can control it all.

In terms of how my physical body has improved, I am now the proud owner of a new set of "yoga arms" and strong shoulders. I am slimmer long the legs and my SKIN!! My skin is clear and soft, glowing with ease after each practice. I smile more, I crave more vegetables and fruit, and I sleep more soundly. I am a more positive, pleasant person and have learned to let the small stuff dissolve, in the same way that a bead of sweat rolls off my face in the hot room. I care less about what I look like, have greater confidence, wear less makeup and I feel that there is extra life behind my eyes and in my heart.

This challenge teaches patience, strength, determination and willfulness. I have learned to steady my breath and move with it, leading to slower more fluid expressions of the poses and a still mind. I've deepened my understanding of what it feels like to look inward, especially during the asanas, and have surprised myself at my ability to focus. The skills I gathered over the course of my challenge apply directly off the mat. In difficult situations, we breathe and move inward, taking time to regroup and refocus. Yeah, yeah, yeah...we've heard this all before. Calm the mind, breathe slowly, move mindfully. But have you really ever truly done this? In sivasana are you laying with your eyes closed waiting for class to be over or are you in your heart and your mind, oblivious to that bead of sweat dripping down your ear, to where your limbs are, even to the floor beneath you? Sivasana is the toughest pose for me, but the 30-day challenge taught me how to find that still place far away and be at peace there.

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

Namaste