30 Day Challenge, Days 8, 9, 10, 11: I've been a slacker

Yes, I have been a slacker with the blog. And yes, this is a direct reflection of how I have been feeling about the challenge over the last three days.

I have an excuse for missing my Friday (Day 8) blog post. I did two evening classes: Yin Yang, followed by Meditation. I was feeling excellent in class- perhaps it was a combination of it being my 21st birthday and the fact that I love the Yin Yang class, but I felt incredibly energetic throughout my practice. Meditation was an interesting experience. I realized that sitting still is a huge problem for me. But I am totally down to keep trying it out. As I just mentioned, it was also my 21st birthday, so I spent the evening celebrating with my closest friends. I feel like that is an acceptable excuse for my lack of a blog post that day.

While this is a pretty good excuse for blog-skipping, I can give no other reason for my truancy on Saturday, Sunday and Monday other than apathy and exhaustion. 

On Saturday, I (very reluctantly) attended a noon hot flow class. I was not happy to be there after a late night before, and I planned on chilling out in child's pose for the majority of it, perhaps nodding off to sleep in the process. When class began, my ego kicked in. I should have rested more in this practice because I really was not feeling fully healthy, but my mind was talking to  me far too much, and I began to ignore my breath. This is an intro class, I thought, you can do every pose in this practice, and I really should not pass up such a great learning opportunity. So I did the whole class. 

Bad idea. I felt sick, and overexerted. I was dragging myself around the rest of the day, almost dozing off as I sat through an exciting basketball game later in the afternoon. 

Sunday, Day 10, was a much better experience. I took on another intro class, this time in the ashtanga room, and was really able to find a comfortable place in my practice. I did what I could without altering the breath, and when I did, I dropped to balasana. It really is incredible how much better I felt after practicing in tune with my breath (omitting some poses or taking modifications where necessary), than I did the day before when I had tried to do every pose regardless of where my breath was.

Following class, there was a meeting for all of the 30 day challengers. It really is awesome to hear that we are all feeling similarly, having similar struggles, sharing similar triumphs, and following similar motivations for taking on this crazy adventure.

One would think that such motivation would have inspired me to get right back to my mat. 

Oh no. When I awoke Monday morning to get to the 9:30 class (the only one I could possibly make it out without interfering with my classes and a commitment that evening), I could not drag my ass out of bed. It was not happening. At 9am, I finally made it out of my bed physically to brush my teeth, but I felt like I could hardly stand. My first class (at school) was not until 11:30, and the temptation was just too strong to go back to bed for another 2 hours. I did. 

Guilt followed me around all day, until I texted my mom to tell her about how rotten I felt for being such a slug. My mother, also a 30 day challenger, reminded me that I was one class ahead as it was, and that by missing yesterday I was right where I should be. She also reminded me that I would look beautiful and rested at the gala dinner that I would attend in the evening. 

It is funny how a mom's words can make you feel instantly better. 

So tonight, I'm headed to primary series at 7:30 pm. After my day of rest, this should be a real challenge.