The most realistic chart I could find. ;)

The core of the yoga practice-or at least as I've learned it, is the Sun Salutation. It is a series of yoga poses, done in sequence that should form a smooth transition between poses. The cycle is performed as many times as you'd like and can be used as a warm-up routine to more advanced poses, or as the entire practice for the day. I generally add a few poses to this routine to use as the backbone of my practice.

There are also Moon Salutations

:
I was taught a slightly different version of this that looked more like:

Regardless of what your yoga (or mine) looks like, it is important to be mindful in doing it. Yoga is not an exercise bike. It is more than a physical exertion. There is an intent behind yoga that can be expressed by the breathing pattern you choose to use while practicing. Each pose in the cycles above are one inhale, one exhale. You will eventually, if you practice long enough, get to a place where the rhythm of your breath and the flow of your poses will be second-nature. The great thing is that, while you are starting out, all of your focus will be on your breathing and your movement/posture/pose. Yoga demands our full attention. The way I choose to do yoga is generally 'slow' because I like to focus on getting my poses as close to the proper alignment as possible, to get the full benefit of the pose. It will take me awhile to get back in to the swing of things.

I will be posting more in-depth information on my favorite poses eventually. Until then, I am preparing myself to begin yoga again and am feeling very excited to be getting back on the mat.  

So, I had an idea last week, out of the blue, to make a New Years resolution. This is not something I normally do, at least formally, anyhow. I think we all have a tendency to reflect, assess, plan for change in the coming year. This was a declaration I made to a friend. I said I wanted to do yoga every day for a year.

Since the declaration, I've been thinking. Am I really going to do this? Can I do this? Why do I want to do this? I'm not even currently practicing yoga. I haven't regularly practiced for over a year and that was a half-assed attempt, really. I haven't been in a regular yoga practice for years. It's always something I mean to come back to, but I'll get in one night and then let it go. My issue is self-discipline, which is the reason I'm going to do this. Other than laziness, really, there is nothing getting in the way of practicing yoga every day. I have a crappy, used mat. I have a block. I have a belt. I have basic knowledge. These things can easily come together, daily, if I put my mind to it.

I have no aspirations to lose weight, pretzel myself into knot, wear a bikini in swim season (I will do it anyhow) or attract a suitable mate (I'm happily married.) I need to do this for me. I need to get back to that rock-solid core, eye-of-the-storm confidence I had when I practiced yoga regularly. I am not a competitive person, but I do compete with myself. I want to be better today than I was yesterday, and yoga is perfect for that. You can see, feel, touch the progress, day to day.

So, this is the plan. I will get on my worn-out, cat-clawed yoga mat every day. I will do what I can. I will document the process. I will change myself, from the outside, in.