lucky fire dragon shifts shape part 3 SWIM

[lucky fire dragon]

on we go

 

Lucky fire dragon shifts shape part 3

 

Shifting shape part 1 had me slim from 70kg down to 68kg roughly, in shifting shape part 2 I got to 67kg but then back up to the 68 and now I'm aiming to stabilize at 67 and/or go lower aaaaaaaaaand stronger again

Strength gains happened slowly as I had to tickle myself out of big inertia, but slowly I'm getting into motion again, whooohooo. Now to keep it going and build up a bit more.

As shifting shape also needs a certain innate flexibility and clarity in focus, I've been training my meditation skills and will keep building on those some more as well. Inspiration is another helpful aspect to keep me going, in many ways this is really just a continuation of my previous two challenges.

 

Part of this challenge however will be providing the best mom-support I can for my kids especially my son as he is in his second last school year, with lots of exams coming up over the next weeks and months. One of his major exams will be in sports and he chose basketball and swimming for this. He will also have to run through a circuit training of basic strength and endurance drills like push ups, squats, weighted sit ups etc... While I can't help him with basketball, I can renew my daily 10 motivation and have him join me and I can take both kids to the indoor swimming pool regularly for a while. Youngest is learning to swim the crawl (is that how you call it?) at school so extra practice will be great for her as well. My boy needs to build up to 600m swimming endurance, which I think should not be a problem, but we'll have to see how far that really is in the end and also depending which style he needs to swim it in. Best to tackle it early so why not theme this time just

 

SWIM

 

Sadhana

Sadhana practice is what kundalini yogis call their morning practice and ideally it means rising 2 - 2,5 hours before sunrise, freshening up with a cold shower and then practising pranayama (breathing exercises), kriya yoga (physical exercises), chanting and meditation.

 

In a way, hubby and me had started on this with our 5am meditation habit already, so now I'd like to expand on it. I gave this way too much thought again   I'm good at complicating things - wondering how to do it that I don't wake any of the kids up too early, like would the shower wake them... how do I find undisturbed time to add the pranayama and kriyas in... should I get up at 4am, will that be enough time... will I manage though? I already struggle with the 4.45 getting up time.... and so on, my mind would try and plan and drive me mull

 

So this morning after our meditation time I woke youngest, popped their buns in the oven and made her tea, tidied up a bit around the kitchen until the buns were finished and then went right back into the living room and started a pranayama exercise. I didn't care about youngest thinking her mom might be totally nuts now and I didn't care when I had to interrupt in between for talking to her. What I realized is this: I won't EVER be completely undisturbed! Yes, I could force myself up at 3am in the morning or whatever, but then the cats would think it's time for breakfast and even if kids and cats and the whole world would not interfere, my mind would still cause a racket from time to time and I'd have to refocus just the same!

This realization brought immmense freedom for me: I can basically do my exercises of choice whenever and when I have to interrupt, I'll just get refocused and start again. With time I'm sure, we'll work it out in a way that's smooth enough.

 

It's better to do it imperfect than not doing it at all, so if I do my yoga while the sun is already up, so what?! I'll still do it first thing in the morning and have a great start into my day

 

So here is my plan:

Get up at 4.45, wash face with cold water and feed cats, meditate with hubby until 6, get buns etc for kids ready and wake youngest, once she is sorted do my pranayama and kriya yoga, then take my cold shower while my boy gets up for his breakfast, see if he's alright and then get my own breakfast going and voilà I'm set for a great day.

 

Wish me strength - those kriyas are harder than they look and getting up is still a battle  

 

Water

Despite being a fire dragon, water is really good for me

I'm aiming to go swimming with the kids at least 4x over the course of the challenge

Drinking at least 2 Liters of water / day

Have cold shower in the morning and wash my feet with cold water before going to bed at night (I found it very soothing and helping me sleep deeper) with some lovely skin creams for luxury after (I have so many nice creams and lotions and hardly ever use them, time to shine instead)

 

Inspiration

An idle mind often comes up with such nonsense! I'll keep filling it instead with inspiring stories and teachings by reading and reflecting on helpful things. Also have to finish writing the script for my healing workshop and that will challenge me to tap into my inner inspirations, so that will count towards this goal as well. 

10 minutes of reading per day

keeping my 4TW streak going (444 words per day, currently my streak is 61 days) will be enough.

That is a small goal to reach, so I'm hoping to top it on many days and to really reach it every single day even amidst unexpected action and chaos, which are part of life and bound to happen.

 

Mom support

As meditation is already part of the sadhana practice I'll dedicate the M to my mom duties instead, well duty is not the best word as it's much more voluntary then that. I want to be the best support I can be for my kids.

Not sure how to structure this goal yet, as I'll have to see when making them study and maybe helping them study is due and when break times, games, or outdoors times would be better... might just look at it a day at a time and do my best without a structured measure to go by.

 

And yes, salads will be a continuous thing and so will yoga classes be - do shout at me if I start slacking on them again!

 

That's it, let's do the thang  

 

 

[annyshay]

This looks amazing as always! And I’m the first one here to cheer you on!!!

[WolfDreamer]

Love your ideas and the acronym. That's a great way to remind you of your goals and challenges. Plus, it makes me miss swimming. 

 

Let me know if I can help in any way.

[Akura]

Following again; but probably mostly passive again.

 

[lucky fire dragon]

3 hours ago, annyshay said:

This looks amazing as always! And I’m the first one here to cheer you on!!!

 

 

3 hours ago, Wolfen said:

Love your ideas and the acronym. That's a great way to remind you of your goals and challenges. Plus, it makes me miss swimming. 

 

Let me know if I can help in any way.

 

Thanks, I had it last time already with SMILE and really enjoyed that

Oh sorry, but we won't taunt you with any outdoor swimming pics, so there's that

 

I'm always happy for help, giving or receiving - love help! What do you have in mind?
Are you experienced in kundalini yoga by any chance? I know a little only but am intrigued and seeing how I do have regular hatha yoga experience I trust myself to get alignments right enough (hopefully) but I have no clue about pace of movements say... so any hints for that would be greatly appreciated. Any other help just the same

 

2 hours ago, Akura said:

Following again; but probably mostly passive again.

 

 

That's great and thanks for the fun swim gif  Can't be as passive as my following you last round

 

[Mrs Van]

17 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

What I realized is this: I won't EVER be completely undisturbed!

Amen! That is the biggest thing we as wives/moms can ever realise! There will always be someone to disturb you doing your thing, even if it is the cat or dog. I'm back to pushing the loo door on lock, because the dogs keep pushing the mostly closed door open to have a look at me! So just do your thing as best you can.

17 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

Get up at 4.45, wash face with cold water and feed cats, meditate with hubby until 6, get buns etc for kids ready and wake youngest, once she is sorted do my pranayama and kriya yoga, then take my cold shower while my boy gets up for his breakfast, see if he's alright and then get my own breakfast going and voilà I'm set for a great day.

 

Wish me strength - those kriyas are harder than they look and getting up is still a battle  

4h45 *aghast face* Nope I'm sticking to 5am at the moment, but I honestly gave it some thought as I don't have a full hour from 5-6am to get bible study and exercises done.

17 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

Not sure how to structure this goal yet, as I'll have to see when making them study and maybe helping them study is due and when break times, games, or outdoors times would be better... might just look at it a day at a time and do my best without a structured measure to go by.

I don't think you can structure it really, as it will chop and change as the needs chop and change. So your idea of taking it a day at a time sounds sound to me.

[lucky fire dragon]

2 hours ago, elizevdmerwe said:

Amen! That is the biggest thing we as wives/moms can ever realise! There will always be someone to disturb you doing your thing, even if it is the cat or dog. I'm back to pushing the loo door on lock, because the dogs keep pushing the mostly closed door open to have a look at me! So just do your thing as best you can.

 

Oh my! It's not that bad with me yet  I'll be grateful

 

2 hours ago, elizevdmerwe said:

4h45 *aghast face* Nope I'm sticking to 5am at the moment, but I honestly gave it some thought as I don't have a full hour from 5-6am to get bible study and exercises done.

 

That's the thing. By the time I've been to the bathroom, started a fire and fed the cats it's nearly quarter past 5 already and I have to be done by 6 in order to get my girl up on time.

Therefore the hesitance of doing any yoga before meditation because that would mean 4am or earlier...

So yes, better late than not at all. It'll just have to do.

 

2 hours ago, elizevdmerwe said:

I don't think you can structure it really, as it will chop and change as the needs chop and change. So your idea of taking it a day at a time sounds sound to me.

 

Kids and life can't be boxed in and I prefer it this way

[lucky fire dragon]

Oh my word I looked up the length of the local indoor swimming pool and it's 25m lapses - that means he will have to swim 24x!!!! How on earth will he do that

I'm totally done after 4 or 6 max and I know he is a teenager and much fitter than me, but 24 lapses

 

 

We'll have to go swim A LOT for this

[lucky fire dragon]

Oh okay, I googled the lake we swam a lot at last summer and see that swimming across is between 150 and 200m and we did that, both to the other side and back. So he swam 300m at least last summer in one go. 

 

Feeling slightly better now 

 

 

still - we'll have to train him lots!!

[lucky fire dragon]

Talking about training:

 

I've been trying out some kriyas for my mornings and so far I feel a little pathetic

 

Yesterday I did one for health and openess:

1) standing straight, fingers interlocked and arms straight you lower the arms and then lift them high to the left, lower to pointing down and lift high to right side, lower to pointing down and repeat for 2 minutes (so far so good)

2) standing straight, arms stretched out to the sides, from there move arms 45 degree down, back to horizontal, 45 degree up, back to horizontal and repeat for 4-5 minutes (could do 3 min maybe? How can arms tire so quickly )

3) standing straigh, arms stretched out in front, twisting arm to the right, keep them there while squatting low, get back up, arms back to front and repeat on left side, continue for 6 minutes

 

"Be sure to twist all the way to each side and when you squat down, come all the way down. This is an excellent exercise for keeping the knees flexible and for flushing toxins from the liver. It is also good for the cardiovascular system in general"

Hah, good to know - it motivated me to manage another 3 minutes, no way I can do 6

 

4) standing straight with arms straight out to the sides (what is it with all the arm lifting?!) bending slowly down from the waist while circling the straight arms in large forward circles to the count of 8 until beding down as much as possible, then coming back up while circling the straight arms backward to a count of 8. Continue for 4-5 minutes (again I only managed 2 or 3 as my arms felt like lead by then)

 

"This exercise improves spinal flexibility and helps you feel young!" okayyyyyyyyyy got a long way to go for that effect

 

5) sitting cross-legged, arms straight out to the sides, push straight arms 6-8 inches down, back to horizontal, bring 6-8 inches up, back to horizontal, repeat 3x then lower and on the up bring arms all the way up to clap hands. 2 min (I know it's pathetic but I only managed a little over 1 min!!) 

 

6) sitting with legs straight out in front, arms straight overhead, moving from there to touching toes (straight arms and legs) and back up for 54 repetitions of each part (managed 27 and only with lots of will power because I wanted to at least do half  )

 

7) relax for 5 min (halleluja)

 

8) lying down bring knees to chest and then stretch legs out straight, feet off the ground arms relaxed on the ground, repeat movement 108 times (ahahahaha, I managed 30 or so? maybe less)

 

9) standing a little wider than shoulder width, hands with fingers interlocked on top of head, squat down low and come back up quickly, repeat for a total of 26 (not sure if I remember right, but I might have managed this one)

 

then there was a chant and a short breathing exercise - heaven

 

 

How can this be?!!! I didn't think myself that weak - I know I've lost a lot but 

 

Am very proud to report that I still went to regular yoga class at night, which included lots of pranayama (great), stretches (even better) as well as some core strengthening and back strengthening (so bad at that one)

 

---------------------------------

 

Today I tried a different kriya in order to switch through and not overload the same muscles every morning. The idea is to find 3 different sets that I'd like to work on and alternate them.

 

Today I tried a kriya for the glands:

 

1) sitting cross-legged with hands on head (fingers spread and thumbs closing the ears), twisting left, center, right, center for 3 minutes (so far so good, I managed  )

2) sitting cross-legged with elbows tucked to the sides and hands up near shoulders, sitting very straight begin alternating raising the arms up to the sides, one hand up as the other comes down at a 60 degree angle - 3-4 minutes

 

"Move powerfully; the breath will become like a Breath of Fire. Try to tire yourself out doing this." 

 

Why do I take clues like that literally? No need to try -I was tired out and barely managed the 3 minutes, actually I think I only did 2 ... blaming it on DOMS from yesterday

 

3) sitting cross-legged, hands facing up resting on knees, lifting them high over the head on inhale and lowering back on exhale. Breathing through open mouth with inhale like a lion's roar; 4-5 minutes (well my lion was rather tame as youngest was having breakfast next to me and giving me those glances already  sadly I only managed 2 minutes again, what is wrong with my arms)

 

4) sitting cross-legged, straight arms out to the sides with hands in fists, lowering straight arms about a foot and bring back up, repeat, bring arms all the way up, back to horizontal and all the way up again - repeat entire sequence for 3 minutes (I think I managed 1 minute, maybe a few seconds more )

 

5) frog pose (yay the arms get a break, whoooohoooo) Squatting on balls of feet with heels touching and knees wide apart, inhale lift bum up all the way to a straight forward fold, exhale lower back, repeat for 3-4 min (omg I managed barely 90 seconds!)

 

6) lie on back, bring legs up and do bicycling motion for 3 minutes (yay, I got this ) 

 

7) shoulder stand, support back with hands and do bicycling motion with legs while spine as straight as possible for 2-3 minutes (I love shoulder stand, so this was okay too, did 2 minutes)

 

8) Plow pose and from there bring one leg straight back up and alternate (like scissor motion) for 1 minute (yay I got this, too )

 

then there was a chant while sitting with hands in a shoulder height position in front of chest
some more chanting while bending forward from there in stages 

 

finally some fire breath while folding all the way forward from the cross-legged seat aaaaaaaaaaaaaand relax

 

 

 

So apart from the arm exercises today went much better, but I still felt pathetic for being totally done for from such little things. Went for a lovely hot bath afterwards instead of cold shower (the deep breathing exercises got me sweating, my hair needed washing and that is too much for a cold shower, also it is week zero after all)

 

[raptron]

That is a big morning routine! I look forward to seeing how it goes. 

And oh man, 600m is definitely a lot of swimming, but if you guys have done half of that, it's okay. 500m at swim meets always took soooo long. 

[annyshay]

1 hour ago, raptron said:

That is a big morning routine! I look forward to seeing how it goes. 

And oh man, 600m is definitely a lot of swimming, but if you guys have done half of that, it's okay. 500m at swim meets always took soooo long. 

^^ this

[annyshay]

4 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

I know it's pathetic but I only managed a little over 1 min!!

Fixed that for you.

 

4 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

How can this be?!!! I didn't think myself that weak - I know I've lost a lot but 

 

Am very proud to report that I still went to regular yoga class at night, which included lots of pranayama (great), stretches (even better) as well as some core strengthening and back strengthening (so bad at that one)

Um. That's not weak. That Kriya sounds INTENSE. My arms hurt from reading it. Going to yoga class at night is SUPER IMPRESSIVE. Just what a Fire Dragon would do.

 

4 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

Today I tried a different kriya in order to switch through and not overload the same muscles every morning. The idea is to find 3 different sets that I'd like to work on and alternate them.

This sounds wise.

 

4 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

I still felt pathetic for being totally done for from such little things

NOT PATHETIC.

 

Dang girl, where did you find such torture?

[lucky fire dragon]

2 hours ago, raptron said:

That is a big morning routine! I look forward to seeing how it goes. 

 

Thanks, me too

 

2 hours ago, raptron said:

And oh man, 600m is definitely a lot of swimming, but if you guys have done half of that, it's okay. 500m at swim meets always took soooo long. 

 

that is comforting to know  He is optimistic now that he knows how far he swam across the lake last year. Just did 10 push ups, pull ups and sit ups together and woah, he's got such a nice 6 pack  but no clue on technique  so we will have to train a bit for those too. Still, I think he'll be fine

 

23 minutes ago, annyshay said:

Fixed that for you.

 

Thank you, that's what friends are for 

 

23 minutes ago, annyshay said:

 

Um. That's not weak. That Kriya sounds INTENSE. My arms hurt from reading it. Going to yoga class at night is SUPER IMPRESSIVE. Just what a Fire Dragon would do.

 

Thanks again. It just seems silly, I mean it's not even weighted, but yeah, I guess it's movement I'm just not used to at all and over time even the most simple things can tire. Every new exercise I do it once to see what's what, feel "oh that's alright" and a few reps later, I'm dead  

Thanks for the cheers, much appreciated!

 

23 minutes ago, annyshay said:

 

This sounds wise.

 

It was suggested for the beginners

 

23 minutes ago, annyshay said:

 

NOT PATHETIC.

 

Dang girl, where did you find such torture?

 

In a kriya yoga book that collected the teachings of Yogi Bhajan who brought kundalini yoga to the US in the 70s. Not for sissys it seems  yet people flocked to him...

what doesn't kill you and all that, I guess

 

Seriously though, I do feel fresher throughout the day afterwards and kind of good in a clear, happy way. Also the comments on what it will assist the body with (activating glands, getting lymphatic fluids flowing, clearing out the lungs etc) seems absolutely reasonable to me. So I'm really motivated to keep going

[annyshay]

4 minutes ago, lucky fire dragon said:

It just seems silly, I mean it's not even weighted, but yeah, I guess it's movement I'm just not used to at all and over time even the most simple things can tire.

I'm guessing this is a BIG DEAL here because you nailed the stuff that sounds vaguely like pole to me.  Also, as a piccolo player. I know that just our arms held out over a long time is tiring.

[@mu]

Full on challenge!

 

For the Persian New Year, people buy goldfish in glass bowls. Full of metaphor and symbolism. We don't like to bother fish though, so we have a little Murano glass fish instead, here is a picture for you, wishing you the best for this new challenge

 

 

4 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

So apart from the arm exercises today went much better, but I still felt pathetic for being totally done for from such little things

 

Mhm actually arm rotations and holds are serious killers. 4-5 minutes of those are very hard!

[Lightning]

On 3/13/2018 at 11:18 AM, lucky fire dragon said:

It's better to do it imperfect than not doing it at all

 

I should make that my mantra!  

 

You're off to an amazing start. Love the goal to be a supportive Momma. It's a silent goal of mine and I never thought to add it into my challenge.  I know you'll be amazing.

[Norgaard]

I love that meditation routine! 

 

4:45 is where I need to get up :(. I need to be back

in m evening meditation gear!

[Mad Hatter]

Man do I feel like a lazy bum when I wake up at 7 and by 9:30 I count it as a win if I've managed to eat breakfast.

 

Good luck!

[lucky fire dragon]

21 hours ago, annyshay said:

I'm guessing this is a BIG DEAL here because you nailed the stuff that sounds vaguely like pole to me.  Also, as a piccolo player. I know that just our arms held out over a long time is tiring.

 

ooooh piccolo  do you still play? 
Good point, at choir holding the music sheets is ok, but during concert holding them up in a proper file for the whole hour through, ugh ... and that has the elbows still tucked. True, thanks for pointing that out.

 

21 hours ago, @mu said:

Full on challenge!

 

It really is  no more easy slowly getting back into things, don't know how this happened, but I guess it's time 

 

21 hours ago, @mu said:

 

For the Persian New Year, people buy goldfish in glass bowls. Full of metaphor and symbolism. We don't like to bother fish though, so we have a little Murano glass fish instead, here is a picture for you, wishing you the best for this new challenge

 

 

I LOVE THIS! Thanks for sharing, what an adorable token 

 

21 hours ago, @mu said:

 

 

Mhm actually arm rotations and holds are serious killers. 4-5 minutes of those are very hard!

 

Thanks for the support, you guys all made me feel much better

and now I am determined for super strong arms...

 

 

15 hours ago, Lightning said:

 

I should make that my mantra!  

 

Me too

 

15 hours ago, Lightning said:

 

You're off to an amazing start. Love the goal to be a supportive Momma. It's a silent goal of mine and I never thought to add it into my challenge.  I know you'll be amazing.

 

Do it - aren't all the goals we put on here silent goals as well? That's what challenges are really good for: reminding us, what is important to us and what we really want to go for.

Thanks, it's bizarre, but I'm slightly worried about starting off so strong... it often ended soon after with me not being able to keep it up and then falling off the wagon completely.... hmmmm will have to create some room for adjustments in case

 

6 hours ago, Norgaard said:

I love that meditation routine! 

 

4:45 is where I need to get up :(. I need to be back

in m evening meditation gear!

 

Woah! Do you go to work that early?  
Yes, do it!!!! Whenever I am tempted to lie in, I realize the normal relaxation time is by far not as relaxing as the meditation, even though I have to get up for it and sit up  

Evening will be just as precious. What kind of meditation do you usually do?

 

2 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Man do I feel like a lazy bum when I wake up at 7 and by 9:30 I count it as a win if I've managed to eat breakfast.

 

Hahaha, I know that feeling so well and that was me for most of my life. Still not sure which alien slipped into me for getting up earlier voluntarily

Don't feel bad, you go climbing at night still, when I crawl indoors and hardly venture out anymore. We all play in different ways

 

 

2 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks!! I'm going to need it

[Norgaard]

It depending. Sometime prayanama sometime guided meditations sometime on thoughts or feelings

[lucky fire dragon]

1 minute ago, Norgaard said:

It depending. Sometime prayanama sometime guided meditations sometime on thoughts or feelings

 

all very nice 

[lucky fire dragon]

Sadhana

Another morning accomplished 

Well, unplanned, because I was sooooo tired this morning, I was seriously planning to delay, said to hubby today I'm going to sleep in and switched my alarm off, but then the cat scratched so stubbornly on our door, because he didn't want us to sleep in - he wanted breakfast and he wanted it NOW. Hubby got up and put the light on to get his clothes and went off to tend to cats, fire and meditate, so of course by then I was awake enough to realize I might as well go and join him  Pets - you gotta love them otherwise they would probably not live very long

 

Meditated on Blessing the Energy Centers again, which I currently enjoy very much. Guided meditation by Dr Joe with really nice music too and instead of placing symbols into the centers I try and connect deeply with the Divine Intelligence that lives inside of them already and that always feels amazing. Some days it's easier, on others it's harder, but it feels good on all days

 

Pranayama was a kriya for balancing energy where you place one hand on the thigh side of the left knee and the other hand where collarbones and sternum meet (to stimulate the thymus gland) and then breath quickly through the mouth, using your cheeks like blowing bubbles. 5 minutes of this, then 2 more with normal breath and another 2 minutes with head and shoulders dropped. The 5 minutes bubble blowing looked and sounded quite funny and youngest kept glancing from the breakfast table to me with curiousity until she couldn't hold it anymore and got into a laughter fit... which got me laughing as well of course and now go and try a breathing exercise while laughing - no way!

Calmed down after a minute or so and went through the rest stubbornly focused (hah!) mental strrrrrrrrength AND our smile theme continuing  

 

Then I tackled a kriya for the navel center and elimination. I chose it because it looked like an allrounder, working the complete body and being less taxing on the arms:

1) lying on back, legs slightly lifted, alternately bending the knees to chest while breathing deeply. 1-2 minutes, I did 2, woot woot (first exercises are always nice, being still fresh and all )

2) Still on back, straight leg lifts with both legs together for 3 sets of 1 minute movement, 30 sec rest. I did 45 sec movement and 45 seconds rest

3) Cobra pose, kicking butt with alternate heels, 2 minutes (did it, yay)

4) Bow pose and rolling forward and back for 2 minutes (small range of motion, but somehow easier than holding still, managed 1min 40 sec)

5) Spinal rolls, so basically the same other way round, lying on back tucked into a bald and rolling forward and back. (much bigger range of motion, easier movement, somehow I gradually ended up moving forward  this was fun, did full 2 minutes)

6) relax in childs pose for 1-2 minutes

 

7) lying on back, lifting straight legs about 6 inches, raising head and shoulders, fire breath for 2-3 minutes (managed 1min 30 sec, ooof)

8) Locus pose, lying on stomach with arms stretched forward, fingers interlocked, lifting straight arms and legs, fire breath for 1-2 minutes (managed the 1 minute but boy oh boy  )

9) Standing up, arms hanging, bending sideways alternating like a pendulum, 2 minutes (went well enough)

10) Standing twist, twisting from side to side with arms stretched out at shoulder height and the arm of the side you turn away from bent so that hand touches chest, swinging alternating left and right, 2 minutes (went well as well)

11) Standing forward bend, bending down with knees straight, inhaling up and reaching straight arms way over head while leaning back as far as possible, hold for 10 sec, repeat 10-20 times. (I struggled a bit here with how the breath is supposed to flow, in the end what worked best was simply holding it while holding the 10 sec at the top and relaxing on the way down. Got me slightly dizzy so I gave myself a few breaths time to recover during the fold position and did only 10 in total, felt dizzy and refreshing at once, if that makes any sense)

12) repeating 1) lying on back, legs slightly lifted, alternately bending the knees to chest while breathing deeply. 1-2 minutes (this time I only did 1 minute  not so cocky any more)

13) alternate leg lifts, lying on back lifting one straight leg at a time all the way to 90 degrees and back, 2 minutes (not easy because I was tired by then, but I managed, yay)

 

14) sitting on heels, inhaling with "sat" and exhaling with "naam" as mantra, 5 minutes (this would have been so delicious at that point, but I had to take a break sending my boy off to school and making sure, he had everything for his day prepared, was still nice after  )

15) sitting on heels, raising hands overhead with palms together, thumbs crossed, chanting Sat Naam verbally with activating pelvic floor rhythmically, 2 minutes (who knew 2 minutes are so long!! But I managed, whooohooo)

16) sitting with legs straight in front, arms stretched out to front at shoulder height, fire breath for 2 minutes (those 2 minutes seemed even longer, but I did it )

17) sitting crosslegged raising arms overhead, close eyes and meditate for 3-5 minutes (I think I managed 2 in the pose? more or less at least)

 

Relax... that magic word

 

 

 

 

Water

cold shower was had with thorough soaping and washing, except for the hair, which I skipped 

am at 1.5 liters at the moment, still half a liter to go for today

 

Inspiration

about to go for this. Discovered Good Omens as a free audio book on youtube and that sucked some time away, that I could have spent studying, but hey fun times

 

10 minutes of reading per day

keeping my 4TW streak going (444 words per day, currently my streak is 61 days) will be enough.

Wrote over 2000 words on my workshop script yesterday and will continue on it now now, am having such fun with this!! Can't wait for the actual workshop next weekend (not this one, the one thereafter)

 

Mom support

Did well on this yesterday, today not so much yet as both kids had afternoon school and we're all really tired today for some reason. Well with them it's obvious as my boy had a lot of exams this week and afternoon lessons, my girl I think is still exhausted from the birthday weekend and had lots of school work and long days as well... I shouldn't be tired compared to them, but I am 

 

Won't make us do any pull ups today, I think as my boy had sports at school and I had my thorough morning workout, but have arranged with him some study time, where I help him prep for tomorrows physics/biology/chemistry test

 

Not bad for week zero, but I am seriously wondering, how on earth I'll be able to keep this up if it tires me out like this  also I was sooooooo hungry today

[annyshay]

12 minutes ago, lucky fire dragon said:

 

Not bad for week zero, but I am seriously wondering, how on earth I'll be able to keep this up if it tires me out like this  also I was sooooooo hungry today

Feed and sleep those new muscles!!!

[lucky fire dragon]

just studied for an hour with my boy on nervous system etc, now I'm feeding on some white wine while writing

also had some baked toast with youngest earlier and generally ate well. My problem is all the tempting sweets left over from the bday party...