21 Day Yoga Challenge

I’m freaking out!

I officially only have 21 days left, until I get on a plane, and leave for vacation. A well-needed vacation…

In order to avoid inducing panic attacks due to my overwhelming number of tasks I have to accomplish in the next few weeks, I’ve decided to give myself a 21 day yoga challenge.

This will help me relax and breathe, while still giving me a seriously great workout. My goal is: 1 full hour of yoga per day, for the next 21 days.

I have exams coming up, 3 staff holiday parties to attend, 1 birthday, Christmas shopping, and three paintings to finish. No big deal, right?

Simply writing out that list makes my chest tighten.

That’s exactly why I need a release. Yoga will help my body and mind relax through meditation and exercise, and this practice will help increase my feeling of well-being.

Do you have any advice for me?

Let me know in the comments below, I would appreciated anything that will help make the next 21 days less stressful.

But seriously… VACATION! I’m so excited I could cry.

My 30 Day Yoga Challenge (Day 10)

If you follow me on Twitter, you may already know that I’ve officially started a 30 day yoga challenge with my friend Katie. What our challenge entails is a minimum of a 1 hour practice every day for 30 days straight.

Today we have completed day 10 of the challenge at Pure Yoga. The good news is my downward dog is slowly improving, and I’ve asked Nick to take pictures of me to help track my progression.

As a reward to myself for completing this challenge, I will be treating myself to my very first pair of Lululemon yoga pants. I want the High Times *Luxtreme (Mesh):

High Times *Luxtreme (Mesh)

I’ve also been slowly updating my morning routine. My goal is to feel less rushed and have enough time to eat before running out the door.

Here’s a quick insight to my current morning routine:

• 5:30 AM: My alarm goes off.
• 5:45 AM: Getting out of bed and first morning stretch.
• 5:47 AM: Brushing my teeth and getting dressed for yoga.
• 5:53 AM: Filling my favorite BKR bottle.

My BKR bottle (in Tiptoe)

• 5:55 AM: Eating a banana and drinking lemon water.
• 6:00 AM: Grabbing my bags, kissing my dogs and Nick goodbye.
• 6:05 AM: Heading to Yoga class with Katie.
• 6:30 AM: Hot Power Yoga class. (Great core workout!)
• 7:35 AM: Showering, and getting ready for work.
• 8:30 AM: Work and coffee time!

Morning coffee ♥

I honestly believe that my lemon water and light snack before yoga class has really improved my energy level in class and throughout the day. Making small modifications to a routine can make a significant impact – so don’t wait to change your entire routine, make small changes today that will help you build the healthier lifestyle you desire.

Do you have any suggestions to help me improve my morning routine?

Hot Yoga & Morning Essentials

Last night I got approximately 2 hours of sleep, thanks to the intolerable heat and humidity in my apartment. Basically, today… I am exhausted.

However, luckily I had planned to go to my usual hot yoga class at Pranashanti at 6:30 AM. Waking up wasn’t easy, but being there made it worth it. There wasn’t one single moment that I wished I was back in my bed – and I ALWAYS wish I was back in my bed. Today’s class was a great mix of balance, flow and core workout. We are all happy to have you back Angela!

In addition to my lovely yoga class, I purchased a BKR glass water bottle and I’m absolutely in love with it. The bottle is made out of glass with a light purple silicone sleeve. It’s BPA-Free, Phthalate-Free and FDA approved. Checkout their website below to read more about the founders’ story.

http://www.mybkr.com/

“Beauty will save the world / La beauté sauvera le monde” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Morning Essentials – August 18, 2015

That makes today’s morning essentials:

• My BKR glass water bottle (in Tiptoe)
• My Intensive Care Argan Oil Lip Salve (Be Better – from Rexall)
• My favorite new sunglasses by Oscar De La Renta

My goal lately has been to drink more water, which is something I’ve always struggled with. So, I’ve set an attainable daily target of 5 full refills of my BKR bottle (16 oz.) for a total of 80 oz. of water per day.

Stay hydrated everyone!

Dragonborn

If you’ve ever played Skyrim, you don’t need an explanation. If you haven’t played Skyrim, and don’t know what is a Dragonborn, well… you should really play Skyrim. But basically, it means one who has been born with the blood and soul of a dragon.

Today, in my Thursday morning Hot Flow Yoga class, we did the “Flying Dragon” pose, and I can’t say it enough, it’s by far been my favorite yoga pose. Which obviously means I must be Dragonborn.

Obviously.

The teacher that has taken over the Thursday class at Pranashanti is absolutely amazing. She has great energy and the 1 hour class almost feels short because I’m having so much fun. Keep in mind that this class starts at 6:30 AM – and I am NOT a morning person, so that truly says a lot.

My main goal is to practice my fold at least once a day until I can do it with my legs straight.

“It’s about progress. Not perfection.”

Tonight I will keep working on my artwork for “Beans Now. Steak Later.”
Please refer to my last blog post to see what I am talking about!

Here’s what it looks like so far:

Beans Now. Steak Later.

Updates to come!

Have a great day lovelies.

Hot Yoga & “Super Better”

Well… My 6:30 AM Hot Yoga class kicked my ass this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever been that sweaty in my entire life. It was excruciating… But absolutely worth it.

To be fair, I’m very new at yoga practice, and I am not flexible to begin with. This makes this entire process a lot of work for me. BUT, I’m sticking to it, and enjoying it more and more each day.

This is the yoga studio I’ve been visiting lately:

PranaShanti Yoga Centre
52 Armstrong Street, Ottawa
Twitter: @pranashanti

In other exciting news… This morning I pre-ordered Super Better by Jane McGonigal, and I am Super Excited, haha. The book will be released September 15th, 2015, but you can pre-order it here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=super+better

Super Better by Jane McGonigal

I was first introduced to Jane McGonigal in Tim Ferris’ podcast: Jane McGonigal on Getting More Done with Less Stress and The Health Benefits of Gaming.

Basically, she does a lot of research that involves the health benefits associated with playing video games – and that of course, is right up my alley!

Where can I sign up to be a part of this research?!

Have a lovely Tuesday! xx