With my current yoga streak I am taking a more relaxed approach and that is GREAT! In my first streak I committed to 15 minutes of yoga a day and it had to be a straight 15 minutes. There is no yoga streak rule book that I know of and I made up these rules and with failing to meet that minimum due to running goals, I ended my streak.I was fine with that. Really I was but like all things in life, things change and I started my yoga streak up again. And this time I said if a mile can take me 10 minutes at an easy pace why not commit to 10 minutes of yoga a day? Then I mellowed out some more and said, hey girlie, why do those 10 minutes need to be continuous? I have lots of little moments in my day when I can strike a pose...or a few...and those moments add up. I try to stick to a minimum of 4-5 minutes just because I feel it takes me that long to start getting some benefit emotionally and physically.
And yes, I do yoga breaks now almost every day. On the weekends I tend to do longer sessions and sometimes a nice 30 minute class but those 5 minutes are adding up to a better me. My co-workers are used to my yoga breaks at work now and I very seldom get odd looks anymore. Those only come from the random visitors to our office. And my poses are getting more ambitious. Just the other day I tossed in some King Dancer poses at my work desk. Of course, the poses I select do have to be tied in properly to what I am wearing and I am fortunate enough to work in atmosphere where casual wear is okay and sometimes I just may be wearing yoga pants. Hence, the King Dancer opportunity.
But some days I dress up and adjust my poses accordingly. A nice dress means no King Dancer but forward folds and poses to open my shoulders and chest are possible. And I do a lot of Palm Tree as it loosens my ankles from standing at my desk all day and I can tell I am getting much stronger with that pose. Plus I focus on pulling in my core and not swaying and perhaps that is why I was able to pull off a 2:30 minute plank after not planking for months!
Besides my own physical strength and well-being, yoga breaks are making me a more productive worker. When I feel my mind going numb or my data entry slowing down, I take a yoga break. I get back to entering at a nice pace as my body is energized, my blood flowing beautifully, and perhaps just giving my mind a moment or two to reflect on my posture and breathing pays off too.
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful that I am able to take care of me at work.
Daily Bible Verse: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ~ John 6:47
