James Walsh Yoga

Friday, September 27, 2019, Woke at my normal time of 4:25AM for coffee and contemplation. Took longer than usual to lallygag around before hitting my mat; as I type this, it's 5:57AM, and I'm rearing to go.  Ten minutes of meditation, prayers, and reflection before it's time for some asana/postures. Time to sweat it out.

Thursday, September 26, 2019, Woke a bit later than usual this morning, at 5:15AM. I'm on my mat at 6:00AM, and will go through my usual prayers, meditation, and pranayama (breathing exercises), before I move into my physical poses/asanas. Thursday, September 26, 2019 (Part II), It's 7:27AM, and I need to get a move on. Amazing practice.  Full sequence.  No time to post about my feelings and how great I am. #lulz Time to shower up and enter the day. Namaste

Tuesday, September 24, 2019 Woke again at my usual 4:25AM. Feeling slightly tired this morning, but won't let that throw me off. It's 5:34AM as I type this, so I'm going to begin my morning prayers and meditation and move into my practice. Tuesday, September 24, 2019 (Part II), 7:13AM as I type this part two.  that's close to two hours on my mat. Feeling marvelous, but also feeling like I need to get a move on. Namaste

Monday, September 23, 2019, Starting the week of right, on my mat. Monday, September 23, 2019 (Part II), No time for much of a post-practice update.  Feeling great, and ready to enter the world. Namate

Thursday, September 19, 2019, Woke at my usual yoga time of 4:25AM this morning. Could not get out of bed yesterday, and slept in until a staggering 7:00AM; nothing left to do at that point beyond gulp some coffee and get ready for work. Having this time in the morning really is an essential part of entering your day strong, secure, and balanced. I practiced on Tuesday of this week and, while I'm glad I hit my mat, it was a sort of 3/4 practice, and not my usual routine.  I'll be following my usual routine this morning. Time to sweat it out. Thursday, September 19, 2019 (Part II) I'm on my mat, having just come out of Savasana. Today was the first time, in a long time, that I dove into my practice, and started off with a solid 20+ minutes of prayer and meditation; it's a complete game changer. Physically, there were no limits in this morning's practice.  Chataranga was strong and effortless, and strenuous poses that combine balance+stretch+focus, wer...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019, I woke up yesterday at 4:30AM.  I'd completed a training run the day before and, after feeling the tenderness that was left in my body after my run paired with the fatigue of getting up early, I went immediately back to bed. This morning, however, I'm up and rearing to go.  I'm a bit behind schedule, with a 5:55AM start time on my mat, but I'm going to begin with a long and luxurious warm up to gently break apart some of that sore, tender feeling in my body. Time to sweat it out. Tuesday, September 17, 2019 (Part II), I feel marvelous every time I finish a practice.  I spent most of my time this morning rolling around and warming up on my mat; after not practicing for a week or so, there's enough tenderness to breakthrough to last for 15-20 minutes. Went through my Sun Salutes at a slow, but deliberate pace, and lingered in Sun Salute B to extend the poses of Pigeon, Reverse Warrior, Deep-lunge, and Deep-lunge+twist. Feelin...

Wednesday, September 11, 2019 Hitting my mat for the first time in a few weeks.  Much of my travel is behind me, for now, and I'm refocusing attention and dedication to my well-being. I'll save time this morning, and have a simple pre-practice post.  I'm feeling good, and ready to see what happens on my mat. Wednesday, September 11, 2019 (Part II) I'm on my mat having just come out of Savasana.  I'm feeling marvelous and ready to continue my day.  I was shocked at how strong but weak I felt today on my mat; strong in that I could feel my body supporting itself and I could feel my build working to keep poses sustained, but weak in that, with all of the running I've been doing lately, I felt tender, and sore in most of my joints.  That's an old story, that I've written about many times.  The only remedy is to continue hitting my mat. Namaste

Monday, August 19, 2019, Starting the week off right, on my mat. A bit late to the mat (it's 5:58AM as I type this), so I'm getting right to it. Time to sweat it out. Monday, August 19, 2019 (Part II), It's 7:08AM as I type this and I'm on my mat, having just come out of Savasana. Again, no time for a robust post-practice post, but I'm proud that I started my week out on my mat. Time to enter the world. Namaste

Friday, August 16, 2019 Woke up at the usual 4:30AM this morning. On my mat now, and ready to being. Friday, August 16, 2019 (Part II) It's 6:57AM as I type this post-practice post. Again, no time to really elaborate on how the practice went (which, I suppose, is the whole point of this blog).  Do I get up earlier in the morning to allow more time to practice and post afterwards....4:30AM seems early enough.  I'm going to take what I have from my practice and bring it out into the world.  Namaste

Wednesday, August 14, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:30AM.  It's 5:40AM as I type this, and I'm going to begin immediately. Time to sweat it out. Wednesday, August 14, 2019 (Part II) Great practice. No time to post-practice post. Namaste

Monday, August 12, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:30AM.  Going to try to replicate last week's disciplined approach to yoga. A bit late to my mat so I'm going to begin meditation, prayer, and breathing exercises immediately. Time to sweat it out. Monday, August 12, 2019 (Part II), Delighted to have started my week off on the right foot.  My mat is drenched, I am drenched, and I'm feeling balanced and motivated to enter the world. Not enough time for a proper post-practice update, but suffice to say, all is well and the 1.5 hours I spent on my mat is well worth it. Namaste

Friday, August 9, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:30AM this morning. My alarm didn't go off yesterday for some reason (I later found out I'd silenced my phone to mute before going to bed).  No yoga yesterday! I'm on my mat, getting ready for another marvelous practice. Time to sweat it out. Friday, August 9, 2019 (Part II), 7:02AM and I've just come out of Savasana. The practice was marvelous and I executed the deepest backbends I've done for a while. Time to shower up and enter the day. Namaste

Wednesday, August 7, 2019 Woke at my normal yoga time 4:30AM.  This will be my third practice this week. For whatever reason, it's still difficult to get up at that time; when I hear my alarm go off, I walk across the room to my robe (where my phone/alarm is), and I have a fleeting moment where I'm being pulled back into the bed so strongly. I literally force myself to put on my robe, and walk out of the room where my precious precious coffee awaits in the kitchen. lol Time to sweat it out. Wednesday, August 7, 2019 (Part II) Great practice.  7:02AM. No time to post much content afterwards. Namaste

Tuesday, August 6, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:30AM again this morning ready to hit my mat. For some reason, I wake and I'm almost instantly pushed back into my bed; I don't know why.  I don't have the urge or the yearning to hit my mat anymore. I remember this happening right at the beginning of this blog (two years ago), and I had to muscle through it. I'm not going to bug about it, and I'm going to continue to push myself back onto my mat until it becomes a habit again. Time to sweat it out. Tuesday, August 6, 2019 (Part II), I'm writing this on my mat having just come out of Savasana. I took not today that, from start to finish my practice lasts for about 1.25 hours.  Don't know why I realized that this morning, but it just came to mind.  I began at 5:30AM and, as I type this, it's 6:54AM.  Time to shower and enter the day.  The practice was marvelous. Namaste

Monday, August 5, 2019, Back home, and back to a normal life after two weeks of back to back traveling. I woke at my usual 4:30AM for coffee and contemplation, and I'm on my mat at my usual 5:30AM to begin my practice with prayer and meditation. Time to sweat it out. Monday, August 5, 2019 (Part II), I'm on my mat having just come out of Savasana.  I've said it many times in this blog but I really do need to factor in more post-yoga blog time. I had a marvelous practice, and am feeling renewed and stabilized.  Time to shower up and enter the day. Namaste

Tuesday, July 23, 2019, Woke again in Seattle feeling marvelous. I don't have much time for a pre-practice post this morning so I'm going to begin my warm up and get right to it. Tuesday, July 23, 2019 (Part II), Feeling marvelous after this morning's practice.  I would say that I feel slightly "stodgy" and "bloated" as I move today. I felt a bit of this yesterday, but I'm feeling it more pronounced today.  I slipped out of a routine practice for the month of May and June; I'm not sure why.  A practice isn't always great, as this morning's wasn't great, but it's always an excellent way to start your day.  I'm going to continue to rebuild. Time to get in the shower and enter the day! Namaste

Monday, July 22, 2019 I'm traveling for work and have taken my new mat on its first voyage. In the lovely city of Seattle, on my hotel room floor, getting ready to practice. Feeling good, and looking forward to what my practice will bring. Monday, July 22, 2019, One cannot deny how marvelous one feels after a strong and focused practice.  I don't know why I haven't been hitting my mat with enthusiasm lately but I've gotten out of the habit of waking early and going to my mat. Today's practice allowed me to rekindle some of that warmth, peace, and understanding that comes after a good yoga practice; there's nothing like it.  Mentally, I feel stable, focused and powerful.  Physically, I feel relaxed, and strong.  Spiritually, I feel humbled.  I always pray and meditate before and after my practice (and during), and it feels good to offer yourself up to God in devotion.  One's silly and feeble problems seem complex and unsolvable at first and then,...

Tuesday July 16, 2019 Still haven't gotten back into my yoga swing. I haven't practiced in a month.  No biggie.  I can regain what I lost but, for some reason, when my alarm goes off at 4:30AM, I've gotten into the bad habit of simply hitting the snooze, and not rustling again until 6:30AM. When I do wake, for some reason, there's almost no draw, whatsoever, to hit my mat.  I consider it, and then I think, " I don't even want to do that" , and then go back to bed.  lol . #lazy I did wake at my usual 4:30AM this morning, and I am  going to have, at least, an abbreviated practice to see where things are at. Time to sweat it out. Tuesday, July 16, 2019 (Part II) Great practice.  No time to post after my practice.  Namaste

Monday, June 17, 2019 I think this has been the longest hiatus from my mat that I've had since I began this blog in the Winter of 2016. No worries, however.  I'll quickly regain what I lost. I have purchased a new mat, and will be retiring the one I've had for over 20 years.  This is a big deal to me, as I've considered my mat an almost sacred thing that I've developed a relationship with through the years. It was time to replace it, however, and I've invested in a traditional cotton yoga mat; one that gets stickier and more stable the wetter it get with your sweat. I'm going to warm up and go through my practice. Monday, June 17, 2019 (Part II) I'm writing this on my new mat, having just come out of Savasana. This was my first practice on my new mat, and my first experience with a traditional cotton yoga mat.  I have to say that I enjoyed it, and will have no problem acclimating to this new material's look and feel.  It definitely stuc...

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 Two weeks since my last practice. This may be the longest I've ever gone without hitting my mat!  NBD. In the past few week's I've had wonderful changes occurring in my life, and I haven't been able to get out of bed until, some times, as late as 6:45AM. I woke at my usual 4:30AM this morning and will attempt to keep in this routine until the weekend. Time to pray and meditate and sweat it out. Wednesday, May 22, 2019 (Part II) Two Weeks off my mat didn't put too much of a damper on my body or spirit. Practice was marvelous this morning, but I've definitely lost flexibility in my legs; I've been jogging with more regularity lately, and it's wonderful for your lungs and heart, but reverts your flexibility back to zero if not stretched out regularly.  Spiritually and mentally, I noticed myself loving the practice and controlling my thoughts and my mind fairly well.  I'll move with confidence today as I've al...