James Walsh Yoga

Wednesday, October 30, 2019, Writing this on my iPhone as my MacBook is actin a fool this morning! #apple4lyfe. I feel wonderful, and rested and balanced this week, so I’ve had no problems getting up at my usual 4:25am and starting my practice at 5:30am. Speaking of which, it’s 5:36am as I type this, so let’s begin...

Tuesday, October 29, 2019, I'm putting myself back into my routine of 4:25AM wake up call.  It's easy to get back into (I tell myself this morning). It's 5:25AM as I type this, and I've had a lovely hour to myself this morning with coffee and contemplation #strangerthings I'm going to challenge myself to hit my mat each morning this week; I need to sweat out some of the weekend still. Tuesday, October 29, 2019 (Part II), I'm off my mat, already showered, and ready for my day. I want this blog to be a resource to those looking to deepen their practice, but I may need to carve out more time in the mornings if I'm going to attempt that; I always seem to run out of time, and can't provide a proper, post-practice update. Today's practice was strong, controlled, and marvelous; backbends are the cure-all for every ailment; mental and physical. Namaste

Monday, October 28, 2019, Starting the week off right, on my mat. It's 5:39AM as I type this, and I'm going to keep this pre-practice post brief to get as much time into my practice as possible. Time to sweat it out. Monday, October 28, 2019 (Part II), I'm writing this on my mat having just come out of Savasana. No time for much of an update, but this morning's practice was strong, and focused; I ended it with exceptional backbends.  I'm feeling fit and ready for action! Namaste

Wednesday, October 23, 2019, I'm in Dallas TX for work and woke this morning at my usual time. There wasn't enough time to have a full practice, so I enjoyed my coffee, and then started a simplified practice of just my Sun Salute A, Sun Salute B, and then Padangusthasana and Padahastasana before going into Yoga Mudra, and Savasana. I still allowed myself prayer and meditation, before warming up and actually beginning my practice and, due to the temperature I set my hotel room to, I worked up a sweat very quickly.  I intentionally made my Sun Salutes strong and powerful, pushing myself physically.  It's actually 5:30PM as I type this, and I'm going to attempt to practice again tomorrow, however brief. Namaste

Monday, October 21, 2019, For whatever reason, I couldn't get up at all last week (except for Tuesday). Today, however, I'm starting off the week right, on my mat.  It's 5:28AM as I type this, so I'm going to allow myself a deep and relaxing warm-up before going into my practice. Monday, October 21, 2019 (Part II), Went on the lightest of runs Friday evening (a whopping 20 minutes), and felt stiffened from it on my mat today. It was either that, or the long day of fun I had on Saturday. My practice was good this morning, but it wasn't focused.  My body felt very stiff and sore in my legs and back.  None the less, I worked through it, and feel much better physically and mentally. Time to shower up and enter the world. Namaste

Tuesday, October 15, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:25AM this morning. It's 5:31AM as I type this, and I'm going to begin prayers and meditation. Tuesday, October 15, 2019 (Part II), I'm writing this at 7:01AM, having just come out of Savasana.  From start to finish, I'm noticing that I spend almost exactly 1.5 hours on my mat every morning.  Today, I have to say that I felt strong and controlled physically, but was dealing with mild degrees of mental "demons"; their names are "Anger", "Fear", and "Anxiety".  #lulz I am lucky in that my mental demons are almost always relatively small, and manageable, as they are this morning.  I don't suffer from extreme versions of any demons.  However small they might seem, even traces of these demons can have terrible domino effects in a person.  I always feel better after burning through them with a strong physical practice, like this mornings. Time to shower up and enter the day...

Wednesday, October 9, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:25AM this morning. Woke on Monday morning, and couldn't hack it; went right back to bed, feeling run-down, and under the weather.  Dragged it out of bed to go to work, and then came right back home at the end of the day, ate, and crawled into bed by 5:30PM to sleep.  Nothing is better than large amounts of sleep and rest when you're feeling run down. Woke at 4:25AM yesterday morning only to find my trusty coffee machine decided to put out an error code and not work.  No coffee was waiting for me when I woke up.  Back to bed. Today, the stars all aligned, and I'm back on my mat at my usual 5:30AM to begin my practice.  Physically, I'm feeling well, but there's an ever present soreness in my lower back.  I believe this is residual ache leftover from some of the strong backbends I did on Friday of last week. Mentally and spiritually, I'm feeling good.  Solid, and stable and eager for a good day. Ti...

Friday, October 4, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:25AM this morning, feeling marvelous. It's 5:41AM as I type this, so I'm a bit behind schedule. I've been posting scant, petite, little updates here, not really delving into the practice, or giving the reader anything to build off of from their practice.  I'm going to continue re-establishing my practice (that I neglected for a few months), and then re-think how I can post, and share this content. Time to sweat it out. Friday, October 4, 2019 (Part II), I'm writing this having come out of the shower. Today's practice was excellent and I executed the strongest backbends I've done in months. Delighted to be back in it. Namaste

Thursday, October 3, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:25AM for coffee and contemplation. On my mat at 5:42AM to begin. Time to sweat it out. Thursday, October 3, 2019 (Part II), I'm writing this on my mat, having just come out of Savasana. It's 7:07AM as I type this, and I'm going to hop into the shower and enjoy the day. My practice is strong and my body was compliant and steady.  Feeling marvelous. Namaste

Tuesday, October 1, 2019, Woke at my usual 4:25AM this morning.  I neglected my practice over the summer, but I'm refocusing attention to it and happy to be on my mat most mornings. Since this is the first practice this week, I can feel stiffness and soreness in my lower back, and legs; I've been on my mountain bike a bit more lately and, while it's a favorite activity of mine, it does tighen up something in my lower back. No biggie, as I know I can smooth things out on my mat this morning.  It's 5:34AM as I type this, and I'm going to begin my prayers, meditation, and reflection before beginning my asanas. Time to sweat it out. Tuesday, October 1, 2019 (Part II), I'm writing this in a rush, as I need to get moving.  It's 7:25AM as I type this, and I need to head out the door. No time for much of a post-practice update, but I feel marvelous; centered, controlled, balanced, and marvelous. Time to enter the day. Namaste  

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