Kundalini Yoga for Summer 2020!

[YogaGal]

Being at home so much has kept me busy with home projects and away from the computer, so my checking in has fallen off. Hopefully I can sneak more in once I am back on the computer for work and can post during a break or at the end of my work day. I start back on August 24, but have a meeting next Tuesday the 18th.

I haven’t done much of Mariya’s healing practices lately, but may start adding some in for meditations before going to bed. I have been doing some RaviAna, from Quick Fixes (So Long Sciatica and Flexibility & Strength set) and yesterday did Yoga Set #1 from Dance the Chakras. I have done a few Yin Stretches from Sarah Beth (hatha not Kundalini) that help me destress a bit.

Jo: Thanks for jumping in and sharing how Kundalini is helping you feel more balanced through the pandemic. I’m cheering for you to keep up your commitment to one pranayama practice a day in August! I enjoy the Yoga for Energy and Super Radiance, but agree that the repeated bowing is not a good move for me.

Gale: Sorry to hear about your shoulder issues and that your new dvd player won’t play Quick Fixes. That dvd has so many great sets that I hope you can find a streaming version that works. Are you strictly working from home now or doing a mix of home and office/travel?

Pat: Getting away from humidity was one reason DH and I moved to Arizona. Unfortunately our July was the hottest on record and it won’t surprise me if August follows suit. Extreme heat can zap motivation to exercise as well. Interesting revelation about intense healing prayers; my prayers of the past few months have gone to healthcare / frontline workers and families who have been affected by covid19. Too much intensity is draining, so perhaps we need to learn how to send our prayers in a calmer manner?

[YogaGal]

Since our monthly posts tend to be short, only a couple of pages lately, in July I decided to do a seasonal approach (rather than a monthly) and called this our Summer post. But, a day or two after that I realized that if we have a yogi from another part of the world, their season won’t be the same as the one in the Northern Hemisphere, so perhaps another approach would be better when this runs long. We could start with the Year and then Part 1 ("Kundalini Yoga 2021, Part 1") and then start a Part 2 when we get to 5 to 7 pages or more? I welcome any feedback, suggestions, ideas, etc.

I started back to work – still remote – last week, but it was a busy week. This week is busy too as I had an eye exam today (scheduled almost a month ago) and a dental appt. on Wednesday which was supposed to happen next week, but they needed to reschedule and I figured I’d rather go sooner rather than later. This is to get an impression/mold for the replacement tooth after I had to have an implant near the end of May. Then I need to have time to sit at home and work!

In addition to a couple of Sarah Beth hatha yoga sets, I did a couple of RaviAna’s last week, “Hips & Hamstrings" from Yoga for Beginners & Beyond and the 23-minute Warmup Set from Happy Hormones. Hopefully I can get in more yoga in September.

[YogaGal]

I received a tip from another check-in to do our check-in by the 4 Quarters of the year: 1st Quarter (Q1) is January 1 through March 31; 2nd Quarter (Q2) is April 1 to June 30, etc. I think I’ll set up a 4th Quarter for October through December and if we decide to change it for 2021, we can set up something different in January 2021.

My yoga in general has suffered from neglect this past month and into the first week of September. I am hoping to get back into a more regular practice very soon.

Any one else have a better experience than I have? Please offer your inspirations.

[Pat58]

Good morning! I completely forgot to check in with two Ravi and Ana practices last week. My asthma was flaring up something awful so I did a few sections of Fat Free - the breath centering and Start Your Engines. Another day I did Anti Arthritis plus Lee Holden's Better Breathing.

Carolyn, I like the idea of a quarterly check-in. We're a pretty small gathering and participants tend to come and go. Wish I had some yoga inspiration for you, but my body is telling me to focus on strengthening right now. I was such a lump of blah from all things COVID and got so weak. You'd think I would go flying to KY for healing, right? Sigh. But with summer waning and crisper days ahead, plus conscious effort to not watch the evening news, I'm in a better place to add short segments back into my weekly routine.

Jo FitFan that is a great idea to sub something completely different if what Ana is demonstrating isn't a fit for you. I think 80% of Body Electric bothers me in some way - I'm going to follow your example!

Hello to Gale!

Sending cooler prayers to our yoginis in the USA furnace zone.

[Gale K.]

Carolyn, yoga and everything else, even the saguaros, have suffered during this horrible desert summer we have had. The end is near though; cooler temps are ahead this week which should help.

No yoga for me to report. I've simply been trying to get some steps in and playing around with the some strength training. I have lost so much muscles mass during the frozen shoulder episode. Its not over, but I am desperately trying to figure out how to safely use weights again. I've been doing some very slow controlled work with kettlebells which has seemed somewhat ok. Work and family stressors continue; I really need to get back to some yoga. But like Pat, I feel like I need to work on other strengthening right now.

Hi to Pat and Jo and everyone else! I hope everyone had a safe Labor Day weekend.

[YogaGal]

Thanks to waking up to messages here from Pat and Gale I was inspired this morning to do a nice KY practice from an oldie but goodie, the “Wake Up and Open Up” set from FFY Total Tune Up. Felt very good!

Gale: Sadly, in addition to saguaros, many queen palms are struggling or dying in our record setting summer heat. Sorry to hear about your struggles to overcome frozen shoulder, but your slow and controlled approach is the right one. I remember last fall when I was recovering from sciatica, I was very careful with coming back to moves like deadlifts in weight work and forward bends in yoga. Work stressors is a common malady I can relate to; working with a spouse around the house all day and with new online formats to learn.

Pat: Sorry to hear about asthma issues, but glad to hear that you got in a bit of Kundalini last week. Taking breaks from listening to news is a good mental health practice. Thanks for your feedback on a quarterly check-in. I think that will suit us for now; we can always modify in the future if we need to.

Waves to Jo and anyone else lurking here!

[Gale K.]

Carolyn! I did the same KY practice this morning! The 70 degree temperatures this morning must have opened up some universal energy for a reset I love fall and I finally felt an inkling of it this morning.

I am doing a mix of going in to work and working remotely for the time being. I am able to set my own schedule, but usually work a minimum of 50 hours per week. I'm trying out starting later in the morning, to give me some time to walk or do some yoga in the morning. I'm on day 2 and it is going well, and feeling less stressed during the day and at the end of the day, too. And the world does not seem to stop if I am not online until 9 AM .

Waves to all!

[Pat58]

Good morning! Last night I did some RaviAna after my Margaret Richard workout. Bye Bye Back Pain from House Calls, and I made myself do the energy warmups.

Gale, did you get your sweater out to celebrate the 70 degrees? That is so sad about your saguaros, though.

Good morning and TGIF to Carolyn and anyone who visits.

[YogaGal]

Gale: How nice that your morning yoga is allowing you to feel less stressed during the day. I sometimes need 10 to 15 minutes to destress at the end of my day if I can manage to fit it in.

Pat: We had a rare cool morning here (in the low 70s) so I went out for a 2-mile walk with DH. No sweater yet! Glad you got to do Bye Bye Back Pain; it’s a favorite of mine.

I'm proud of myself for getting in some yoga these past few days. On Wednesday I did RaviAna’s “Digestible You” from Quick Fixes dvd. On Thursday I did a matrix from RaviAna’s Ultmate Stretch: warmup, Set 2 and relaxation. On Friday I needed a yin stretch after noticing a tightness in my right hip/groin during a morning walk. I went with my favorite for this condition, Sarah Beth’s 15-minute Yin Yoga Stretches for Tight Hips, Inner Thighs, & Groin.

Wishing everyone a good weekend!