A Yoga Update

Recently I’ve started to notice big changes from when I first started yoga and even just a few months ago. I’ve never really noticed too much until now, I’ve always thought I’m not progressing much and that was because I’m not putting in a lot of time.

However that isn’t the case at all. I may not be practicing every day or for hours (or even 1 hour) when I do practice but I can see a difference in my body and the postures I’m now able to do or get deeper in now.

When I first started I couldn’t touch the floor or my toes without bending my legs, my leg flexibility wasn’t the best at all. I can now easily touch my toes and even place my hands on the floor without having to do lots of stretches to warm up. I was amazed at this, I never thought I’d soon be getting my chest to my legs or be able to hold behind my legs for the extra stretch, but I can.

I’ve also noticed even though I find my back and shoulders still ache a lot that they’re becoming more open too. Spinal twists are one of my favourites as they feel a-maz-ing.

I’ve started trying to do one power yoga flow each week to bring my strength up, which I feel fits well with my two BJJ sessions each week. I then fit in some nice stretchy flows when I can. The day after BJJ is perfect for a good stretchy flow to ease my aches.

I’m so glad yoga and BJJ compliment each other so well, flexibility and strength are important for both. I’m also so happy to see the difference in my body, I just want to keep pushing on with more confidence that I’ll one day reach those splits or handstand.

BJJ – One Month In

I can’t believe it’s been a whole month since we started out BJJ classes. In someways it feels like it’s been so long and in others it feels like no time at all.

I feel so comfortable turning up to classes, getting into my Gi and warming up with some shrimps across the mat. I’ve actually nailed getting the correct leg for the all of the lengths in last 3-4 sessions, I was either starting wrong or getting muddled up in the middle. Yeh I’m easily confused with my left and right so it takes some thinking about.

We’ve gone through a range of moves to get around different setups but it’s going to be a long while before I have those mastered. Which is why it feels like I’ve not been doing it long at all.

One thing I love is that we can fully spar at the end of a session and try things out in a more real situation, I’ve discovered my boney elbows are actually very useful for getting out of someone’s guard.

I can see why people say that BJJ is learning to be calm in a difficult situation, which is something I need to work on as I do panic when I’m being squashed and can’t fully breathe.

I’m sure it will all come with more experience and confidence. I’m looking forward to my next session after finished my last one only a couple of hours ago.

Salem’s Lot – Book Review

This was my first Stephen King book and I was excited to get reading. The length was a little daunting as my usual reads aren’t this long but I got straight in to it.

My first impression was that King is a very descriptive writer, this at some points made the story feel long but at others gave such a great level of detail to enhance that image in your head. I enjoyed seeing things from a lot of people’s views, but the timeline did get a little confusing at times. Especially the start and end mini stories.

Overall I enjoyed some sections of this and can see why Kings books make a good movie, but it wasn’t one of my best reads. I may try another King book sometime but I’m not sure they’re for me.

The start of BJJ – Aching like a B….

Me and Si have been discussing starting a martial art for a while now and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has been at the top of the list. We found a nice and down to earth local club and discovered that a member of the club offers private sessions at a really good price. This was all we needed to finally take the plunge and we setup our first private class for last Saturday.

We decided to start with private classes to gain fitness and some confidence before heading to the regular sessions. I was quite nervous starting a martial art as I’m not exactly the fighter type, I can say I’ve never been in a fight and I know I’d be terrible. I think this is why the grappling side appealed to me over punching and kicking, I also like the thought that goes into the fights around your position and moves. I’ll be able to use my small nimbleness to my advantage and move quickly before my opponent figures out what I’m doing. Well that’s the thought anyway, but it’s going to be a loooong while before I get to that level.

We started the session practicing the shrimp move, which felt so very weird and wrong when we started but I can see how useful it will be to move out of the way of an opponent. We have also learnt a few moves and have started to look at how we would get past a persons guard. I’m really enjoying doing these moves with Si and find myself laughing quite often. The size difference can make things a little more challenging but still so much fun. I had worried that being that close with random people would be strange, especially as I’m not a touchy person, but I got past that thought so quickly.

I’ve really enjoyed the first couple of classes and I actually thought ‘oh Sunday is now so far away’ after the last class on Tuesday. Although the rest is welcomed, as after both classes I’ve ached all over my body like a b….

I’ll keep the blog posted as we progress and for now I’ll keep looking forward to Sunday morning.

Meditation – first few weeks

I’ve been meditating for a few weeks now and I’m extremely glad I started. I’ve hit 60 and as of this morning 100 minutes meditated. Taking 10 mins each morning sets me up for the day and gives me some much needed motivation and not looking at social media as soon as I wake up has been great.

After completing the first basics pack I’ve subscribed to headspace. They have some amazing content and plenty of packs I want to work through. I’ve started working through the managing anxiety pack, to be honest I hadn’t realised until recently how much anxiety I can suffer with. The words at the end of session 2 described my mind to a tee, I’m the definition of a worrier which is something I hope to be able to manage as I progress in my meditation.

I’ve actually started noticing recently that I feel more confident rather than full of worry about situations. This is a strange but amazing feeling. The managing anxiety pack talks about being more present each day, which sounds simple but it made me realise how wrapped up in thought I constantly am.

I can struggle with realising my emotions so I’ve found this part difficult but I’m getting much more self aware which is a little scary but also so enlightening.

Safe to say these sessions will be a key part of my daily routine going forward.

Getting back into a plant based diet

We’ve decided to get back into a plant based diet to help with our overall health, along with the environmental benefits of not eating so much meat. We’ve kept up with minimal dairy in our diets and have none meat meals occasionally but going back to a plant based diet is going to be a big change, mentally as well as lifestyle. I find one of the more difficult things is to get past the standard meal setup in my head, you know the carbs, meat and veg. We will be having some small amounts of chicken, fish and eggs but the majority of our meals will be fully plant based

We’ve decided to take it a week at a time to start with and have more repetitive meals each day so we don’t get too overwhelmed. I don’t want to rush in and start trying to make all the new meals in the first week as that would create too much pressure and worrying. I’m not an extremely confident cook so repeating meals and getting comfortable with them will help me ease into the new plant based mindset.

I’ve started to clear down the cupboards and freezer to remove anything dairy based as I know this causes both of our digestive systems some issues. Although we will be eating some meat and fish I want to completely cut dairy out of my diet. I find I feel much better in myself and my skin is much better without it.

I think the biggest challenge is going to come when we’re eating out with friends or family but thankfully the majority of places now offer some kind of veggie or dairy free option. I’ve also put in for my first “dietary requirement” meal as part of a work event. This may not seem like a big deal but having to ask for something special and especially having to go for vegan felt a little awkward. I’ve just got my fingers crossed for a decent meal and not a salad sandwich..

Whilst starting this I’m reminding myself how much better I felt when we did this before. I want to ensure I give this my all and don’t think “oh this is just a one off” as the one off will easily become everyday again. I’d like this to be something I continue for ever more and not just for a few months.

Get ready for meal ideas and recipes in the near future.

Meditation – The beginning

I recently decided to try regularly meditating, I’ve seen great benefits of yoga and wanted to push these even further with some dedicated meditation time.

I thought it was best not to just try to do this alone and downloaded headspace, which is a great guided meditation app. I’ve competed 9 of the 10 day beginners pack and a couple of other little sessions. Along with guiding you the sessions offer different learnings around managing your thoughts and becoming more self aware. I started with short 3 minute sessions which I upped to 5 minutes after a couple of days and today I completed my first 10 minute session.

I’ve tried to make meditation part of my morning routine, I get up and head straight to my mat and load up the app. I’ve found this a great way to wake up, much better than laying in bed looking at social media. Although it’s not been long I find it weird not doing this when I wake up each morning. I’m already finding these short sessions beneficial and my mind feels like it’s in a better space, the last couple of weeks have been busy meaning my head has had a lot going on. Doing this in the morning sets me up for the day and the learnings provide some great advice on how you manage everything going on in your head even when your not meditating.

I’m looking forward to continuing this routine and gradually upping the length of my sessions as I progress. I would say meditation isn’t easy when you first start but keep working with it and remember that your mind wondering isn’t a bad thing.

Yoganuary – My Journey

I wasn’t around for Cat Meffan’s Yoganuary last year but I’ve followed many of the practices since then. That meant this year I was excited about following the flows each day when January came around.

Unfortunately it didn’t go as planned, I wasn’t feeling great over the Christmas and New Year period so was a couple of days late starting my Yoganuary journey. I got through around 12 days before catching some more germs and being off my mat for another week with a banging headache. This has then made getting back into daily yoga so difficult.

Although I’ve not yet finished all of the days I’m still working my way through and enjoying the flows.

I wanted to write this post to remind myself how good I felt practicing every day. I felt calm and strong, not just physically but mentally as well. My body was progressing so well and I managed poses I never thought I’d be able to. It felt good, very good.

I’m really struggling to get back onto my mat regularly and I’m not sure why. Hopefully I get my mojo back over the next few weeks by pushing myself past the mental barrier I seem to have. Sometimes even the things you love are difficult to do, just try to remember the below.

Cornwall – Where we stayed in Falmouth

So I found that I never posted this after our last trip to Cornwall. This was our second trip of the year down to Cornwall and we decided to visit Falmouth.

It was mid-October so I wasn’t expecting warm weather but other than the couple of storms that hit the UK we had a pretty decent week.

We picked a beautiful house from Falmouth Holiday homes called Jacobs Rest, the name was apt as after climbing Jacobs Ladder you definitely need a rest.

The place had the most amazing view over the harbour from all 4 floors. I’m missing waking up to this view and sitting on the massive windowsill in the living area looking out. I’ve probably mentioned this before but being by the sea is my happy happy place. It was also a short walk down to the main town centre which is full of shops, lovely food places and an up close view of the harbour.

The house had 3 gorgeous bedrooms, a lovely living area with a great kitchen and seating area, a shower room and an amazingly massive bathroom that I wanted to transport to my own home. I had to make use of the massive bath whilst we were there so I took a long relaxing bath with my Lush products. This bath was so big I was worried I’d drown as I could only just reach the end with my feet, oh the struggles of being short.

The house was also full of underfloor heating and that is now on my list of home wants for our next house.

When we arrived we were greeted with a lovely gift with everything to make a proper Cornish cream tea. I’m still enjoying these lovely tea bags.

We’ve actually just booked a place in St Ives for later this year and I’m so looking forward to it.

Book Club

My friend had a great idea of being more positive and doing more things that we want to do, ensuring we’re living life and making sure we make he most of it. As part of this she wants to start reading more and suggested we start a book club, which I’m completely up for, it will be great to speak to others about the book I’m reading and share thoughts.

To start we all put in 3 book suggestions, one from each of us got picked and then ordered to give us some books to start with. The plan is to read a book each month so we have the next 4 months sorted.

We all have different preferences, so I’ll be pushed outside my usual book choices which I’m looking forward to. Sometimes you get a bit stuck with the same genres, so bit of a mix up is needed.

We’re starting with Salems Lot by Stephen King. I’ve always wanted to read some of his work and the blurb has got me hooked already. It’s getting added to my Kindle tonight.

The other books we have lined up are –

• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
• Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I’ll be updating the blog along the way to give a little review and thoughts on each read.