Instagram challenge

The Internet connects

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The Internet connects. It’s possible to find like-minded people around the globe online.

  1. Yesterday I saw on Sharat Jois’ Instagram account that he is going to offer an other led class via zoom. This time I wanted to be part of it. For me all these online adventures are also technically a challenge. I downloaded zoom and enrolled for the class. Everything seems to be OK. I already missed a meeting a couple of weeks ago, because something went wrong and I couldn’t find out what it was. Hopefully this time it works. The class will start this Saturday at 4:30 am Indian time. In Germany this is three and a half hour later. This is perfect. I’m sure I’ll wake up on time. Ashtanga Yoga practitioners around the globe will be part of this led class. That this is possible is new. When I started with Ashtanga Yoga YouTube didn’t exist yet. Imagine.

  2. Lately I found a woman on Instagram. She named her account inversionjunkie. She created a hashtag #pincha365. When I first saw her pictures I thought: She must be flexible. This is a sentence I heard often about myself. It’s not true, as I’m a stiff person. It’s downplaying what a person is doing. I practice yoga for a very long time and I’m rather disciplined. That’s why I got flexible. I had to fight for every centimeter. I don’t know if inversionjunkie is stiff or flexible. But I know that she has a focus and she is committed. Every day she publishes an inversion, a pinch mayurasana pose (#pincha365). She is already at 300+. Sometimes she uses a wheel as support. Sometimes she publishes a video, sometimes a picture. She practices every day at the same place. She is doing her thing. Her 365 day project surely helped her to accomplish her goal. Her pincha is fantastic. This woman is so inspiring. She found a goal and focused on it. She uses tools when they are useful. She is committed. Even her name tells at once what her passion is. Without the internet I wouldn’t have heard about this lady. I would have missed her. She is so inspiring.

  3. Yogis create challenges on Instagram. Under a hashtag one can publish the pictures or videos that are supposed to be done on a given day (or a bit later, if you’re always a bit late). Due to the Corona virus we’re all asked to stay at home. It’s a pandemic, so people on all continents face the same issue. The challenge that I came across yesterday is called #namasteinside. It starts the 25th of April and ends the 30th of April. The challenge lasts 6 days and every day a picture of a yoga pose shall be published. The pose is the choice of the yogi, not the room. Every day the asana shall be done in another room: bathroom, kitchen, bedroom,……. This is fun around the globe. Ciel70 and some more hosts have created this challenge. Are you in, too? I’m in.

Here is my Instagram account called photoyogablog.

Of course meeting someone in person or going to a yoga class is different. Yet there is no reason at all to be bored at home. Life can be great within the own four walls.

Too experienced to risk an injury

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There is another yoga challenge by @cyogalife on Instagram. The April challenge is called #BackOnTrack. Carmen is a very advanced yogini. She practices yoga every day for 2 hours minimum. She is a teacher. Yoga is her life. It’s a very good idea to offer a challenge that speaks also to the advanced yoginis. I like challenges that deserve the name. She gives useful explanations. There are also alternate asanas that are easier to approach.

Nevertheless I know my body and its possibilities. Maybe that sometimes more is possible than I think, but often my insights meet reality. I prefer a slow approach to the asanas I want to learn. The asana yesterday was a back bending asana. Here we go. When I tried to bend the stretched leg, my muscles cramped. This is not a nice feeling. I found a back bending asana that was possible for me. Even the easier asana was not possible for me. These challenges are made to explore new positions, new approaches. It’s not about performing everything as it’s proposed. Every practice is about finding the limits of a given day. One can push oneself, but never too much.

Injuries are setbacks.

It’s getting warmer here in Germany. I get up early as I don’t want to miss the sun rise. Best time for a yoga practice is the early morning. I got used again to practice before breakfast. I don’t feel hungry at all. When I start with the sun salutations, I focus on my breath. Every day is a good day when I practiced.

Injuries happen easier after a break. A daily practice helps to avoid injuries. This is just a reminder.

Being overambitious can be a danger, too. Yoginis don’t lose their cool. 😎 Nothing must be proved. The journey itself is the fun.

After my so deserved breakfast I lied on my bed again and slept. At once.