So the other day my boyfriend joked that my new home is the yoga studio. I didn’t laugh. It’s really not funny. In the last 48 hours I have been to the studio four times. Today is day 38 of 40 days of yoga.
I have done everything in my power to attend a class each day for the 40 Day Yoga Challenge. I have traipsed back and forth in pouring rain in my brand new winter jacket and dragon-printed gumboots, orange yoga mat bag slung over my back. I have sucked up my morning hate-on to attend a handful of early classes, arriving at work glossy and gross (we have a gym with showers, thank god). I have groaned and moaned, rearranged my schedule and asked that no one request my presence until after 7pm during weeknights.
This guy has the right idea!
Despite my diligence, I missed three days. Thankfully Semperviva allows participants in its 40 Day Yoga Challenge to make-up the missed days by tacking them onto other days. Now that the final week has set in, I am pushing myself to make-up those missed classes and hit 40 classes in 40 days. I figure that I am so close I might as well push through and sleep all weekend.
On both Sunday and Monday I did two classes each day. I am pretty sure my grumpy morning vibe and terrible agonizing faces kept the instructor of Monday’s AM class steering clear of my side of the room. By mid-afternoon yesterday I was falling asleep at my desk, chin in my hand, head resting against my computer screen. It was a post-lunch sugar crash combined with a terrible dehydration headache. Two things I was hoping to get better at during this challenge were eating breakfast every morning and drinking the eight or ten glasses of water I should be drinking each day. Evidently I have failed at both.
I walked into the evening class after work and was met by Callie [one of Semperviva’s instructors] and her giant, beaming smile. “You are almost done Jenn!” she grinned.
Up until that moment I had planned on spending the class ‘meditating’ in Savasana (Corpse Pose) – the pose of total relaxation. Maybe it was Callie’s contagious energy before class, or perhaps a bit of my own ego taking over, but I managed to muster up a few more kilojoules of energy and flow through class alongside everyone else.
I spent the rest of the evening drinking glass after glass of water…and even managed to prepare a stew in my crock pot at 11:00pm, to spend the night dreaming sweet dreams of spices and simmering beef. At least I don’t have to cook now for a few nights.
So, with the final three days left, I have one class tonight, one tomorrow and two on Thursday. I need to go prepare my water-drinking, breakfast-eating strategy. Good luck to all those doing the challenge! I am really, really, really looking forward to the Thursday night wrap-up class.
A Vancouver Notebook 
Reading your post gave me a huge sense of relieve because I am also really looking forward to the end of the challenge!
I haven’t missed a day yet but I have been meaning to for the last 4 days (and then thinking I’d have to make up for missed days made me feel too sick).
Luckily I am kind of unemployed at the moment so I don’t have to rush around but I am really impressed by people who do 40 days of yoga AND have a job (though I really wish I had a job…).
Anyway, all that to say that I still love yoga but I will love being able to make time for more snowboarding!
Hang in there!!! hahaha. We are almost there. Thats fantastic that you have pushed through and cheers to the snow season! Those muscles must be getting prepped for the slopes…heh heh. This challenge has sure not been easy, but it will be such a great feeling to know we have succeeded or even attempted at all. See you tomorrow night?
I’m going to have to miss the special ‘end of the challenge’ class because I have tickets to go and see Jesse’s band at the Venue… You know Jesse? The funky yoga instructor with bleached blond hair, he always bring a mini skeleton to class…? His band is awesome!