Yoga brought me back to me…

With a huge move approaching, a new puppy on the way AND a big race, February was just a tad bit overwhelming…just a tad. I honesty still feel tired thinking about it and really can’t figure out how I got through it in one piece. I know that in some weird way running 90 miles helped. It was like, if I can run 30+ miles in deep sand and then try and finish a race on unsteady legs in whipping rain and wind, I can do ANYTHING.

But what I think truly got me through the last several weeks was the amazing #TakeTheLeap 30 days of yoga challenge hosted by prAna and Sweat Pink (ahem, yours truly). And I know what you’re probably thinking…how convenient…tooting your own horn…ya self promoting $&%&%…but really, its not that. I promise, scout’s honor and all that.

I really loved participating in this challenge for so many reasons.

First, I love browsing, posting, and creating beautiful yoga images on Instagram…probably one of my favorite past-times (#truth). If you follow me on Insta, you probably know that this much is true.

 

Second, it was something to look forward to every single day…amidst the chaos…amidst the boxes…amidst the hectic schedule….amidst the stress. I always came back to yoga. To my breath. To my body. To me. It was a way to remind myself that it was OK to breathe. To just be. To let go.

Third, even though I found that running my race distracted me in some strange, twisted way from everything else I  had going on, it also added a little to the “stress” pie I was baking. Of course, I was stressed that I wouldn’t finish. I was stressed that I would get sick or hurt…and most of all, I was stressed I would let myself, my family and friends down. And on top of that, I was stressed about enjoying my time in the desert and all of the boxes I still had to pack at home….

And even with all that stress, I still found time for yoga. I had to make time for yoga and for me. I committed to this amazing, inspiring and motivating challenge for myself. For my community. And most of all, for me. For me. For me. And for me some more.

And it did so much for me. Crazy how this thing I was doing for me did a LOT for me.

It helped me get through the move. It helped me make time for myself in the sea of boxes and bubble wrap. I would force myself to just take a break. To stop. To let it go for a few hours. And it helped me stay centered and sane through the whole process.

It helped me welcome a new little monster into our lives. A cute, furry ball of joy….and destruction. With deep breaths, open heart and calm, we embraced our new little monster for all that she is….even when she’s biting the crap out of me or my furniture (we’re working on that).

And even in the wake up my “failure,” yoga brought me back. I woke up late in the afternoon on February 22 and was strangely calm about everything that had happened earlier that day. The rain had turned into snow and the air was even colder than I remembered when I went to bed. I was going over the race in my mind and thinking about all the what if’s. What if I had finished? What if I had been able to suck up the biting wind, rain and cold and slippery, scary trails to just finish? What if I had just gone another 10 miles? I remember going outside on the little hotel deck and striking a few yoga poses and soaking in the beautiful winter wonderland landscape (a big change from just one day prior – crazy how quickly the desert can change). And it brought me back to what I had really been out there for…to run, to enjoy the beautiful landscape, explore the canyons, have an adventure, challenge myself…Did 100 miles make me a better person? Did only completing 90 miles somehow change me? Make me less of a runner? A person? And that’s when the yoga came back to me and practically screamed at me: NO. Not even for a minute. What difference does it make? You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

And that’s why I’m so happy to say thank you to prAna, to Sweat Pink and to all the winners of the 30 days of yoga challenge. While I may not have been the $500 grand prize winner, I still feel like a winner. The challenge was more than just a 30 day challenge, it was a challenge to come back to myself. To my breath. And my time. And be a little bit more…all about me…me…me…

If you haven’t already heard, prAna is extending their special 15% off discount through the weekend as a THANK YOU to all of you who played yoga with us – use the code: leapnpinks15 for 15% off at checkout. DO IT! 😉

I don’t know about y’all but I can’t wait to continue Taking the Leap in 2015 and taking myself, my yoga and my life to new heights!

Stay sweaty (and happy Friday)!

XOXO,

Jamie