108 Days of Yoga

themutineer

Renowned mathematicians view 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence.
The individual numbers 1, 0, and 8 represent one thing, nothing, and everything, or infinity.
Some people claim 108 represents the ultimate reality of the universe as being paradoxically and simultaneously one, emptiness, and infinite.

According to yogic tradition, there are 108 pithas, or sacred sites, throughout India and 108 marma points, or sacred places of the body where consciousness and flesh intersect to give life to the living being.

Please join me on March 1st in my commitment to become present both on and off my mat by practicing yoga once daily for 108 consecutive days. This is a wonderful opportunity to cultivate love, peace, and awareness in your everyday life in order to bring more balance to the mind, body, and soul.

Please note that it is not a requirement that you be a seasoned practitioner to participate - yoga is a great practice for any body of any age to partake in. Also note that I strongly encourage you to tailor this program to meet your own goals, and to focus more on personal growth rather than weight-loss.

In the case that you would like to get an idea of ways in which to create your personal commitment plan, I will share my own:

- To complete at least one hour-long practice daily from March 1st through June 17th
- To complete at least one fifteen-minute-long meditation daily from March 1st through June 17th
- To remove as many animal products, processed foods, sugar, alchohol, and caffeine from my diet
- To introduce as many wholesome, natural, unprocessed foods to my diet
- To commit to living with an intention of love, peace, and awareness in my everyday life
- To commit to honoring myself entirely - my mind, body, and soul

My journey begins today. Will you join me? Please feel free to add me as a friend for support, or message me with any questions you might have.

ntatbeeq

i am also too much into Yoga... though not expert but can do many poses very easily.
so i am with u for this 108days Yoga workout

annepage

Sounds like a plan except I'll probably have to modify it to be a little gentler and shorter in the beginning.

ladypitek

I love doing yoga but classes are expensive and my computer recently broke so I can't watch youtube videos like I sometimes do at home. Are there any good websites with lists of poses that I can do on my own and at my own pace? I would love to continue the practice, I just don't know enough to put anything together on my own. Thanks.


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ThatSoundsHard

I'll give it a shot. I try to do some yoga every day even if it's just for a few minutes.

matt2442

this sounds cool and challenging, something that i need because i am pretty bored of doing the same things all the time. Interesting

yoginimary

You might want to repost this in the yoga group:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1484-generic-yoga-group

So are you not taking rest days? Most styles have one rest day a week.

ntatbeeq

I love doing yoga but classes are expensive and my computer recently broke so I can't watch youtube videos like I sometimes do at home. Are there any good websites with lists of poses that I can do on my own and at my own pace? I would love to continue the practice, I just don't know enough to put anything together on my own. Thanks.


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hey try this link
it has free downloadable videos of 1hr yoga

http://yoga.org.nz/yoga_vidoes.htm

lcyama

count me in for at least 20 minutes a day of asana, pranayama, or meditation.

Smash323

This is a great challenge! I'm in! I'll write some goals after work.

SunshineT83

In the case that you would like to get an idea of ways in which to create your personal commitment plan, I will share my own:

- To complete at least one hour-long practice daily from March 1st through June 17th
- To complete at least one fifteen-minute-long meditation daily from March 1st through June 17th
- To remove as many animal products, processed foods, sugar, alchohol, and caffeine from my diet
- To introduce as many wholesome, natural, unprocessed foods to my diet
- To commit to living with an intention of love, peace, and awareness in my everyday life
- To commit to honoring myself entirely - my mind, body, and soul

I am absolutely game! I think I will "bite a chunk" of your commitment, but scale down the time commitment to at least 30 minutes a day. I can already name at least 2 days out the week that a full hour will be difficult to fit in. Great challenge thanks for sharing :flowerforyou:

theberard

I'm down!

I use "Pocket Yoga" and "Daily Yoga" on my phone.

themutineer

There are many great resources online that you can utilize, from YouTube to YogaGlo, which is a subscription service that works much like Netflix in that you pay somewhere around $15 a month for unlimited streaming. Also be mindful of great services like Groupon that often have specials on classes at your local studio.

For those without internet access, you can find books on yoga at your local library, instructional DVDs at most major retailers, and oftentimes you can even find yoga routines throughout the pages of various fitness magazines, and of course Yoga Journal magazine.

In books, I recommend: Kathryn Budig's "Big Book of Yoga," David Swenson's "Ashtanga Yoga," Beryl Bender Birch's "Power Yoga," BKS Iyengar's "Light on Yoga," and Desikachar's "Heart of Yoga."

Some of my favorite DVDs include: Gaiam DVDs by Rodney Yee, Shiva Rae, and Kathryn Budig; The Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series by Kino MacGregor, and Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown.

One of my favorite websites is MindBodyGreen - there are many great articles that I find very informative concerning yoga, meditation, and general wellness.

The best thing to do is listen to your body. Perhaps you may not practice a particular yoga routine per se, but just taking the time out of your day to come outside your mind and into your body can make a big difference.

I will not be taking rest days, but rather balancing my energy between yin and yang practices. I typically take four or five classes a week that are considered vigorous practice along with one or two classes a week that are gentle, so I feel confident in taking on this type of commitment. I should add that I have practiced for years and am beginning teacher training March 8th.

That being said, I definitely encourage you to do only what you are comfortable with, whatever that may be. Also, I am not a doctor - please see your physician if you have any questions regarding underlying illnesses, injuries, etc.

yoginimary

I love doing yoga but classes are expensive and my computer recently broke so I can't watch youtube videos like I sometimes do at home. Are there any good websites with lists of poses that I can do on my own and at my own pace? I would love to continue the practice, I just don't know enough to put anything together on my own. Thanks.

In the back of "Light on Yoga" there are some sequences, but if you are unclear on some of the poses you might try "Yoga the Iyengar Way" - it has color photos and more of them, but fewer poses. There are sequences in the back of that book as well. You can also experiment, how does it feel to do down dog then forward fold as opposed to forward fold then down dog?

Both of those books as well as those suggested by themutineer, you should be able to get used, although David Swenson's book is harder to find.

yoginimary

btw, I meant no disrespect about rest days, I was just curious. I don't think I could do everyday, there are days life gets in the way.

themutineer

btw, I meant no disrespect about rest days, I was just curious. I don't think I could do everyday, there are days life gets in the way.

No worries! I completely understand - sometimes life does get in the way. It may not work for everyone, and that's perfectly okay!

fly_butterfly

Hi themutineer...

You seem to be very knowledgeable about yoga. Do you have any experience with opening the 7 Chakras? I am a beginner and would like to expand into this form of mediation, however I don't know where to begin. (Google can only take you so far... :happy:) Have you had "the awakening"? I'm really interested in this holistic healing.

Anyone have experiences they can share?
Thank you! :flowerforyou:

littlegumnut

I do an hour of floor yin yoga every morning I'm very much up for your 180 day challenge!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMqMrDLBYro - 60 minutes of floor yin yoga, a great stretch for the morning!

themutineer

It's been said that it takes about thirty days to form a new habit... Hang in there yogis; for those who began their journey when this thread was first created, this Saturday marks the 30th day of the 108 day challenge!

Remember that you don't necessarily have to sweat it out on your mat every single day to experience the benefits of a consistent yoga practice - aim to take at least 10-15 minutes out of your day to simply become aware of your breath, bridging the gap between the mind and physical body. Recent studies suggest that even this small amount of daily meditation can make a noticable difference in your emotional and physical health!

Congratulations to all of you who have kept up with your routine - you're an inspiration! If you aren't able to make it onto the mat one day, don't lose hope - simply begin again.

Namaste, yogis!