More Erin Motz on DoYouYoga

I was thrilled to find this class on the DoYouYoga website because I love Erin Motz's classes.

This was a once-off class and it made me feel so relaxed and energised.

A break in the routine gave me the shake-up I needed to set my goals for the week and cross items off the to-do list.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 7

This session, the final one of this challenge, was specifically for the aches and pains collected in the body due to commuting to and from work.

This class had some good stretches for the back and hips.  It's important to stretch and relax the muscles that are tensed up due to being in a seated position for long periods of time.

I have finally completed this challenge, after a few lengthy gaps in my practice.  It took me longer than 4 weeks, but it's done.

Thanks again, Erin, you are a fabulous teacher.

I have learned to make peace with the fact that most things don't pan out as planned.  Instead of becoming frustrated, it's important to learn to adapt to the challenges and work through the various obstacles in your path.  This builds resilience and character.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 6

Today's session was a prenatal class.  Even if you aren't pregnant, there are lovely stretches in this class which will help to open the hips, lessen back pain and relax your muscles.

Find space and mental quietness on your mat.  Breathe deeply and make time for yourself.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 5

Today's session was "yoga for when you're about to freak out".  I can't say it better than this.

I have been feeling very anxious and tense lately, so this was a lovely session to get me back into regular yoga practice.

Remember Erin's words:  "go forward knowing that whatever it is that's ahead of you, you got this".

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 4

Today's session was a calming one as it focused on meditation.  This was a very welcome practice as I needed the quiet time.

I have incorporated alternate nostril breathing into my practice before, but this session reminded me of how beneficial it truly is.

The practice reminded me to get on my mat more frequently and find some space to be at peace with myself. 

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 3

Today's session focused on using yoga and breathing to alleviate the pain of a headache.

I didn't actually have a headache when I did this, so I can't attest to its effectiveness, but the process of learning to relieve a headache felt really good.

I need to remember to try this when I have a headache.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 2

This session was a flow-based practice with the aim of finding crow pose at the end.  It was quite enjoyable and well worth doing, particularly as I'm so tight in my back, hamstrings and hips.

I have not been able to find crow pose properly and have been working on it for a very long time.  It's a lack of ab strength and tight hips that are mainly to blame.

This is definitely a pose that I need to be patient with and keep being patient with myself.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 4 - Day 1

Today's session was a pose breakdown.  Pigeon, seated forward fold, and stepping forward from downward dog to warrior one were the poses focused on in this practice.

These are important stretching poses that I always enjoy because I know they work my hips and hamstrings.  Practising the movement of stepping forward from downward dog helps your flow feel more smooth and comfortable;  spending some time focusing on this has improved my practice.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 3 - Day 7

All the practices this week focused on flexibility, and this session brought together the work done during the week.  I definitely felt this practice loosen me up and I feel stretched and lengthened.

This is a great practice to start your day and put you in a reflective, quiet state of mind.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 3 - Day 6

I felt epic during today's practice.  This session was about building flexibility and strength and incorporated some of the work we did yesterday.

I felt better in pyramid and in the forward fold than I have done previously.  I was able to push myself deeper into the posture and was able to cope better with the usually painful stretching sensation in my legs.

Push yourself, yogis.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 3 - Day 5

Today's practice involved a pose check on Warrior I, Triangle and Pyramid.  I see that these poses are often done incorrectly both in my own practice, and when I sneak a peek at the mirror to take a look at the other people in the class.

I was able to make sure I really feel each pose in the right places and it gave me time to check that my alignment was correct.

Well worth doing this session.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 3 - Day 4

Today's practice involved shoulder and upper body work.  Because I have been stiff and tight in my shoulders, neck and back, this was a much-needed practice.

While I was in meditation at the end of the practice, I felt that I could relax and let go of the anxiety that has seemed to take hold over the last few weeks.  The anxiety was probably mainly caused by work and the lack of regular exercise.  I have been worried about how challenging it would be to get back to the gym and to get back to yoga.  I have been worried about losing all the progress I have made in my bodybuilding journey over the last 6 months.

I need to push myself to get back into my routine and find my groove again.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 3 - Day 3

The focus of today's practice is to open the hips.  I always find these sessions challenging, but I definitely needed the practice.  I felt all sorts of hip clicking and lower back clicking as I did this.

I am obviously still tired from the weekend's events, so I'm getting back into yoga slowly.  It's these sessions that I may find more difficult than usual that remind me to be patient with myself.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 3 - Day 2

Hamstring flexibility takes consistent practice and work, and so today was part 2 of the hamstring practice that started yesterday.

You definitely need to warm up a bit before you start this session as it's quite intense but rather fun.  It's so easy to become impatient with yourself and your body's limitations, but listening to your body is definitely important to your practice as well as for body-mind connection.  It's important to know when you can push yourself to feel the stretch, to know when you have reached your limit and when to ease up.

Always be patient with your journey.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 3 - Day 1

Today's session focused on hamstring flexibility and stretching.  Hamstring work, like shoulders and ab work, is difficult for me because I don't have the flexibility I dearly desire.  But because I know the hamstrings need work, I never pass up the opportunity for a stretching and lengthening practice.

This was a relaxing practice and perfect for the end of a long day.  This practice reminded me how important it is to bring awareness to the body and to the breath.  I went into meditation and surrendered my day to the universe.  I trust that my actions today were fuelled by good intentions, I believe that I brought love to my work, and I treated people with kindness and compassion.  That's all I ask from myself and I trust that this is the path on which I am meant to be walking.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 2 - Day 7

Today's session was about working yesterday's work into today's practice.  I thus made sure to include my newly-acquired jumping skills into the flows.

I definitely got a bit hot and sweaty during my practice, but enjoyed it so deeply.  Today's session was my me-time, the time I took for myself to allow myself to recharge.  I felt peaceful and relaxed and was grateful that I spent time on my mat.  I sometimes feel guilty for taking me-time because there is an endless list of important things to do (laundry, washing up, tidying the house, work that needs doing).  What I need to remind myself is that those things are not going anywhere, that 30 mins of my time won't make the tasks any more urgent, and that more sleep will do me more good than the harm that could come from pushing those tasks back by one evening.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 2 - Day 6

Jumping back from a Forward Fold and jumping forward from Downward Facing Dog were the focus of today's practice.  Though this session is a bit shorter than the others, don't let that fool you into thinking that this isn't a challenging one.

During my Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) practices, I always step back or step forward.  That's just where I am in my practice, and it's what I have been used to doing because it was safer for my body.

I'm so thrilled though, because I managed to jump back and jump forward.  I totally did it - not just once either.  I practiced it quite a few times to make sure I had the correct form, wasn't hurting myself and could incorporate this progress into the rest of my Sun Salutation flow.  The jumps didn't look like Erin's, but I'm sure that with practice, my jumps will look more fluid and I'll be able to lift my hips a bit higher when jumping back from Downward Facing Dog.

Today progress has been made.  I am so excited to work this new ability into my next yoga class.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 2 - Day 5

The focus of today's session was ab work.  This felt pretty intense, but was definitely worth doing.  I made sure to do this session properly and not just speed through the exercises to get them done.  Part of the fun of doing core work is that you really feel the muscles in your abs working.  Sometimes it really can burn.

Core work is about consistency.  Keeping a consistent practice will lead to noticeable increases in strength - and core strength is beneficial for so many yoga sequences as well as for general functional strength.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 2 - Day 4

Today's focus is on posture improvement.  This is wonderful and so important for people who sit at a desk all day.  During the day, your posture might change and you'll find your upper back slumped over your desk.  This is a reminder to me to keep constantly mindful of my posture and my alignment.

This session obviously included a lot of back and shoulder work, and it felt really good to stretch and lengthen my back as well as roll back my shoulders.  It was quite an intense practice, and I was glad for the opportunity to catch my breath in the meditative session at the end.

xoxo

Foxy

Erin Motz Bad Yogi 4-Week Challenge - Week 2 - Day 3

Today is Day 3, and the focus is on asanas for the lower body.  This practice included a lot of strengthening and balancing poses which always feel so good.  It was an intense practice, and I definitely felt myself getting a bit sweaty.

I do get the wobbles and the shakes, sometimes lose my balance and have to re-enter a pose.  I enjoy the wobbles and the shakes, because it means my muscles are working.  I realise that sometimes my shoulders creep up towards my ears, and then I remind myself to exhale, drop my shoulders, lengthen my back and settle more strongly into the posture.

It's the little adjustments you take while in a posture that make you feel that you are connected to your body, and that you are doing the best variation of the asana for your levels of flexibility and strength.

Feel your strength telling you that you can do this.

xoxo

Foxy