I’m participating in my first Instagram yoga challenge and I’ve successfully completed three weeks of the month long challenge. I’m having a lot of fun with it and it’s definitely inspiring my practice. When I watch Michael Gannon and Minnar Martinez’s challenge videos it lights a FIRE under me. I want more than anything to get my handstand press and this challenge is making me want to commit to making that happen!

Week three started to introduce some more advanced postures. Get ready for some binding, twisting, bending and overall craziness!

Monday

Day 15  is one of my least favorite poses of primary series, tiryam-mukha eka-pada pascimottanasana. So freaking hard for me to keep my hips square while I fold.

Tuesday

Janu sirsasana series for day 16. Janu C has been IMPOSSIBLE for me since I started practicing ashtanga. My foot/ankle/knee will never bend this way and I’m at peace with that. Shall I ever make it to Mysore to practice ashtanga in India, I will probably get stopped at this posture! 😛

Wednesday

Maricyasana A and B for day 17.

Thursday

Maricyasana C and D for day 18. These poses are HARD. Intense binding and twisting. It took me a long time to be able to bind in Maricyasana D and it’s one of those poses that I make myself do on the regular even in power classes to make sure I still have it! I feel the craziest sensations when I come out of this pose. It definitely shakes you up.

Friday

Love, love, love navasana for day 19. I think navasana is the ultimate core challenge. Ashtanga primary series requires 5 breaths in navasana followed by “picking it up.” Example of how this challenge has inspired me…I have been able to jump back and jump through for years but I never knew I was strong enough to hang in lolasana between my navasanas until I saw Michael Gannon do it! Next step…press to handstand from lolasana! 🙂

Saturday and Sunday

I had to combine days 20 and 21 because I didn’t practice on Saturday and there was NO WAY I could get into titibasana after running 9 miles and not practicing first! I shot this after practicing on Sunday night. What you’re seeing here is bhuja pidasana to titibasana to kurmasana. These are all really hard poses for me due to my tight hamstrings but I work with what my body gives me and I remain grateful that I’m strong enough to lift and run in addition to my yoga. It’s all a worthwhile tradeoff.

Do you have a yoga goal? Is there a certain pose or skill you want to master?