if you can dream it, you can do it.

Well, it's finally here - we did it!!

I just completed my first-ever 30 day challenge!

What a completely exhilarating and self-empowering feeling! I mean, I obviously knew it was coming, but it feels pretty amazing to be able to say it! I came home from the party last night to these beautiful deep purplish-magenta gerber daisies from Jamie 'just because they're kind of purple, and I love purple'. What a wonderful, sweet man I have! It was a really beautiful inspiration to take with me to day thirty! I had intentions of going at 9:30 and noon back to back today, but (as I seem to do a lot) I didn't wake up until it was juust too late! I made it to Brittanie's noon class though, which I'd wanted to because she heads to PEI tomorrow for ten days to teach! I felt really distracted laying in Savasana, it was like I couldn't stop looking around as people filed in not-so quietly. It was packed today! I figured that would make for a not-so focused class, but wow was I wrong! I felt so strong today, in everything from pranayama breathing to crescent moon and the initial standing backbend. I felt so determined today as I entered eagle pose with a slow, steady determination. I felt so stable, like I wasn't even wavering at all. I didn't drop my leg or lose my balance, I could feel my hips just naturally settling in line, the forward motion of my arms stretching out my upper back and shoulders in the most delicious way. I'll admit, I was slightly more wobbly on my left leg, but still felt pretty strong, it was awesome. Especially because I've been struggling with it so much lately! In fact, my whole practice kind of felt that way.

I tried to really surrender myself to my practice, and found myself almost floating through the postures. That's clearly not to say that I did it without effort, because that is definitely false. But I just felt like my body knew where it had to go, and it worked so hard today with really beautiful results. Teachers often remind us not to take our practice to seriously, to turn up the corners of our mouth and smile. I found myself smiling today just because I felt so proud of what I was doing! Even my runner's lunge, and prayer twist,  (we know how I feel about that), felt rooted and firm. I moved into my dancer with a slow, steady determination, it felt amazing! The delicious stretch through my chest and leg extended my body so that I was basically in a half-bow pose. I was able to keep my chest lifted and tall, the shape I've been working towards basically since I started obsessively reading about yoga online and practicing. I even rocked out the ab work when we did reclining eagle on each side followed by 'yoga bicycle' (I'd never heard it called this until Brittanie used it today, I just love it!), basically on your back with your legs up, shins parallel to the floor then bringing alternate elbows to opposite knees and extending the other leg. Wow that was a mouthful. I just love the image that phrase brings to mind, yoga bicycle - I imagine a serene, meditating yogi perched on a banana seat in lotus as the bicycle rolls along.

During bridge I felt like I was strong enough that I could go up into wheel, but by the time I'd gotten to that point we were moving on, so I resolved to practice once class was over. The rest of class went really smoothly, I felt so encouraged and proud of how I ended my thirty day challenge! Encouraged enough that I practiced wheel once I was finished final savasana and held it for fifteen breaths! It was funny seeing myself in the mirror upside down so I closed my eyes and just felt the posture. I loved it! Once I was finished that I spent a bit of time in plow before moving up into a shoulderstand for another fifteen breaths. I got really motivated to start practicing my handstand and headstand more frequently, but let it be for today. I walked out of the studio feeling so happy and satisfied; it was the perfect way to end my thirty day journey, a culmination of every part of the past month in one perfect sixty minutes.

Wonder how long that will last??

It was such a triumphant feeling, putting that final red star on my thirtieth day as I walked out into the now-sunny Thursday weather. I came home to the delicious aroma of barbecue as Jamie grilled his homemade beef-chorizo burgers stuffed with jalapeno and monterey jack cheese. Good lord I can't wait to have homemade burgers!! I did have some deliciously juicy fresh corn on the cob today for lunch though, with some earth balance 'butter' and kosher salt. Corn on the cob just tastes like summer to me, it makes me so happy!

After an afternoon of working I came home to relax and do some reading - I'm currently zooming through Still Life by Louise Penny. It's the book featured in One Book One Island, a PEI event put on by the public libraries (and my Mumma!!) this summer to have everyone on the island read the same book over the course of the summer. I think it's such a fantastic idea! Still Life is a fantastic book, following a murder investigation in a small town in Quebec. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in mysteries, murder investigations, or great Canadian fiction! Anyway, reading my book on the couch by the window watching the evening sunlight giving a soft glow to the living room made for very sleepy conditions - I had a four-hour nap and woke up completely confused and in the dark. Since I'd slept through dinner I needed something quick and easy so I had brown rice spaghetti with tomato sauce - I know, I'm so creative. My nap-addled brain just needed food! Of course after sleeping my evening away I'm not tired at all now to go to sleep ... maybe I'll go read some more, that usually does the trick!

Once again, congratulations and so much love to everyone who completed the thirty day challenge today! You are such a strong and inspiring group of people and I feel honoured to have had this experience alongside all of you!

Happy Canada Day everyone! Wherever you are, go out and celebrate this beautiful country of ours and spend time with people you love!

Namaste.