I’m not in the best shape right now. The gloomy weather hasn’t exactly motivated me to lace up my running shoes or grab my yoga mat to walk to the studio. All I want to do is cuddle up on the couch, watch movies and snack. A stressful past week has reminded me that yoga not only has offered me a workout but has also calmed my mind. I need both right now, which has inspired my November goal: Practice yoga every day. Whether it’s 15 minutes at home or an hour and a half class, I’m going to try to practice yoga. With the holidays around the corner, this challenge couldn’t come at a better time.
I am trained as a yoga teacher, but sometimes I don’t want to think about what poses or sequences I should do next. I plan to take Yoga International’s online classes when I want to do some yoga outside of the studio.
Some of my recent favorites:
Cross-Training Class for Runners: This is great to do in between runs.
Find Balance and Strength: Vishvamitrasana: I liked this class, but the instructor speaks slowly, so poses are held longer. I actually skipped the full variation of Vishvamitrasana in favor of headstand and forearm balance. I added crunches and malasana as well as pushups.
Strengthen Your Body and Free Your Spine: This is a Level 3 class, but again I felt like it moved slowly. I added a lot more handstand practice and forearm balance. I also did headstand three times vs. just once. Sometimes I play a class but then do my own thing at certain points.
Poses I will work on:
- Pigeon. I used to be able to do the full variation of one-legged king pigeon but now my foot isn’t always accessible on both sides.
- Splits. I haven’t gotten all the way down in splits yet despite practicing for almost four years. Part of the reason is that I don’t constantly work on splits. I hope to change that this month.
Brightening up my yoga wardrobe:
When I look in my active wear drawer in my dresser, I see black and gray. Almost all of my yoga pants are in dark colors, which matches the weather lately. I need to brighten this up a bit, if only to make me feel cuter and thus give me the boost I need to make it to class.
My picks for bright fitness attire:
I plan to track and share my progress. Will you join me on this yoga journey? 
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.