Maybe yoga isn't for the birds!

I love to exercise, but my usual goal is to burn a few calories, not enrich my soul or any mumbo jumbo like that.  I took a yoga class once with my best friend Candace, and it always went great until the end, when the teacher would ring these tiny finger symbols and I would attempt to stifle the urge to giggle.

Fast forward 5 years, and I still like to "feel the burn!" Yes, I would love to have someone yell those words in my face, it actually motivates me to work harder.  Crazy, I know.  Well, the class I go to for aerobic and cardio exercise had a challenge you could sign up for starting February.  Everyone knows I love a challenge, so of course I signed up.  The challenge is called the Mother Love Challenge (or MoLo for short) and there is a different challenge area each month.

February's challenge was sadism.  Okay, maybe that wasn't what the "official" title was, but you try to do as many jump squats (don't bend over, now, bend at the knee and touch the floor with those fingers), push ups (not the girl kind either, although last time I checked I was still a girl!) in a row as you can, and then round it out by holding a full body plank on your toes not knees for as long as you can, and you tell me, sadistic?  Me thinks so!

I was so happy to leave February in the dust, and move to March.  I think the March's area may be core, but the exercises are all stretches so maybe it's stretching.  Anyways, no matter.  I haven't been to class much due to the horde of evil germs that descended upon my home, but I have been stretching almost every day.

One of the stretches we have to do is the tree pose.  You know, the one where you put one foot on your knee (or higher, if you're made of silly putty), put your hands over your head, and hold.  Now you probably have the wrong picture in your head cause my describing skills are a little sketch, but just go with me.  The kicker is you then close your eyes, and try to keep your balance.

On Friday at class our instructor Melissa times our poses. Since I haven't been in, err, a while, I haven't had any times done.  I also had no idea what a "good" number was, and frankly, I didn't care, as i really just want to beat myself.  Anyways, I did my tree pose and held it for 1 min 11 secs.  I thought that was decent, I was happy with it.  After we all were timed, Melissa said she was distributing the month's prizes early, and the person who held the pose the longest got to pick first.  And guess what?! Yes, by now you probably guessed it, or you need to read more suspense novels so you get that whole plot development thing down.

Yes, I won!  And the sponsor this month was Marie D's bows, and I love, love, love her bows.  I already own quite a few ;) Since I have 2 girls, Melissa let me pick two bows. Woo-hoo!  I got some simple bows, but the girls love them, and Olivia called dibs on the pink one.