Friday 11 November 2016

The Yoga Diaries | Getting Started

Hello Lovely People !


Welcome to the beginning of a new series that I'm hoping will motivate and inspire me ( and maybe even you ! ) to take up and stick with yoga. Yoga has a lot of brilliant benefits for both your mind and your body and I have recently become determined to improve my mental and physical health. In today's post I thought I'd share a little with you about what you can expect from this series and answer any questions you might have ! At the end of these questions I will write my first entry in my yoga diary for this week all about my first yoga session, but more on that later.



How does this series benefit me ?


I'm hoping that the series will be a good form of motivation to keep on track with Yoga and get to class rather than just getting the bus home and snacking on cake !


How will this series benefit you ?


Yoga can seem hard and unattainable when you first go to a session because it's made out to be so easy and in comparison everyone else in the class looks brilliant and the moves seem effortless. In reality they're practiced a lot and worked very hard .. but as a beginner that can leave you feeling a little useless and disheartened. In this series I'm going to give you an honest account of yoga and how your skills and strength can develop from the very beginning so nobody will feel alone or disheartened.


Can we work together on this ?


We're all beginners here, so maybe it's something we could do together. If there's any point in the series when you feel inspired to take up yoga then perhaps you could leave a few sentences about your journey in the comments.

Why Yoga ?


Yoga is a fantastic way to focus on mindfulness and develop a connection between your body and mind that has endless benefits on your mental and physical health. It can be a great reliever of anxiety and for any mental problem, the focus on a goal of improving your yoga skills can be real motivation to get out of bed and in turn improves your health.

What will be in each post ?


Each post will only be a short paragraph. You're busy people with busy lives and I understand that so have adapted this series to fit in with your everyday life. I will give a brief summary of that weeks yoga class, talk about what I struggled with and what I enjoyed. I will also talk about what I need to improve and how I'm going to work on that in the week. At the end of each post I'm hoping to include a picture of me in a yoga pose that I've got to grips with that week ( these will be very basic at first but I'm hoping they'll develop with my skills ) .

I really hope that this answers any of your questions about the series but if you have anymore questions then feel free to ask away in the comments !

The Yoga Diaries | Week One | 07/11/2016


This week as I ventured into my first yoga class I was a lil bit apprehensive, everyone was dressed in expensive yoga clothes and was so flexible that I was worried I was going to tear a ligament just watching them ! However the teacher was lovely, she smiled at me and said hello. There was an incense stick burning which made the room smell gorgeous ( I'm definitely going to burn one when practicing at home ). I enjoyed the floor work but I found I struggled with downward dog, I don't seem to have enough strength in my arms to hold myself in the position. I also had trouble with keeping my balance and successfully fell flat on my face in almost every pose ( Honestly it must have been quite beautiful to watch hehe ) apparently I don't have very good balance

What I need to Improve : Downward Dog, I think my main problem here was my strength

How I'm Going to Improve : I'm going to start doing weights in the week. I realise this will take a few weeks to take affect but I'm feeling determined !


Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :) 


Lots of love, Marianne xxx


32 comments:

  1. I'm a huge fan of pilates at the moment but I've heard that yoga has so many other benefits. So you have my word, whenever I have time I'll be doing yoga, thanks for the motivation :)

    http://izzyk1998.blogspot.co.uk/
    http://izzykreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. It's definitely amazing ! Pilates is so cool it's anothering i'd love to look into when I have the time !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  2. Hi girl ! Thank you for showing some love in my comment section. Coming to share it back :D
    I LOVE yoga, because I am a very stressed person. I started taking classes since 3 months and I can already see so many amazing results on my body and state of mind. It makes me feel super good and it's nice to see other people on the internet sharing their own experience with yoga. Thinking into making a post about that in the future !
    So those yoga diaries seem super cool :D

    - Audrey M.
    www.audreymarianne.com

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    1. Aw thank you darling ! It's brilliant for stress and that's AMAZING ! I can't wait to start seeing the benefits as you have :) I'd love to read a post on your blog about it :)

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  3. lovely :)


    NEW BLOG ! please follow me : YOUNG BLOG

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    1. Thank you darling ! Have a lovely day :)

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  4. Good for you for doing this and planning to stick to it! Very inspirational, I find I can never finish my yoga phases when I start them. Brilliant blog :)

    xo
    Marta
    www.paradiseplayground.net

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    1. I think it's all about going in with the right mindset and developing your strength !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  5. Great post, good luck! xx
    www.shybutsecretlyfabulous.com

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  6. Yoga is so relaxing and definitely is harder than it looks! I can't understand how some people can hold certain poses for so long. I thought I had a good deal of core strength from dance, but I guess holding those positions completely still for a long time takes even more strength! It's awesome that you are starting this series, I look forward to reading more about your experiences with yoga!

    ~Andrea Tiffany~
    aglimpseofglam.blogspot.com

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    1. It often looks easy because people only post about it online once they're strong and flexible ! I can't wait to develpop my skills and get better at yoga !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  7. It sounds like you are already doing great and it was only your first session. Keep it up! You have definitely given me the motivation to start yoga so I enquired at my gym about yoga classes. Unfortunately, they don't currently offer yoga classes but they are hoping to begin them in the new year :) So I'll definitely be following this series to perhaps get some practise in before they start! Great series idea xx

    http://www.thecreativepalette.co.uk

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    1. That's awesome ! I'm so glad to hear that :) I hope you love it in the new years and until them I'll be glad for you to learn along with me !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  8. There are so many benefits to practicing yoga, I completely agree! I used to go to bi-weekly classes, though have now stopped and definitely miss it. Looking forward to following along your yoga journey :)

    aglassofice.com
    x

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    1. It's great ! I love the mindfulness element myself :) You should start going again if you miss it !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  9. Just reading this post got me into the yoga groove, Marianne!
    I hear ya - when I went to a walk-in yoga class by my home, lots of girls in there were wearing expensive yoga clothes! (For me, I just have the pants..and they were a Christmas gift!) I also struggle with Downward Dog! It's harder than it looks. Keep up the great work! :)

    -Lor
    acozyspace.org

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    1. I'm so so glad ! That's awesome :) It can be very intimidating and I'm so glad it's not just me ! That's really reassuring , I can't wait to give it a go !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  10. This is so interesting! I've heard about the effects of yoga but I haven't yet tried it for myself!
    I nominated you for the 'Sunshine Blog Award' - check out my post: http://louleecutie.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/the-sunshine-blog-award.html xx

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    1. I'd definitely encourage you to give it a go ! Maybe read a long my journey for a little while and then sign up for a class if you're liking the sound of it :) Thank you so so much I'll pop along and read it !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  11. Yoga sounds like something I need to give a shot to. Good luck for you, I'm sure you'll be able to do it in no time :)

    -Leta | The Nerdy Me

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    1. I hope you give it a go because it's a brilliant thing to focus on !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  12. Congrats on your first yoga class! I know it's quite difficult at first but you'll get there, hun, you'll be a yoga pro in no time at all!!! :) My balance is fine, but I have no strength at all especially in my arms (literally, none!), so I am sure I would fall on my face when trying any of these yoga poses, haha. I admire people who are flexible and can maintain them all! <3 Good luck in future classes! x x x

    Kay
    http://www.shoesandglitter.com/

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    1. Thank you honey! I can't wait to improve . Strength is difficult because so much is required but I can't wait to build mine up and improve !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  13. Good luck with your yoga journey and congrats on your first class! I just started doing yoga again as well! On my own, but still I am so happy to have started up again and it really has already begun to make a difference in my life! Excited to follow along with your journey!

    Rae | Love from Berlin

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    1. That's AMAZING ! Hey, we can do this journey together ! I'm so glad that you're feeling the differance :)

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  14. Yay!!! This post of yours is just like an answer and that little push I needed, lovely!! I have been going on and on for months now how much I'd love to start yoga!!! So proud and excited for you and I know you will find it super fun! I can't wait to start doing it too. Will keep checking in with you and your updates ;)
    xox Nadia
    www.mielandmint.com

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    1. I'm so happy that it's edging you in the right direction ! It's hard in your first sesssion but don't let it put you off. Keep practising and keep going back ! You're going to do great :)

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  15. I'm excited about your yoga diary series. I know about the benefits of yoga. i tried it before but my patience always got challenged and I ended up quitting. It's something I really have to work on though. I'm on a 9 weeks workout program that I started 2 weeks ago, ending on the last day of the year. I'm sure I'd find some motivation in your series and maybe start they year with some yoga :)
    Good luck Marianne! and have a great week :)
    xo
    Sauniya | Find Your Bliss ♡

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    1. I can't wait to really get into the heart of the series ! It does take a lot of patience and I hope the series gives you a gentle push in the right direction for new year !

      lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  16. Thanks sweetie ! Have a great day !

    lots of love, Marianne xxx

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  17. That's so sweet of you darling, honestly your kind words mean so so much to me ! It can be so intimidating starting something new where it looks like everyone else can do it but you cant, and I really want to encourage people to work through that feeling !

    lots of love, Marianne xxx

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