Mikenze Pearsoll
Apr 13, 20204 min
Many people ask me what keeps me motivated in my Yoga journey. The answer to that question is very simple - Personal Progress!
This first sign of progress I saw was on day 6 when I could hold a side plank. The progress just continued from there. There were many poses I could get into from day one, but there were also many I couldn't for the first few months. There were some I couldn't get into in the first year. But I get kept practicing daily and trying each pose as Adriene introduced them.
As I mentioned, on day 6 of daily practice I held a side plank. I continued to practice the side plank often, and after about 9 months I could raise my top leg to a tree position. After a few more months I could raise my top leg straight up. It took another few months until I could begin to reach my top hand to my lifted foot. I absolutely love practicing the side plank now. It is a true sign of how much progress I have made and of how strong my core truly is.
When I first started my daily practice, I would get into a pigeon pose and then bend my back leg to reach for my foot. Honestly, there was a good foot distant between my foot and my hand. I wasn't able to reach my foot until about the six-month mark. I was elated when this happened! After that I worked hard to get my foot into the crook of my elbow. As soon as I was close, I began to reach my other arm over my head. It took me about a month to finally reach my hands together and clasp my fingers. I was both shocked and excited when this finally happened, as the picture clearly shows. Now I can hold this pose for at least 30 seconds and am working to turn my hips and shoulders toward the front of my mat. I also will begin to reach directly up and over my head toward my foot for the Mermaid pose.
The first time Adriene prompted me to raise my opposite arm and leg while in a plank position, I absolutely could not conceive how this was possible. I tried and failed many times. It wasn't until just over eleven months of daily practice that I could finally lift the opposite limbs from a plank position. I was so overjoyed that I could finally do this!
My first days of the warrior poses, individually or in series, was intense. I would sweat and shake when holding these poses for more than a few seconds. They slowly got easier with time. After around 6 months I could successfully hold a warrior 3 pose with arms extended fully and body at a 90 degree angle. I was so proud of this moment. Now I can hold a warrior 2 for a very long time and not shake or break a sweat.
The first time I tried eagle arms, I was literally at “skinamarinky dinky dink” arms like Sharon, Lois, and Bram! As the months went on, I slowly advanced. Now I can almost get my top elbow to the bottom elbow crease, and my bottoms fingers can reach my top forearm. There are a few factors to this that I cannot control, however. I have short arms for my height, very tight, inflexible shoulders, and a very large chest which prevents my arms from getting any closer to each other.
When I first tried to practice a crow pose, there was absolutely no way. I couldn't even imagine my body balancing on my arms. I could feel it in my guts that I wouldn't be able to hold this pose for a very long time. And this was true. I would try here and there when it came up on practice, but I always went for the Yogic squat or frog pose as my variation. Even when training as a Yoga Instructor I was unable to hold a crow pose. It wasn't until after sixteen months of daily Asana practice that I successfully held a crow pose. I was so excited for this moment! It was a major milestone in my Yoga journey.
It took a good amount of time to develop my half moon pose. When I started, my leg was parallel to the floor, but all of my weight was on my bottom arm. I was able to open my hips fully from the beginning, but it took months to be able to get up to my fingertips on my weight bearing hand. Then eventually I was able to raise my body to get my hand off the ground. From there I worked to get my gaze to the sky. This took some practice, but I can now hold this pose successfully.
The biggest progress motivation for me, above all else, was the weight loss and toning that happened steadily with each month that passed. I was becoming much more confident in myself and I was happier than I had ever been. Things in my life really began to change for the better and I found my new passion that would turn into a lucrative business venture and career. I continue to see all of my poses progress further and my body continues to change. The progress will be never-ending, and this is something I absolutely love about Yoga.