This month, I am doing a less physically demanding challenge, which seems appropriate given my body has been feeling absolutely miserable the last few days. I want to get back to reading again, and with Thanksgiving now and Christmas around the corner, this seems the perfect time to start.

Also, I have been experiencing a lot of new aches and pains recently. Perhaps this is due to the extensive push-ups from last month, or my current sickness, or some unknown factor. Whatever the reason, getting back to daily Bikram Yoga can only help and is something I have been neglecting for too long.

Here are the details for the yoga challenge:

• At least 30 minutes each day – Official Bikram Yoga classes are 90 minutes long. The ones I usually attend or view on YouTube are close to an hour long. I am just committing to 30 minutes, though if I have time and want to finish the whole class that would be great.
• Turn space heater on for some of each practice – Bikram Yoga classes are performed in some type of hot room where the temperature is close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t currently have a membership to any studios or gyms with a hot room, so that is not an option. However, I would like to replicate the experience a little bit by starting and ending the practice with a space heater.
• Always start with Standing Deep Breathing and Half Moon Pose – Thirty minutes will not get me through an entire practice. I am fine picking up where I left off from the previous day, as long as I always start with these two introductory positions before doing so. They help prepare the mind as well as the body for the rest of the practice.

The reading portion of this challenge is rather simple. Below are the specifications:

• Plan on reading at least 1,000 pages during the month – This seems like a good number without being too ambitious. Any book counts as long as I am not reading it virtually.
• This comes out to between 33 and 34 pages per day – I plan on reading at least 5 pages when I first wake up, 5 pages during my lunch break, and 5 pages upon getting in bed at night. The remaining pages can either be spaced out throughout the day or read as a bolus after dinner.
• I can make up for days that I didn’t read the allotted number of pages – I want to get to 1,000 pages, and if this means making up for days that I missed, I will do that. However, the point of the challenge is to get into the habit of daily reading, so I am not allowing myself to “get ahead” by reading more than 34 pages during a day if I am already caught up.

I anticipate cultivating a spirit of mental and physical wholeness during this challenge.

Namaste.