That one Disney song you’re probably sick of hearing? Yep, that’s what my blog’s about.

This week, the inspiration for my yoga practice came from an unusual source. My yoga inspiration came from a song in Disney movie.

You know that one song from that one movie that your kids probably have driven you crazy with? You know, “Let it Go,” from Frozen? Yeah, that’s the one. Honestly I’m a little embarrassed to admit it.

Just in case you haven’t already heard this 300,00 times. (video from YouTube)

I used to be morally opposed to Frozen, and the entire commercial culture that resulted from it, because I’m one of those annoying people that likes to judge everything that’s popular (especially Fifty Shades of Grey, but I think my judgement is valid in that case). However, this one song has always stuck with me for it’s inspiring message, and, of course, it’s infectious arrangement that sticks in my head all day. “Let it Go” is basically the musical equivalent to hard drugs.

Elsa– the closest most of us will get to being drug addicts. (Photo from Variety.com)

I was hesitant to start my yoga practice this week, because all prior weeks have been challenging and just a little bit painful. I had been able to hold some basic asanas, but others had me collapsing on my knees because I just couldn’t hold them for as long as my lovely YouTube instructor, Adrienne, wanted me to. (Plus, I have no upper body strength. If I ever get into a situation where I have to save my life using my upper body strength, I will probably die.) However, I decided to just “let it go,” and forget about my past yoga shortcomings, and instead focus on the moment, focus on breathing into each pose, focus on letting my body be mindful of the present time and not worrying about what comes next (sorry about the “let it go” pun. I almost gagged a little bit when I wrote it, because it’s just so lame. But whatever, it works well with the scenario).

Letting go of negative thought and being letting positive energy flow through me reaped great benefits in my practice, and I think I’ve made yogic gains this week for probably the first time in my career as a yogi (a conspicuously low-paying career; I probably won’t consider quitting my day job). In the Downward Facing Dog asana, I was able to observe the principles of Uddiyana Bandha, a means of engaging my core by drawing my belly button up towards my spine, and stay mindful of my breath and the length in my body. You’re probably sitting there thinking, “So what?” but to me, this mindfulness in my practice signifies a great step in my growth as both a yogi and a person. By being able to focus on the moment instead of the future, I was able to practice yoga in a way that connects me, a little more, to the universe, and sets me up to have a positive outlook on the rest of my tasks for the day. And for this maturation in my practice, I think I deserve some chocolate.

This would do nicely. (Photo CC by Dave Gunn)

So, next time your toddler is singing “Let it Go,” instead of immediately reaching for the headache medication, try to reap some benefits from the song’s message (or don’t, I’m just a blogger, not a philosopher).

Oh, by the way, here’s a list of the videos I used this week to develop my practice. I’m digging this Adrienne girl; she makes yoga challenging but accessible, and makes me feel like I reap benefits from by practice without, like, dying. I’ve been following her 30 Day Challenge, a challenge that increases in difficulty as the days go on, which I find beneficial because I get to work into the hard asanas while still getting some good out of my practice.

Day 2– Stretch and Soothe 

Day 3– Forget what you Know

Day 4– Yoga has your Back

Day 5– Feel Alive Flow