The Law School Transplant - If you don't find me helpful, hopefully you'll find me at least mildly entertaining.

First time reading about the 21-day challenge? Head on back to the beginning so you can get caught up!

I’m starting to feel the crunch to finish everything up for Christmas, having my week unexpectedly cut short on both ends by different things (illness, new family obligations). Today was a long day today: Lots of running around picking up last-minute things for the holidays, mired in non-stop traffic and crowds. Then I wrapped presents for a solid two hours, and when all was said and done I felt a little sad that the small pile in front of me was all I had to show for the hours of shopping and wrapping. I suddenly realized that it was after 9 p.m. and that I was downright exhausted. But, I figured doing a little yoga might lift my spirits, and so onward to Day 5 of the 21-day challenge I went.

Today’s practice was a “peak pose” practice: A sequence of poses that culminates in a particularly challenging pose. Today’s peak pose was hanumanasana and it kicked my asana (har har, bad yoga pun intended). It wasn’t just that the final pose was especially difficult, but that the entire series of postures was demanding: lots of utkatasana (I think this translates into “Burning Quadriceps Pose”), as well as several poses that test my sometimes shaky balance, like garudasana and ardha chandrasana.

Once I got to the final pose, I can assure you I certainly did not look anything remotely like a Flying Monkey God(dess); thanks to chronically tight hips and hamstrings, my butt was a good six inches off the mat. Nevertheless, I was able to get lower than I originally thought I would, and more importantly, I felt great when all was said and done. Still tired from a long day, but with a little more energy to keep me going through the evening’s last few tasks.

I’ve been perusing the interwebs for a new mat. Mine is rather thin, and I noticed today that it’s really showing some wear in places. It’s been great for the $10 I paid for it, but it’s time to upgrade soon. But holy moly, yoga mats are expensive! This Manduka BlackMat has great reviews on Amazon and several yoga forums, but I sort of choke at the thought of shelling out nearly a hundred bucks for it.

On a completely unrelated note, I’ve been craving Japanese food the last couple of days. And not yakisoba, or a big, steaming bowl of udon. No, I want some completely inauthentic and greasy – yet entirely delicious – teppanyaki, cooked in front of me by a guy who does fancy knife tricks and makes onion ring volcanoes.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand: What kind of yoga mat do you use? And are the expensive ones worth the money?

Ready for more? Check out a double dose with Days 6 and 7!