Hello everybody!  So today is a big and kind of scary day for me because for the first time I am posting photos of myself with my belly bare.  For many years, I was extremely self-conscious of my body.  In fact, I sort of came of age feeling like I looked terrible and never feeling happy about the way I looked either in regular clothes, exercise clothes, or God forbid, a bathing suit.

Practicing yoga has changed a lot of that for me.  For starters, its helped me tone and strengthen my legs, back and abs.  Second, though, it’s helped me to feel proud of my body for the things it enables me to do, rather than always looking critically at what I don’t like. This is my personal favorite out of all the benefits of yoga.

When the brand Onzie approached me about doing a four-part giveaway of their spectacular yoga clothes, I was thrilled.  I picked out some lovely outfits and waited for the package to arrive.  Opening the bag, I saw great pants and little tiny bras!  The type I had never worn before.  So wearing these was a first for me.

When Marc and I ventured down to Florida a few weeks ago for his best friend’s daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, I put on the first outfit and asked Marc to snap some pics on the beach, figuring that the opportunity for such a great background would never present itself again.  So, to make a long story short, welcome to our ONZIE YOGA SERIES and to kick things off, today I’ll be modeling a very pretty and comfortable outfit and explaining the virtues of two Bikram yoga poses.

But first, just to explain the virtues of this outfit.  The pants are smooth, silky and comfortable and very chic with a combination of navy and army green.  And the bra has a pretty cross-front design that is comfortable and light to wear; meanwhile, it’s supportive enough to get you through a strenuous workout.

I love this bra because it puts the emphasis on the front which you see above rather than the back, keeping the back staps nice and simple.  The navy and grey combo is also so pretty and modern.

Now, onto the yoga poses.  Bikram yoga, which takes place in a hot room usually for 90 minutes, is a series of poses.  Here you see me attempting the first pose in the Bikram series, Ardha Chandrasana, or Half Moon Pose.  “Ardha” means half and “chandra” means moon.  The idea is that in the full expression of the pose your body resembles a crescent moon. When I first started Bikram, it killed my arms to raise them above my head and I could not hold this pose for more than a few instants. Over time, I grew stronger. Even within each class, I find myself able to stretch just a wee bit more to the side and gain flexibility. The half moon pose is said to heat the body up, improve circulation, straighten your core, firm the stomach, buttocks, hips, and thighs, and realign the spine and help correct posture.

This next pose which takes place later in the Bikram series is called Tuladandasana or Balancing Stick Pose. This pose is said to strengthen the entire party, including the upper thighs, shoulders and abdomen. Balancing in this post looks easy but really is not since you need to have your upper arms cradle your ears.  I have to add that doing this pose on the sand – which is not what you would do in a conventional Bikram class — only made it all the more challenging. And please note too that I am just a practicer of Bikram and not an instructor nor a professional trained to give instructions.

Well, that concludes the introduction to our Onzie giveaway. Thanks so much for reading! If you are looking for a terrific work out for a mom who is trying to gain strength, flexibility and endurance (plus sweat out all the “Mommy stress”) please consider Bikram! And whether you practice Bikram or not, check out Onzie yoga wear for your workout needs. You won’t look back.

xo Melissa

Onzie Giveaway

Prize(s): $100 Onzie gift card – 1 winner

Rules:

• Enter using the Gleam widget below.
• Open to U.S readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter.
• You have multiple ways you can enter to increase your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, November 30, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time).
• Winner will be announced on the widget below within 48 hours after the giveaway has ended.

Onzie Giveaway

CloudMom received free products in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed in this post are mine.