Being a massage therapist, I feel I have a responsibility to explore many paths to wellness. I was a pretty quiet, lazy kid so I feel like I'm a bit behind the times. I hated PE, didn't ride a bike for so long that I forgot how (apparently it is possible) and didn't really get any kind of regular exercise until I started dancing. Even then, I was just doing it because it was fun; I didn't really care that it was good for me and I didn't pay that much attention to that aspect of it. For a time, I belonged to Curves and that was a blast but I didn’t keep up with it. My mom was into yoga for a while, but I just thought it was weird and decided I wanted nothing to do with it.
Fast forward several years. I have dealt with my yoga issues. I still think it’s weird but I understand it more now. I also am positive it’s something I could benefit from. So, off I marched (with some encouragement from my awesome friend and acupuncturist Almine, who has a great entry in her blog about yoga btw) to Bikram Yoga for the first time with my shorts and tank top and water bottle. I went into the hot room (over 100°F) and set up my mat and towel. When I sat down with my legs straight out in front of me, I could already feel the pull in my hamstrings and I knew I had a long journey toward anything resembling flexibility. When the instructor entered the room, we began with breathing exercises, and my body made it very clear to me that I had a long journey toward normal lung capacity as well. By the end of the class, I was crying, although I don’t think anyone could tell because my face was red and dripping with sweat anyway. On one hand, I was crying because I was just so darn worked over. On the other hand, I realized later that I was having a tremendous emotional release. That first day kicked my butt, and I only attempted maybe half of the poses. Today I am writing this after my fifth class, and it is the last day of my intro period. I am now attempting all of the poses, I am breathing better, I feel cleaner inside, I am dealing with the stresses of life much better, my skin looks and feels better and I am much more flexible. I haven’t found an increase in strength yet, but I know it’s coming because I sure have been sore (you know, that good kind)!
I’m totally getting a membership.
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| I can't do that yet. |
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| I can't do this one yet either. |
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| I'm awesome at this one though. |
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