Wednesday, November 14, 2012

i like it HOT

i've told you guys that i started doing yoga a few months ago. i was surprised to discover that i like doing it with my little videos at home. i do yoga usually a couple times every week and i've discovered that, in my own estimation, i'm pretty decent at the physical part.

recently, i started wondering if i was any good or if i was butchering the poses and motions. sometimes you feel like you're doing something correctly, but it's hard to see yourself and if no one else is watching to point you in the right direction, it's impossible to know how you're really doing.

i worked out in front of a mirror and sometimes had brooke take my picture when i was in a really awkward pose so that i could see myself and try to gauge my level of accuracy.


my sister started doing hot yoga recently. she's a high stress, high achieving, high intensity kind of person, so this is right up her alley. i, however, am none of those things. when she invited me to join her for a 90 minute class of hot (100+ degrees) power yoga, i reluctantly agreed, but i was sort of terrified. and excited. let me not forget my excitement.

i kept waking up at night with visions of myself falling over with rubbery bones in the middle of a class where everyone else was perfectly posed. i imagined my crotch being exposed to the people behind me as i bent forward in downward dog split. i imagined tears and rivers of sweat and puking straight down onto my mat while trying to get into crow pose.

instead of letting those fears and dreams deter me, i watched a bunch of power yoga videos on youtube. then i went out and bought some tight shorts so that my bits would be adequately covered, no matter my pose. i researched the best way to stay hydrated during an extended super hot strenuous workout and followed all the directions. then i signed up and paid online so i couldn't chicken out.

i showed up early and was very happy to have my sister with me to hold my hand. sometimes i'm a big baby and need my little sister to tell me that i'll be okay.

i was very surprised to find that the heat in the room was delicious. i'm almost constantly cold these days, so it was a wonderful change to be wearing very little clothes and still be toasty warm. i also discovered very quickly that the heat made my muscles extremely flexible. while sitting on the ground with my legs out straight, i could lay my whole face flat down onto my shins.

the teachers came along and made little adjustments on me periodically. one actually gave me a little back massage while i was in forward bend and i almost fell asleep standing up with my palms on the floor. i was able to perform right along with the rest of the class and i didn't feel like i stuck out as a newbie. best of all, i didn't fart once. i've read too many things about the gas passing that goes on during these hot classes and i was resigned to the possibility, but thankfully i was tootless.

all in all, i loved it. i was sad when it ended and didn't feel like it could possibly have been 90 minutes already. i'm glad to have stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new and i can't wait to go again in three days.

24 comments:

  1. I love the concept of yoga and like Middle Child I'm really proud of you giving it a go, it sounds wonderful!

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    1. have you ever tried yoga? i like the physical part more than the spiritual aspect, but there are different classes that appeal to all different types of style and preference.

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  2. Wow sounds awesome.. I would have been petrified!

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    1. i was pretty worried beforehand. i was glad i had nothing to worry about in reality though.

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  3. You're to be congratulated for doing something outside of your comfort zone. Most people shy away from these opportunities for growth and enrichment.

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    1. i know that as we age, we're less likely to try new things. it's like our flexibility gets stiff rather than being rubbery like when we're kids. i figure i'd better keep exercising the flexibility aspect of myself so my life can keep expanding rather than starting to contract.

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  4. So proud of you. Even prouder that you were tootless. :)

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  5. Okay, I was so not sold on the whole hot yoga idea until I read this. Now, I'm curious. I adore yoga and wish I had more time for it. This actually sounds pretty cool! Congratulations on trying a new thing, falling in love with it, and not farting! There's always someone in every yoga class who lets out a fart. It's usually a dude, and everyone pretends not to hear it. It's usually the same dude who overly exaggerates his breathing. Then I snicker and fall down. :)

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    1. take a hot class! if you like yoga, you'll love it. so much more bendiness that your body can't tap into most of the time.

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  6. I did a few sessions of hot yoga at my gym...parts of me really liked it, and then other parts wanted to faint when we were done. However, they also offer a hot "deep stretch" class that is pure fantasticalistic. Traditional yoga poses, but with longer holds. It's so relaxing and amazing for flexibility.

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    1. that sounds really good too! my only objection is that there are no hot classes closer than 45 minutes from my house. that's a long drive, even for a cheap class!

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  7. that's great that you liked it! It does sound good now that it's getting really cold around these here parts! I love yoga. One day when I'm old and don't have to do Jillian workouts anymore, maybe I'll do yoga and powerwalking and be really happy.

    What yoga vids do you do? Maybe one day I'll get a laptop, and then I can do vids from youtube like you do!

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    1. another online yoga person that i really like is sadie nardini. she taught me how to do crow/crane. i never could get off the floor until i watched her instructional vid specifically for that one.

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  8. Wow, how impressive Sherilin. You are clearly very supple and bendy.

    I congratulate you on trying something outside of your usual sphere of comfort - and for controlling the flatulence!

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    1. thanks. i've learned to be fairly bendy. and healthy eating has led to less gas than formerly. or maybe it's the lack of cheese in my diet currently.

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  9. Good for you! for stepping out of your comfort zone and braving something new! I'm impressed.

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  10. Do they have a class where you can just sit in the room? And maybe the room is only about 75 degrees or so. And there's a TV.

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  11. Good for you! It's great to try something new and scary and conquer it! Btw- I never considered hot yoga, but would for a minimassage.

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  12. I'm so impressed by that picture of you. Wow! I get my stress relief from high-energy cardio, so I've never thought I would enjoy yoga. But the poses do look cool!

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don't let me be the only one doing the talking around here. spill your guts!