Exercise | Finding Hope In Change

Life has gotten in the way over the past few weekends but I was finally able to take my first class at the new yoga studio. It was GREAT! The class, Power Yoga, started on time and ran for a full 75 minutes, ending on time. The instructor was warm, positive, and encouraging. Most importantly, she didn’t wax poetic about her political and environmental issues…she ran a yoga class. She also didn’t push anyone to perform beyond their means. If they told her that a pose wasn’t working for them she’d provide a modification…she didn’t physically forcing them to push harder in the pose.

As for my personal experience…I sweated like I’d never sweat before. If you know me then you know that I don’t like to sweat so this was a mind-altering experience. What I mean by that is I had to re-frame my brain around the act of sweating. I reminded myself that this was a workout…not a walk around the park with a pretty sundress on and my hair and make-up fixed. I was supposed to sweat! Once I fixed that brain glitch I was ready to work hard. I felt like I was able to successfully complete 90% of the poses so that was wonderful. When the class ended I felt relaxed and relieved. The negative toxins had left my body and my mind. I was ready to start my day!

Today I purchased a yoga towel so I can be a little less slippy next week. Since it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month I got a great deal on the towel by purchasing one and getting one free PLUS 5% of the purchase prices goes to Breastcancer.org. Now I feel good about being prepared for next week’s yoga class, getting a fun deal on my new yoga towel AND helping with awareness for an important cause.

Namaste

I am a firm believer that exercise is great for the mind and body, especially yoga. The endorphins you earn from being active can be just as rewarding as the amount of calories you burn. With that said, often times I find excuses to avoid working out because, let’s just face it, I don’t like to sweat and I’d rather be shopping, sleeping, watching TV, staring out the window. Take your pick.

Recently I’ve started back with a weekly yoga class. My husband Joe will be the first one to tell you that I’m a pretty tightly wound stress ball these days. Actually he’ll be the second. I’m the first. My intention for yoga is threefold:

Reduce stress through exercise
Lose weight
Do something for myself

These three things will make me a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, co-worker, etc. You get the idea.

I found a yoga studio near my home that has a good schedule and excellent rates. In fact, the first Sunday of each month the yoga class is free! Sadly I need to search for a new yoga studio because I’m finding that it’s not the right setting for me. I’m leaving each session feeling irritated instead of calm and enlightened. Clearly that is NOT the desired effect. My irritation stems from the instructor. She is a young woman with big ideas, which she expresses freely, and a lackadaisical approach to starting the class on time.

The class begins (at least 5 minutes late) with us sitting cross legged on the floor, eyes closed and practicing our breathing techniques. This is good. I like doing this for the first 2-5 minutes of class because it brings my focus to the task at hand. During this time, which typically lasts upwards of 10 minutes, she gives a sermon on whatever her topic of the week is: stress, world peace etc. The sermon not only cuts into the time allotted for the physical act of practicing yoga (the stretching and posing) but it also interrupts my meditative state because she’s one of those twenty-something granola peace-loving yogis. Ick. (If you’re offended at my terminology that’s ok. It’s your right.)

In addition, the class starts and ends late. This wouldn’t be a problem under normal circumstances but recently my husband has been scheduled to work on weekends. Since we have Jacob, I find that I have barely enough time to take the class (often times leaving early), drive home, shower, and dress before Joe has to run out the door for work. This doesn’t include time to dry my hair, eat lunch, hydrate and relax. So here I am occupying a busy baby and feeling stressed.

I found another yoga studio nearby so I’ll check it out to see if it fits better with my style. Wish me luck!