Yoga is a good place for me to be. “It is not about touching your toes, it is about what you learn on the way down.” I don’t know who to credit that quote too but it is one that I have built my practice around.
I have a dedicated quiet space in my home where I practice. My home practice provides me solitude and accessibility on my own time around daily life.
When I hike and camp, I like to remove my shoes and connect with nature through my feet. It is a heavenly experience standing on a rock or a patch of dirt in my bare feet while the wind whispers by me. I feel most grounded and relaxed when I practice yoga outside.
For extra motivation when I am feeling in a slump, I like to attend classes. I have yet to find a studio that I really connect with, one that calls me home to return more often. I wonder if it exists?
The options for yoga classes in my new area are quite low with two HOT YOGA studios. I am happy with a community center based class or an actual studio but hot yoga is something that I have avoided, for good reason. If you will recall in my last post, I live for fall and winter because of the cooler weather. The heat and I don’t really jive but in an effort to be the best possible version of myself, I decided to give hot yoga a try tonight.
I read that temperatures are about 40.5 celsius, which meant that I had to wear as little clothing as possible in an attempt to be more comfortable. I usually wear yoga pants but opted for shorts tonight. On most days my leg hair resembles that of a grizzly bear. I promptly dry shaved my legs for the class when I got home from work.
I am a majestic grizzly bear, with patches of hair that I missed on my legs, ready to take on hot yoga. The class and studio has a body-positive vibe and what I look like doesn’t phase me. I enter the dragon room and lay on my mat and as the class progresses, I now know why grizzly bears do not live on tropical islands…
Call me when it is winter and I will gladly do cold yoga on a frozen lake, as snow falls on me like specks of glitter. As I stood in tree pose, I dripped sweat like I was a tree after a rain storm and I felt like I had just jumped into a lake. I was not comfortable.
The instructor had a soft, rhythmic, and encouraging voice. One that drew me in to mindfulness and kept me centered. I will return to his class again as I have a one month unlimted pass to try out the studio. I wish it wasn’t hot yoga and perhaps he teaches a different class in regular temperatures elsewhere. Something for me to look into.
The heat wore me out and I don’t feel relaxed like I usually do after a practice. I drank a ton of water but still have a headache and I feel done. Maybe I over extended myself in the class and should have rested more than I did. I will try resting more frequently next week when I go back. I beleive in trying something at least three times before completely writing it off.
Be well.
Wild Woman Wisdom 