Am I doing this only seasonally now, or what? I haven't been to class since maybe March? Last weekend I went pretty hard on my body, experiencing Electric Daisy Carnival in Chicago and dancing up a storm. Seriously, I had the best time ever, but it left me wondering if all this dancing is conditioning to keep my body young, or a fast track to old age and wearing it down too fast. So I took a day off of work and have been enjoying my time off! Now that its a whole new season, with the 90 degree weather, it was the perfect day to go. I had my nice little productive day, rising at 7 am, for starters. I went to the gym, got a cute effing haircut (that was so easy to wear during class!), DEPOSITED cash in my bank, got groceries...so I thought, as I always do on my proudest productive days, why not go to class today, too?
SO glad that I did. Kendall was my teacher, and her pace was so awesome. Clearly the other students in class were not brand new, so she didn't waste time talking through all the poses and saying all the bullshit to guide you through the motions, which, let's face it, only serves as a distraction if you aren't in the right mindset, am I right?
I've been super stressed recently. Definitely more mentally affected by my life than normal. I usually thrive on change, but these new changes lately haven't felt like they've been for the best. I've been busying myself in the past few days, doing some (uncharacteristic) personal housekeeping. And it's worked! Coincidentally, my take away from class was when Kendall said,
"Our biggest breakthroughs in yoga are just by taking a deep breath and making ourselves relax. We tense up so much of our minds and bodies and waste so much energy worrying and putting forth extra effort to things that only require minimal energy on our part."
In boat pose, do you realize that our only effort should be in kicking back our feet? I've spent so much energy pulling my ankles with my arms, and arching my back to balance, that when I relaxed my body and only focused on kicking my feet, I achieved the very same pose, with much less strain on my back. Awesome.
Also a way to be efficient in life: Relax and focus only on what is necessary.
About Me
- Stephanie
- I am very new to Bikram yoga and have really come to fall in love with the practice. I am excited to share my Bikram experiences as I challenge myself to new heights of self-awareness and strength...through sweating in the heat. I am an RN in Baltimore who also loves to enjoy food, travel, experience music and dance...after a weekend of that, Bikram is a necessity! For me, Bikram is a natural Red Bull and the key to the best night's sleep you've ever had (also the best Booty sculptor known to man). If you are an anomalous yogi like me or just want some honest feelings on starting the practice, read my blog! Enjoy!
