Power Yoga in a Hot room: What have I gotten myself into?
Wow - I got up at 5am this morning and hiked over to my power yoga class. Power yoga. In a hot room. Yes, I actually survived it. Surprisingly enough, I was able to keep up with everyone. It was really difficult though, which is where the breathing came in handy. I focussed on breathing, like the instructor told me to, into the parts of the body which were working the hardest. The instructor, by the way, was this great guy who made me laugh and made me feel very comfortable. Just like any great yoga instructor, he feels it is necessary to sometimes come over and adjust one of my limbs so I ‘properly’ experience the pose. At one point this morning, we’re doing a pose that resembles the splits! With one leg in front and one leg back. I thought I had gone as far as I could, but he pushes my front leg further forward and suddenly I am closer to doing the actual splits than I ever have been. Needless to say I was shaking with the difficulty of it.
He also was really good at helping us during the really difficult poses - today we did a series of intensive back movements. In between each movement we lay down on our stomachs with our head facing the left or right sides alternatively. The key was to completely relax during these mini-breaks so that the back isn’t overloaded. During this moment he would always repeat the same phrase: “Let gooooooo… Let go!” This repetition and the way he emphatically spoke the words… it was like someone was giving me permission to completely relax - it was very liberating.
I love how I keep taking chances to try things that I would normally consider really difficult, or nearly impossible. Four years ago, I would never have thought I would be doing the most intensive form of yoga and being able to keep up with everyone in the room. I continue to surprise myself with the things I never imagined I could accomplish. I just hope I can keep it up and keep going to the classes regularly to get my muscle strength back.
After the class, heading over to work, I experienced that amazing feeling where your breathing is so clear, where you feel so loosened up and more relaxed. While I feel fine right now, I know that tomorrow my body will be aching all over. I actually love that kind of ache, knowing that my body is doing the work that it should and that muscles are developing. It’s kind of a delicious feeling, and makes me feel really good. I think for tomorrow I will do a short run instead of yoga, or I’ll go to a later yoga class so I get a different type of practice to break it up a bit.
I am excited to use my dehydrator some more - I have plans to make dehydrated corn chips and zucchini chips, since I have plenty of zucchini and corn to use. At some point I will write a lengthy post about being raw foods, since it’s a major source of confusion for me right now. Let’s just say that I’m still trying to understand how to live in the world harmoniously while still eating the healthiest that I can. This was a rambling entry - I’ve got so many post ideas for the future when I have time, but it’s late and I need to get to bed. Goodnight, dear readers.
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