Warm Yoga

I have officially lost my mind. I have joined a 'hot yoga' studio for three months!

Before I got sick, I used to be a regular at yoga classes. Once, about a year and a half ago, I had a private yoga lesson in my home to see if I was anywhere near ready to go to a class. It was embarrassing!

But last week, something inside of me 'clicked'. I've been feeling so much better for the past six months, and I've been very careful not to push too hard...it was time to give it a try again.

Let me tell you about hot yoga. It feels like exercising in a sauna.

I went into the room a few minutes ahead of time to put my mat down and get comfortable. Lying on the mat, I started to feel perspiration pooling around my lower back. The class hadn't even started yet!

The poses weren't especially challenging, certainly within my range if I modified them slightly, but the heat. Wow.

I longed for air conditioning...I silently cursed myself for trying this hellish endeavor.

And then it was over, and a funny thing happened: I got home and noticed that I felt great. I was so energized that I went for a 5 km walk. (so much for taking it slow)

Since then I've been back twice, and I'm planning to make this an every-other-day routine.

The heat still gets to me, but it's not so bad as the first time.

More than anything, I'm loving the feeling of building strength in my body. I love that my body is capable of holding strong poses. I love feeling my heart rate climb.

I'm looking forward to this three-month adventure!