a few weeks ago i got the crazy idea to buy a groupon for a yoga studio here in good 'ol rhode island. i looked up reviews beforehand and knew it was going to be a good, clean place. i was super excited to get such a good deal and because i've been doing a yoga video at home i loved and was looking forward to giving a class a whirl.
so i followed all the directions for newbies on the website: drank lots of water, didn't eat two hours beforehand and realized i might not be able to get all the moves right away but to do my best.
so there i am, driving to my class having a mild anxiety attack because i had no idea what i was getting myself into. first off, let me tell you a little about this specific yoga class. the room is 105 degrees. yes, you read that right 105. they pump in fresh air and humidity to make it a little more bearable and i thought that if other people can do it, certainly a lifelong athlete would be able to.
WRONGGGGGGGG. yoga isn't all about flexibility and strength. there's a whole other mental aspect that clearly, i struggle with. with that being said, this class was tough. there were a few times i thought i might throw up or faint. i was lucky to have the most wonderful instructor who encouraged us all to take a seat if we needed to. i was so stubborn at first and told myself "i should be able to do this!" but after seeing a few other people taking a break i decided to give in and get my breathing in check. that and i was so drenched in sweat it was getting into my eyes and blurring my vision.
i was able to get through it though. and the second half of the class was amazing. it was a nice mental vacation and group therapy session all in one. laying there is some pose with 20 other people you didn't know, it was inspiring. there was no talking. just all of us laying in silence and focusing on breathing. glorious.
afterwards, i felt like a million bucks. i had sweat out approximately 5 gallons of fluid and was so calm and proud.
fast forward 2 hours: i am dead. drained and exhausted. the most amazing shower gave way to the most amazing nap of my life. it closely resembled the last nap of a really long cold or flu. the one where you feel like you're just now feeling better but still have that overall hotness/fever. talk about a detoxing day.
it over 12 hours later and i still have that lingering "i just conquered the world" sensation so needless to say, i will be back in that sweat-box this weekend. until then, i will be sleeping and training myself to become a camel.
ciao.
my favorite pose for obvious reasons: savasana or more affectionately known as "the corpse"
No comments:
Post a Comment