Getting the blood pumping...

So, I'm going to have to make tonight's post short and sweet, since I'm typing a bit more slowly than usual given the fact that I managed to put my blender's manufacturer's claims about blade sharpness to the test with my finger.

In other words, I'm out a pair of yellow rubber gloves.

Anyway.

I had an interesting yoga class today...I wasn't too excited about going, since I'm sort of hitting the one-week wall. I've been to seven classes in five days, and methinks my body doth protest too much. I remember reading somewhere that the health of your feet is an indicator of the health of the rest of your body, and the fact that my ankle is still hurting & my heel is still swollen is a little worrisome (not to mention the fact that the bursitis on my knee still isn't fully gone).

But I went to yoga regardless. I already set the intention not to push myself too hard, so that I could use today more as a restorative day than anything else.

Interestingly enough, it was hot and humid enough outside today to have done Bikram in the great outdoors. Which is why, when a mini hurricane broke out over our studio and caused a blackout, the room stayed hot enough to continue class without light or heat.

It was a really amazing experience. At first, my concentration was absolutely shot--the lights went out in the middle of Garurasana, and I have enough trouble balancing on one leg with the lights on and my focus in the mirror!

Garurasana (Eagle Pose)

My eyes adjusted through Dandyamana-Janushirasana, and as the class progressed, because I was only seeing outlines, I had to concentrate harder than I've ever concentrated before. Even our teacher commented during the final Savasana, "I think this was the most focused class I've ever taught."

Dandyamana-Janushirasana (Standing Head-to-Knee Pose)

Anyway, I'm off to bed, since I have some yoga-ing to do in the morning before work...My body is actually feeling better than when I went to the studio today, so I guess something worked.

I'll leave you with a thought from one of my teachers yesterday:

"Savasana is like the weekend; it never feels long enough."

Savasana (Dead Body Pose)

Namaste!

Some Like it Hot...

If you know me, then you know I'm the kind of person who goes to extremes when it comes to fitness.

I don't just resistance train; I become a bodybuilder.

I don't just go for a run; I do it barefoot and at 4:30 am.

It stands to reason that when I decide to do yoga, it sure as hell isn't going to be 30 minutes of deep breathing in savasana.

So of course I'd end up sweating my rear end off through 26 postures and two breathing exercises for 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees.

I fell into Bikram yoga almost two years ago, when I was home from Columbia & debating whether or not I wanted to go back (see: this post for a recap). Depressed & looking for a change, I decided to try yoga...and the closest yoga studio to my mom's house happened to be Bikram Yoga Boca Raton. So I grabbed two towels, a yoga mat, and a bottle of water, signed up for my first class, and fell in love.

Back in NY, I made the commitment to go back to grad school, and sweating through my daily practice at Bikram Yoga Harlem helped me keep my cool (bad pun intended). Taking the subway uptown in my winter gear, I would get in my daily practice & then go to the Hungarian Pastry Shop to write. It was the perfect way to bring balance back into my life.

Of course, all fairy tales end the same way in the face of reality: money & time were not on my side. Given the fact that I was living off of what was left of my savings as well as attending 5 classes and 4 shows a week, the expensive 90 minute classes (bookended with 30-45 minutes of prep & travel time in both directions) were just not doable.

On top of that, I (being me) managed to overdo it & overstretch my hamstrings to the point that I couldn't comfortably walk for a few weeks.

I went back to the gym & only dabbled in Bikram when I could get up to the studio. And when summer hit & I started going to the gym hardcore, yoga & stretching became the furthest thing from my mind.

But now that I can't do impact exercise (and I refuse to sit on my butt anymore), Bikram has come back into my life. I started going to Bikram Yoga Delray Beach, which is a really fantastic studio. I enjoy my practice even more now than I did months ago, because I'm more aware of the limitations of my body. My leg is still in pain, but I know how far I can push it and still get the benefits of the postures.

My friend Steve, who also goes to the studio, mentioned that BYDB was doing a 30 day challenge: 30 classes in 30 days. Which is insane.

So of course I'm doing it.

I've made it through the first 6 classes, although I've had to do two doubles (a morning class & an evening class) to catch up after missing classes due to my work schedule.

Today was a double, so, while my body is a pile of jelly, my mind's in a beautiful state.

I'm hoping that this challenge will help me hit the reset button for my brain and for my body. I want to be able to go back to the gym & start strength training again, but this time I'm going to make sure that I leave time to restore.

With that said, I'm off to sleep...I've got some yoga to do tomorrow, & I want to be rested and ready for it!

Namaste!