It’s weird announcing that TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY on my own blog, but I think it would also be weird if I didn’t say anything. 🙂 Kirk is traveling for work this week, but I did get to open one of presents before he left to kick off my birthday celebration.
That tall box I’m ready to tear into? It contained with my very own (and very first) tripod!! We proceeded to take lots of silly pictures using the timer on my camera since we could. So much fun!
Now I won’t have to hold my breath while taking pictures of food – well, at least not as often. 🙂 I am celebrating with my parents tonight at dinner (R Thomas) and on Friday night with Kirk (Woodfire Grill). Yay for Birthday Week!!
Hot Yoga
I’m in the final stretch of the 30 Days of Yoga Challenge for November. What started as a way to get myself moving consistently again and regain some of my flexibility has turned into something more. I learned I really enjoy yoga as a way to recover from a tough workout, unwind before bed, or energize before work in the morning!
One goal I had set for myself was to get out of the house and into a studio for a “real” class. That was actually intimidating to me, since I’m so new at the yoga thing and remember feeling out of place at the only other class I can remember taking. But 90 minutes of yoga sounded more exciting with a group than solo. My gym has a yoga studio upstairs, so I recruited my friend Melody to come with me to my first class of Hot Yoga.
The instructor was really calming and inviting. She really stressed that yoga was about you and your current level – not to let your ego get in the way. What stuck with me was that she talked about keeping your eyes on your own eyes in the mirror – don’t look at what anyone else is doing. That made me relax so much more and helped me feel more comfortable.
I’m not going to lie – the first 30 minutes were tough for me. It was freakin’ HOT and I was dripping with sweat. It was hard for me to keep focused and going, when the thought of how hot I was overwhelmed my thoughts. Apparently I finally stopped thinking about it, because all of a sudden we were halfway through and moving to the floor.
I actually like how the heat helps you loosen up and go deeper into the poses. My at-home yoga sessions helped me feel comfortable with the terminology and my body was more comfortable with the poses than I expected. Before I knew it we laying on our backs and enjoying Shavasana (or corpse pose).
What I learned from Hot Yoga:
- The fear of a new thing is often worse than the actual thing. I was so nervous about trying this new class, I’m not sure I would have taken the leap without the yoga challenge.
- Don’t let your ego make your decisions. I tend to be competitive, but the anti-competitive nature of yoga is refreshing for me. How many other things in life would be less stressful without my ego?
- Sitting still can be hard. If you’re not type-A (like me!) this one might not be so hard for you, but just….sitting….for several minutes…..in silence….can be hard! Once you let go, clear your mind and relax, it can also be amazing. Or, my quads could be screaming in pain in awkward pose.
- Discomfort can be overcome if you don’t dwell on it. This is one I knew, but it’s a hard one for me to remember and live out. Just like the first day when I focused on the heat and suffered, until I put it out of my mind and enjoyed the experience. Can someone remind me of this during a tough race please?!
Since my first Hot Yoga three Mondays ago, I have returned every Monday! Each week I’m getting better at sucking it up and sticking it out while sitting still in poses. I’m working on letting go of my ego and backing off when I need to. Those two things seem contradictory, but they are complementary. The balance of yoga is a good example of how I try to live my life, finding the right balance when things aren’t easy.
Have you tried Hot Yoga? Have you tried an exercise challenge (like 30 Days of Yoga)?
Dinner
After last night’s Hot Yoga, I made a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers plus a big helping of wilted dandelion greens. I’ve been enjoying the leftovers, but they are dwindling quickly!
Enjoying this warm plate and watching Dear Santa from my Christmas Movie DVR “collection”, made for a relaxing evening. I take a few minutes every week to scroll through the guide on our TV looking for Christmas movies to record. I am a sucker for cheesy Christmas movies – this is one of the few times of year that I watch lots of Lifetime TV. 🙂
Tuesday Trainer
Before you go – make sure you head over to Lindsay’s List for this week’s Tuesday Trainer. I was too self-conscious to film a video at the gym, but this week’s bosu/stability ball workout is easy to write down and take with you (after watching all the awesome videos once).
