Hot, Hotter, Hottest
Recently I've been doing hot yoga. All the cool kids seem to be doing it these days, so why not me? Considering that I am pretty much not a "go with the crowd" sort of girl where most things, most pointedly fitness endeavors, are concerned, I have to give myself two thumbs-up for stepping outside my little old running box and taking a group class at all. This is the girl who refuses to meet new people by attending group runs unless I am forced by the Husband. Group exercise classes while I am scantly clad and sweating out every orifice of my body while I am in a small room with thousands of mirrors with very, very poor ventilation? Probably not a good idea.
However, back in July I purchased a five-class pass on a local deal site and, at the time, wasn't completely certain as to just why I was doing it. Probably because I was all, "Dude! FIVE hot yoga classes for $30! What a deal! I SO have to buy these right now because I really WANT to practice yoga seriously and increase my non-existent flexibility and get all zen and crap." Yep. That's pretty much just how I remember the purchase being made. Fast forward to January and just four short weeks until those FIVE classes are set to expire. The panic of a potentially wasted purchase incited me to action. There are few things I detest worse than group fitness, and one of those things is wasted money. So, to Atlanta Hot Yoga I went.
I have been to a *few* yoga classes in the past my my local YMCA, with mixed results. From these few endeavors into the Land of Ohm I had learned that I do not like Vinyasa-style yoga. All that "flow" and all those "sun salutations" really wear me out. For me, yoga isn't something I do in order to get in a great workout and build strong core muscles. No, I want yoga to stretch me and make me calm and make me feel all zen and crap. Therefore, Vinyasa-style yoga was way too much moving around and pain. As an aside: I also learned that I really really dislike California-girl yoga instructors who wear low-riding yoga pants and skimpy sports bras and use really upbeat pop-style music while talking throughout the entire class and say "like" way too much. But I digress...
This disdain for this type of yoga led me to the discovery of Bikram yoga, better known as hot yoga. Bikram yoga differs from Vinyasa-style yoga in that it concentrates on the poses themselves, 26 in all, completed twice in a HOT room (usually 105 degrees or more) over a 90-minute class. The movements are slow and deliberate and each student is encouraged to "go where your body is taking you today." As a runner, I force my body to do so many things, faster and faster all of the time, that the mere idea of allowing myself to go where it is able without forcing it is so completely and totally freeing. The instructor informs the class up front that this is a SILENT practice and, outside of her instructions, the studio is hot, sweaty, and quiet for the entire 90 minutes. Imagine that: 90 minutes of unadulterated silence, just you and your body and these poses to challenge you. If that isn't a recipe for self-exploration and personal growth, what is?
It has taken me about three classes to really figure out the poses and my body and how the two work together. The first two classes left me so sore and in so much pain that I could hardly walk for the next two days. This is where self-awareness comes into the equation. Yoga is about what YOU can do, not the person beside you. Apparently, as in running, I was too competitive with the sweaty girls to my left and right as I overstretched and forced my tired muscles to infinity and beyond...or at least farther than they were ready to go. Having figured that out, my third class was incredibly different as I let my muscles be my guide. I actually LISTENED to my body and what it was willing to do on that day. Again, as a runner, this goes against every fiber of my being because as runners we train ourselves to not listen to our brains by shutting out all that negative feedback we are getting from our muscles s in the attempt to make them go farther faster. However, by listening to the feedback I was getting from my muscles and then applying it to my yoga practice, I was able to have an honest conversation with my body and, therefore, I was able to get the most out of my session that day.
Do the lessons I've learned from my yoga practice translate to something useful for my running endeavors? I'm not fully certain. Obviously an intentional yoga practice is certainly beneficial to stretch and tone my tired and sore muscles that serve me so well over the many miles I ask them to carry me each week. An intentional practice is also an awesome way to quiet my mind and soul while focusing on myself and my body in a loving and accepting way. Those two things, in and of themselves, will ultimately strengthen both my body and my mind so that, when asked, I can ignore all of their cries for help when I ask them to go just one more mile.
However, back in July I purchased a five-class pass on a local deal site and, at the time, wasn't completely certain as to just why I was doing it. Probably because I was all, "Dude! FIVE hot yoga classes for $30! What a deal! I SO have to buy these right now because I really WANT to practice yoga seriously and increase my non-existent flexibility and get all zen and crap." Yep. That's pretty much just how I remember the purchase being made. Fast forward to January and just four short weeks until those FIVE classes are set to expire. The panic of a potentially wasted purchase incited me to action. There are few things I detest worse than group fitness, and one of those things is wasted money. So, to Atlanta Hot Yoga I went.
I have been to a *few* yoga classes in the past my my local YMCA, with mixed results. From these few endeavors into the Land of Ohm I had learned that I do not like Vinyasa-style yoga. All that "flow" and all those "sun salutations" really wear me out. For me, yoga isn't something I do in order to get in a great workout and build strong core muscles. No, I want yoga to stretch me and make me calm and make me feel all zen and crap. Therefore, Vinyasa-style yoga was way too much moving around and pain. As an aside: I also learned that I really really dislike California-girl yoga instructors who wear low-riding yoga pants and skimpy sports bras and use really upbeat pop-style music while talking throughout the entire class and say "like" way too much. But I digress...
This disdain for this type of yoga led me to the discovery of Bikram yoga, better known as hot yoga. Bikram yoga differs from Vinyasa-style yoga in that it concentrates on the poses themselves, 26 in all, completed twice in a HOT room (usually 105 degrees or more) over a 90-minute class. The movements are slow and deliberate and each student is encouraged to "go where your body is taking you today." As a runner, I force my body to do so many things, faster and faster all of the time, that the mere idea of allowing myself to go where it is able without forcing it is so completely and totally freeing. The instructor informs the class up front that this is a SILENT practice and, outside of her instructions, the studio is hot, sweaty, and quiet for the entire 90 minutes. Imagine that: 90 minutes of unadulterated silence, just you and your body and these poses to challenge you. If that isn't a recipe for self-exploration and personal growth, what is?
It has taken me about three classes to really figure out the poses and my body and how the two work together. The first two classes left me so sore and in so much pain that I could hardly walk for the next two days. This is where self-awareness comes into the equation. Yoga is about what YOU can do, not the person beside you. Apparently, as in running, I was too competitive with the sweaty girls to my left and right as I overstretched and forced my tired muscles to infinity and beyond...or at least farther than they were ready to go. Having figured that out, my third class was incredibly different as I let my muscles be my guide. I actually LISTENED to my body and what it was willing to do on that day. Again, as a runner, this goes against every fiber of my being because as runners we train ourselves to not listen to our brains by shutting out all that negative feedback we are getting from our muscles s in the attempt to make them go farther faster. However, by listening to the feedback I was getting from my muscles and then applying it to my yoga practice, I was able to have an honest conversation with my body and, therefore, I was able to get the most out of my session that day.
Do the lessons I've learned from my yoga practice translate to something useful for my running endeavors? I'm not fully certain. Obviously an intentional yoga practice is certainly beneficial to stretch and tone my tired and sore muscles that serve me so well over the many miles I ask them to carry me each week. An intentional practice is also an awesome way to quiet my mind and soul while focusing on myself and my body in a loving and accepting way. Those two things, in and of themselves, will ultimately strengthen both my body and my mind so that, when asked, I can ignore all of their cries for help when I ask them to go just one more mile.
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