And After a Long Hiatus...

Other than the winter of '79, I do not remember such a brutal winter. Sure we in the Midwest experience cold snaps often during the winter months, but hey, we're used to it, right? Midwesterners are hearty people who thrive during adverse conditions. Well, let me tell you: this Midwestern girl has had enough. I haven't been so sedentary for this many months on end. I've gained weight, been down in the dumps since I can't go outside (too flippin' cold), and most importantly, I'm out of shape! So much so, I've kicked myself in the pants to get moving again.

I woke up on Sunday feeling oddly rejuvenated. I started to question why, but then my good sense kicked in and I went with it. I got my kids breakfast, got my hubby coffee, got dressed (sans makeup), and headed out the door to my yoga class. The warmth of the poolside was so familiar, it's like I hadn't been away for so many months. The instructor, Liz, seemed pleasantly surprised that I returned. I was certainly glad to be back. Thank God for my weekday asana practice (albeit 15 minutes) or I would have really struggled. I spent maybe a bit more time in Child's pose than I liked, but surprised myself by flying in the crow pose. The five minutes of savasana  was not nearly long enough, but I did get a chance to seal in my practice.

Once I got home, I noticed I was extremely irritable and, to be quite honest, angry. Why? I had a terrific workout? Jeff tried to engage me in conversation (his way to check my internal barometer, I guess), but I just could not seem to get rid of the irritation in my voice, so I just gave one-word answers. Mature, I know. I went and took an Epsom salt bath, and finished my savasana. And it hit me right between my eyes. I was angry at myself! I had gotten so out of shape that I was berating myself. Honestly, I was really surprised I felt this way. Quickly, I turned my thoughts over to gratitude; giving thanks that I actually had the energy and willingness to start up my practice again. The mind can be a dangerous place to navigate, let me tell you. Thank goodness I was able to take that first step getting back to the gym. Now if the weather would cooperate, I could get out to my garden. I hope this finds you all toasty warm and safe. Namaste.

Power Yoga

I just returned today from a fabulous yoga class: Power Yoga at my local YMCA. The beautifully fit instructor, Liz, had us set up poolside to do our yoga practice. To be honest, I grumbled inside when I heard that we were going to be on the pool deck. I've never been one to introduce extra heat to my yoga practice, and I actually felt like fate was working against me (or working to my benefit, as I found out later).

We started with a quiet, grounding mountain pose, then very slowly started building heat in our bodies by doing a number of sun salutations. My muscles perked up and took notice! She then took us through a more fluid, vinyasa style yoga practice. About a third of the way through the class, I was sweating--sweating even more than when I attend my Zumba class! Maybe these hot yoga teachers are on to something! (I'm still reserving judgment, however!) I was amazed at her gentle, but focused approach. She gave quiet encouragement, and beautifully re-positioned students to get the most out of the pose.

Toward the end of class, she said something when we were in a reclining twist that just hit me right between the eyes! "We are as young as our movable spines. Take care of your backs." And yes, isn't that the crux of all yoga practices? Being mindful of our bodies (especially our spines and backs) so that we can keep them malleable in order to reduce injury.

I was amazed at how good I felt after the rejuvenating practice, especially since this weekend my body decided to have another flare up. No fun, and Jeff even questioned my decision to go to yoga. But honestly, I believe the moving and strengthening got to the center of my muscles and just made them respond lovingly. I will definitely be adding this class to my exercise repertoire! Namaste.