Monday, May 6, 2013

Hot yoga, I've incredibly underestimated you..

I have always been a runner, Pilates type of gal. I like to get my butt kicked and sweat as much as possible. I tried one yoga class years ago and thought it was uncomfortable, a sorry excuse for a workout and a complete waste of time. I couldn't comprehend the whole "breathing" technique and why it was so important. It was only until a few months ago that I tried my first Corepower yoga class that I truly "got it" and now feel I can't ever live without it. I have had a rough couple of months and let me tell you, hot yoga has completely transformed me not only physically but mentally, spiritually and emotionally. 

I love taking the 6am class and think it's the perfect start to my day. I've always been an early bird and what better way to say good morning and Carpe Diem than getting an incredible mental and physical kick in the booty. I always get there about 15 minutes early so I can have more meditation time. The minute you open the door steam comes seeping out. It's hot but not too hot. It's like a mixture of a sauna and a steam room at that point. I find the perfect spot where I can see myself (for good posture reasons of course) and where I can be as close to the vent as possible. The vent is where the heat spills out of throughout the 60 min class and I'm weird and LOVE to sweat so I always make sure to be as close to it as possible. 

I lay out my turquoise mat with "SOUL" imprinted on it followed by my towel and begin stretching and mentally preparing for the class. For me mentally preparing for the class is trying my best to create as much of a zen sense as possible, keeping all the "have to do's" for the day, out of my mind. It's the most effective way to get the most out of the class. People begin to file in, one by one, sometimes a few coming in together. Slowly you begin to feel the drift of cold air coming from outside the room that gets in as people are coming in. Once the instructor enters, the heat gets turned up a bit and the amazing tribal-type music begins playing. And for that next hour I am in complete bliss....and torture. Another huge thing I underestimated was how hard these classes are. I never could've imagined how hard I could push my body and how much I could actually do when I put my mind to it, and really believed I could do it. 





I have been doing corepower yoga for about four months now so I still consider myself a newbie but I have already been able to do so many things I never thought I'd ever be able to do and it's an awesome feeling. It just really goes so much deeper than the physical. Personally I have had so much healing emotionally and spiritually that I don't know how I ever lived without it. You can't truly understand or appreciate it until you experience it for yourself. Namaste :)
 
Here is one of my favorite songs AND one of the songs they frequently play during the classes:




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