D-O-N-E! I had a really strong class with Christian today. I think I've had him more than anyone else during this whole thing, I can almost recite his class..."Welcome to Bikram's beginning yoga class, your 90 minute, open-eyed moving mediation and awareness. I am Christian I will be leading you..." Today he told everyone in the class I had done it and I got a round of applause. Fun fun!
Now, I thought it would be appropriate since I did this for 30 days, to offer 30 thoughts/follow ups/things I've learned/recommendations about this challenge. They always try to get you to incorporate this practice into the rest of your life and I feel like there are a few instances where I can do that, so I will. These are in no particular order or importance, just as they come to me.
1. Hot yoga is hot and uncomfortable.
2. Hot yoga is hot and uncomfortable and more importantly, you are 100% out of control of that. But you are in control of your breathing, your body, your focus and your attitude and if those are strong, you can overcome the heat. Life parallel: focus strongly on bettering that which you can control.
3. Ice cold water tastes much better than room temperature water.
4. If you keep moving your body in a certain way, eventually it will go that way!
5. There are few things worth getting up at 6:15 am for. Over the last 30 days, I was only truly motivated enough to do it twice: Rangers game in person and Twins playoff game on TV.
6. It is impossible to keep up with daily sweat-soaked laundry. Impossible.
7. After spending enough time overheated sweating in a room with 30 strangers, you start to not care about the bulges, flab or imperfections. The only concern is staying cool, plus, who says I don't look good in a sports bra!?
8. There are yoga teachers and there are doctors. It seems like sometimes the lines are blurred. No matter how many times yoga teachers tell you "your body already makes all the 'medicine' it needs," I'd ask a doctor just to be sure.
9. A follow up to #s 1 & 2: hot yoga is hot, uncomfortable and you have no control, however it is finite. 90 minutes later and you're back out in the 75 degree bliss and feeling like something was accomplished. Life parallel: give whatever you're doing your all. Set goals and deadlines but if things don't go like you planned, onward and upward and move forward. There will always be another class.
10. Coconut water is really good if you mix it with pomegranate juice.
11. Knees can be healed while continuing to work out but watching out for them. Hamstrings cannot.
12. There's something really cool about a diverse group of people of different ages, races, genders, fitness levels, backgrounds, situations to come into a room and all work toward the same goal in their own way.
13. Sometimes nothing feels better than letting out a quiet but forceful curse word.
14. The RICE program continues to be the most effective injury healing tool I know. Jean and Lewdogg, your advocacy has been staunch.
15. The mind is a far bigger obstacle to what we can do than the body.
16. I now know 26 ancient Indian words including dandayamana–bibhaktapada–paschimotthanasana and poorna–Sslabhasanaa. I can pronounce them perfectly, but have no clue what any of them mean.
17. When you burn 1,000 calories per day, you can eat whatever you want.
18. If you're thinking about this undertaking, get at least three full outfits. Two just isn't enough.
19. Sleeping, resting, napping, catching zzzz, snoozing, whatever you want to call it, is not overrated.
20. Scheduling two hours into already busy days every day is not always easy.
21. It is very possible to over-hydrate! Who knew?
22. Dedication, determination and commitment are qualities we all have in us, but they are brought out best with the consistent support of close family and friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone!
23. Turns out, after 20 years of sports/other athletic activities, I've found out that I can in fact put my foot over my head!
24. Hot yoga gives you guns that are ridiculously more awesome than weight lifting. I'll be selling tickets to the gun show starting tomorrow.
25. I still don't know what it means, but I'm starting to believe when they say the sweating gets rid of the "toxins" in your body. For two reasons: 1. I've been eating really well, the few times I've wavered from that, I have not felt well. 2. I haven't been drinking at all, I had a few beers one night (far fewer than I've had in evenings past) and had quite the hangover. There might be something to it!
26. I've kind of been liking not looking at my blackberry for 90 minutes every day. Don't count on it continuing if I'm not in class, but it's a nice break.
27. You get used to being covered in sweat from head to toe after about five days. A few sweat combatting tips for the ladies: use bobby pins if you have bangs, don't shave your legs right before class or they'll be too slippery and wash your face well before class. The pore clogger is a doozy.
28. I was always told that I'm very "coachable" when I played sports as a kid. I think I've found my perfect sport, the teacher instructs every movement, all I have to do is follow along.
29. Hot yoga is good for sinus infections.
30. I am stronger both mentally and physically than I thought and feel like I really accomplished something. Oh, and I am also superior to Bill in every way and look forward to reminding him of that until the end of time!!!!
I will start my free month after the weekend festivities. For now, Anne & Hot Yoga signing off!!
