I really, really believe in a balanced lifestyle. With that said, fitness is just as much mental as it is physical.
I need to remember that. I mean, I do. You have to get your head right in order to get the motivation to drive to the gym (or in my case, walk down the basement stairs, ha) and do a workout, but I need to remember how powerful a workout is for my brain, my heart, my soul, my mental state.
Yoga is a perfect balance of mental and physical fitness… and I need to do more of it. I think everyone does. There’s even a hashtag called #yogaeverydamnday for the really committed Yogis. Me? I am going to call myself a Yo-Yo Yogi. I love yoga, but I don’t do enough of it, which is why it’s Resolution #6 on my 2015 Resolutions List.
With that in my mind… pressing right next to the thoughts from my last blog entry about supporting local businesses… I decided to look for a brand-new yoga studio in the Quad Cities to try. I reached out to a friend who gives great recommendations and discovered Shine. What a great name, huh? Their logo is a sun, which makes me instantly like them (#SummerBaby) during this very dreary time of year.
I immediately saw that they offer a Yoga Shred class – perfect. So I signed up, got up, and drove 3 minutes down the hill to make sure I got there nice and early. I like getting a good spot.
It’s a good thing, too, because this is where Shine is:
It’s in a house! The location is actually very ironic, because there is a house right next door which is a salon where I used to get my hair done in college. Here I was, several years later, discovering another “hidden gem.”
The actual studio fits 6 yoga mats. 6. That’s it. Immediately, I know it’s going to be more intimate than the regular classes I take. I find myself instantly nervous.
Many people reading this will be surprised to know that I am actually a shy person when it comes to these situations. Fitness classes, airplanes, meetings – I just like to get in my spot, sit down, and try not to be a bother. So, I say a shy “Good Morning” and get situated.
The other (all three of them) people in the class are chatting about the class they took the day before. I gather that one of the three was their instructor as they bounce ideas and stories off each other. I smile when one of the ladies tells him about this crazy yoga pose she saw in a magazine. I’m picturing something like this:
The instructor – so kind – says, “She was probably held up by ropes!” I relax a little.
Then, the remaining member of our class arrives and walks in with our instructor, the owner of Shine. The room is full and I am feeling just a teeny tiny bit claustrophobic… but it’s probably just nerves. I haven’t practiced for a few weeks and I know my muscles are super tight from Body Rock. Our instructor asks if there’s anything we want to specifically work on. One woman makes a suggestion but immediately retracts it because they worked on the move the day before and it’s really challenging. The remaining member of our class says, “You can’t get better unless you practice.” It’s just another way to say “practice makes perfect,” but in an un-cliche way. I loved it. I was ready to go.
The first thing we do is sit with our legs crossed (Indian-style) and just stretch our arms out in front of us. Okay, no problems. Then, our instructor has us do the same position, but switch our legs. Wow! Have you ever tried that? You should stop reading this right now, sit down, cross your legs, then cross them the opposite way than you normally do… I’ll wait.
…
Isn’t that weird? Anyway, it made me realize that we get into these comfy positions in life (routine, comfort zone, whatever you want to call it) and something just as quick and simple as “switching it up” can be really, really challenging.
There’s a flip side to this, though – as there usually is in yoga. For example, whenever we did a pose, we would pause, then our instructor would say – “release” – and kind of turn her hands as we moved through the motions before our next pose. It showed me that it’s just as simple to “release” those challenges. You’re in it, it’s tough, but you can quickly just let it go. Live in it, then let it go.
The first half of the class was a pretty typical yoga class. The second half was when the “Shred” element came into play. It included all the things I absolutely love – squats, lunges, planks, ab work – and boy, did it work! It was 1 hour and 15 minutes of challenging poses, stretches, fitness, and fun. Yes, fun! There were a few times when our instructor would say, “Smiling makes it easier,” which is still sticking with me today. The other funny moment was when I raised my leg up in downward dog and hit the wall behind me, making a loud thud, and everyone started laughing because they know how small the room is, too. I liked it, though. It made the practice feel like we were all in this together.
Isn’t that the truth? Ugh… I find myself getting a little emotional just typing this out, but it has to be said. I once went to a yoga class in Des Moines with one of my dearest friends (she’s also a yoga instructor) – (http://www.julmarie.com/) – and that instructor told us to dedicate our practice to someone or something. Ever since, I’ve always done that. So, for this experience, I dedicated my practice to my GrandmaMona.
Today, GrandmaMona began chemo. She was diagnosed with breast cancer just before the holidays and just weeks after the entire family was in California to celebrate her 80th Birthday.
She is a really wonderful woman… full of strength and faith that’s really inspiring to anyone near her and lucky enough to hear her talk. She is so brave to be battling this right now, but she’s not battling it alone. We are all in this together. I really, really believe that. Whether it’s a yoga studio made for only 6 mats or a family spread across thousands of miles.
As we finished our class, the tradition is to go back to that sitting cross-legged position (the comfy one), place our hands in prayer position over our hearts, bow, and say, “Namaste” – sealing our practice. Right before that though, I said a short prayer for my GrandmaMona… that she finds the same “courage” in “encouragement” that I just did as she goes through the challenging journey ahead of her. I whispered, “Namaste,” opened my eyes, and with tears in my eyes, smiled, and said out loud, “That was exactly what the soul needed.” I didn’t even mean to say it out loud, but I received 5 bright smiles in return.
Smiling does make it a little easier.
– A
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