It was a feral class. It felt military. It was WILD. This is how I described the hot yoga class, minutes after I exited the dark room, blinded by the sunlight in the parking lot, wondering what I just experienced.
Sometimes in life, you need a healthy jolt—this was that, and I didn’t expect it to be…just what I needed. That felt refreshing, to be pleasantly surprised on my solo date of the week.
I’ve been doing yoga once a week for 25 years—in all types of locations, and this class was unlike any other.
Takeaways:
Look at your current fitness, is it supporting you in a way that you need right now?
If your life feels hectic and fast-paced everyday, then incorporating a more fluid method of exercise will give you the opposite energy that your body is craving.
Examples: mat pilates, yin yoga, water aerobics, walking
If your life feels stagnant, then a kick-in-the-pants type of movement will bring that needed momentum to get you going.
Examples: intense yoga, HIIT, running, solid core
You can make any exercise more or less intense; putting yourself in the aligned movement that you need, is key. Also, as Luiz, the hot yoga instructor from this class, reminded us after he continuously barked UP…UP…UP, “We are all adults, if you need a rest, take a rest.”
Anyone who does yoga knows that child’s pose is always available to you. (You can fold over and lay on the ground and take a breather. While everyone else keeps going.) I liked that Luiz included this reminder because the class was incredibly challenging.
Sometimes we don’t think we can take a break.
And that makes sense. Think about athletics you participated in as a kid/teen. You couldn’t stop doing laps during practice. Your coach was on your ass. I never saw the taking a break option!
One of the few great things about being an adult, is that you CAN. There isn’t someone older than you watching with whistle in hand!
P.S. Here’s the hot yoga class with Luiz that I attended.
So what do you need today—a sweaty kickstarter or a (minimal sweat where you can go somewhere after without showering 🚿) toning session?
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