A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Hot Yoga...

We joined a new gym at the beginning of the year with very specific goals in mind. I wanted to get out of my six-month rut of inactivity. Troy just wanted to be able to touch his toes.

Two months in, and we are regulars at Tuesday night Bikram yoga. I like the challenge. He likes the sweating.

I don't pretend to be a yoga expert. I've gone to a smattering of classes over the years, but this past weekend I attended an Essentials of Yoga workshop. I signed up particularly to find a connection. So many of my friends find such quiet completeness doing their practice, whereas I was putting myself in uncomfortable positions without feeling anything calming or grounding.

At the end of the workshop, I improved my physical alignment and my confidence in the practice. I also realized something. Perhaps yoga is not something that is supposed to be calming, relaxing, or even spiritual to me. Perhaps it's supposed to just challenge me.

My instructor Alyson said that practicing yoga moves your organs around. It makes your body work and release the blockages that come with not having equilibrium between your physical and mental self. I also reflected on a more "alternative" yoga workshop I did last year. Yoga is a metaphor for our lives. We are the archer/hunter/warrior, and our practice opens us up to what we are meant to do. Yoga is a battle between who we are now and our one true self.

With this in mind, I tackled last night's class and felt incredibly good. My mind and body were balanced and working together. I felt the challenge physically and overcame it mentally. I found new ways to be open and to receive. 

As an extension, I want to put all the areas of my life through this type of practice. If I get out of my comfort zone and release the hesitations, something remarkable could be on the other side. Maybe I could get out of a professional plateau, or create and develop new ideas for my blog or for my clients. Maybe it means I learn something new or take a big leap. Maybe it's one great big extraordinary thing or a ton of tiny amazing things. 

I'm not saying yoga is the key to success, but it serves as my jumping off point. A jumpstart.