Yoga & Boo Boo

See what I did there?

I said Yoga instead of Yogi.  HA!  I kill myself sometimes. 

In 2010, I decided I was going to go to Hot Yoga with a couple friends.  I could lose weight, get flexible again, and find some kind of inner piece after years of being unhappy in my then-relationship but not wanting to admit it.  I tried it, and I loved it, except when someone in class had eaten some kind of curry for lunch.  You sweat that stuff out and it did not smell pretty. 

Believe it or not, you hold a lot of emotion in your joints.  You tense up to hold those emotions in.  That sounds really hippie-ish when I say it out loud, but it's true.  The more you relax and put your mind, body, and soul into what you're doing, the more emotion you release.  

The downside: you really have to be prepared to deal with what comes up.  And I wasn't.

My last session of Hot Yoga was after a particularly rough day at work and in my then-relationship.  I was frustrated and tired, and I really tried to let it all go to do my yoga.  At the end of our class, that particular instructor always sang to us while we laid there.  That day, she sang "Let It Be."  

I cried like a little baby.

That song hit me so hard that day, and I cried so hard that I never went back.  Not only was I embarrassed to be crying at yoga (though, that community of people would never judge you for that), but I really wasn't ready to deal with all the emotions that were surfacing at the time.  I was realizing how much I didn't want to be married (and this was like 2 months after my wedding), how much I missed my family (because my ex-husband ruined my relationship with them), and what it would take to start fresh.  I wasn't in a position to make those changes, so I stopped going.

It's been almost exactly 3 years since that class, and a LOT has changed.

I don't need to recap everything, because if you know me and/or you follow my blog, you already know.  But the main change is: I'm happy.  I'm happy in my job (some days), I'm happy in my relationship (every day), and I'm happy with myself (always).  I've made leaps and bounds of progress as an individual, so with Brandon's support, I've decided to give it another shot.

One of my coworkers gave me a "free class" pass for Veera Yoga in Roseville.  She goes M/W/F every week.  Not only has she lost a ton of weight in her 8 months of yoga, but she's toned, she's happier, and she's been known to do a headstand in the middle of the hallway.  I'd love to be like her when I grow up.  

SO - Tonight.  7:30 pm.  Veera Yoga in the Nugget shopping center at Pleasant Grove and Fairway.  Join me if you like :)  There's an introductory package of 30 days of unlimited yoga for $39.  I'm looking forward to the meditation, the core conditioning, and the SWEAT!!!  I won't be stopping my regular workouts with my boo, but the yoga classes at the gym are awful.  I need more than that in my life.  

I hope one or more of you can join me tonight!!!