Melting into Shape

I’ve taken the first step in part two of my challenge…this morning I stepped out and completed day one of my 30-day hot yoga challenge.

After having completed the class I realize that for the next 29 days, scheduling aside time to take a class will be the most difficult part of the challenge, but prior to this morning I must confess I was terrified to step into that studio. I’d like to say that my pre-class nerves were just beginner jitters but they weren’t. I’m a huge fan of yoga, I’ve taken a variety of different styles of yoga over the years and for the most part, I’ve liked them all. The fear of this class was rooted in the concept of being locked in a 100+ degree heated room for 90-minutes.

I’ve played out every fear in my head; from passing out from the heat or getting dizzy from dehydration, feeling suffocated with an asthma attack from the humidity, to just not being able to keep up with any of the routines. These excuses worked for a while and for two-years I was able to postpone the urge to give hot yoga a try. With the new physical challenge I’ve set for myself I felt that this was the perfect thing to finally partake of for two reasons; firstly it gets me back into a regular yoga routine and secondly it forces me to overcome a strange off-the-wall fear I have concocted.

This morning I forced myself to the studio, got all signed up to compete in a 30-day challenge and got ready for class. Upon stepping into the class I was immediately slapped in the face by a fierce humid heat that filled the room but that’s all it was, was hot. Windows didn’t suddenly cave in, metal plates didn’t fold over the doors automatically locking me into the artificial hell and my oxygen supply wasn’t violently cut short preventing me from breathing. Sitting in the studio for ten minutes prior to the start of class I allowed myself to acclimate to the temperature.

Over the next 90-minutes I twisted and stretched and to my excitement I was able to keep up with the entire class, pushing myself through every movement and not needing to stop to refocus or keep myself from being dizzy or too hot. There were a handful of beginners and during the class three people had to leave the room to escape the heat for a while but I was proud of myself for being able to stick through the entire 90-minutes with no issues. Don’t get me wrong the class wasn’t easy and by no means was it glamorous. I’m pretty sure I sweat half my bodyweight while I was in the studio and by the final 30-minutes all I was thinking was…”does this class ever end?” Aside from that however it was good. My goal for the month is to be able to increase my flexibility to the point that I can hold each pose with perfect balance and touch my toes with my knees locked, without my calves and hamstrings screaming and declaring death threats in the process. 

For those of you who don’t keep up with my other social media profiles, the fitness challenge I have set for myself was inspired by signing up for the women’s Under Armour What’s Beautiful Challenge. I set the goal to finally play in a tennis tournament after six-years off and to complete 30 hot yoga classes in 30 days. After the first two weeks of the UA challenge it has become essential for me to complete this because mentally I have built these two challenges up to the point of being something that I can prove. I’m not striving to prove anything to anyone else, but I’m proving to myself that I can push myself harder and complete the challenges I set my mind to.

Keep up with my progress and help encourage me to keep going by following my challenge on my Under Armour Profile Page I appreciate all your support and believe it or not having a cheering squad really does make a big difference. 

You Might Be a Writer If...

Not everyone is a writer. Sure most everyone writes, but the act of writing does not create a writer. Being a writer is not in the genetic makeup of one’s DNA nor is it a trait that can be learned and simply adopted. Being a writer is part of your soul and despite the possible attempts to avoid writing you find it impossible to do so. For those who enjoy writing but are still determining whether or not it’s part of who you are, here are just a few signs that you might be a writer.

1.) The World is a Notebook.

The back of envelopes and old receipts, bar napkins, random post-it notes, the sole of our shoes, you name it, when an idea hits, anything we can get our hands on suddenly becomes fair game to scribble out the synopsis to our next poem, book or free write.

2.) Proofreading is Ironically an Unavoidable Curse.

Business cards, menus, billboards, advertisements, you name it, we’re bound to find when “you’re” should have been “your” and “their should have been “they’re.” Not only are we constantly on the subconscious lookout for typos, but resisting the urge to grab a pen and correct it takes significant restraint. Ironically the location for the most typos found on a page is in our own writings due to an inability to type or write as fast as we think.

3.) We Constantly Talk to Ourselves.

Whether it be in the shower or in the middle of grocery shopping. We find ourselves constantly having conversations with people who are not present and who do not exist. Sure, people talk to themselves all the time but what sets a writer apart from the others is a writer won’t just prep a conversation with one other imagined person, they’ll have full dialogs with an entire made up cast.

4.) We Suspect Non-Readers of Treason Against Civilization.

We can’t help it, but the minute we hear that you don’t read we immediately feel repugnance, and despite our attempts to be understanding and non-judgmental, the truth is writers have an imbedded distrust of non-readers.

5.) We Think of Alternate Definitions.

For example: a “Hook” has nothing to do with fishing, and everything to do with sleep deprivation, a “Setting” has absolutely nothing to do with how many people you expect for dinner and a muse is not one word.

6.) You’re Always Casting.

Coffee shops, restaurants, airports, wherever you go, you find yourself straining to overhear the conversations of perfect strangers. Then you continuously peek at them from the corner of your eye and decide what to name their character and what their intention is.

7.) You Can Name at Least 10 Different Types of Coffee and/or Tea.

Inspiration comes at all hours and many times it arrives when we’re half asleep, thus the need for an outside stimulant to help our body stay awake when our mind refuses to sleep.