Yoga on Fire

I hate yoga.

That's a great way to start a post, right? No seriously though, I suffer from what some people call undiagnosed ADD and what I call distraction-induced-boredom disorder. In other words, I get bored and distracted rather quickly. Therefore, standing or contorting my body into an uncomfortable position for a long period of time while trying to clear my mind is not something that works well for me. My mind is alllllllllways going and always thinking about something. It jumps from topic to topic rather quickly--some people say I'm random. No idea why...

Anyway, I was just never able to get into yoga, but every couple of years, I try it again in the hopes that I will miraculously enjoy it. The verdict after my most recent attempts? drum roll please. badabadabadabada...I kinda dig it now.

Before I go any further, I should provide you with another side note--another peak into the life of yours truly. I'm a dancer--west coast swing primarily but also trained in classical ballet, jazz, a little ballroom, and salsa. As a dancer, your body is your tool--your paintbrush. As dancers, we express ourselves through movement in the hopes of creating art in motion. With that said, we have to take extra care of our tool--our body. When we start to neglect it even slightly, it's super easy to become aware of that by way of pain, muscle soreness, aches, injury, etc. The body is one tool that is not afraid to remind you to take care of it. True story.

Continuing with my story as I was so rudely interrupted by myself (psychologists, don't worry)...

One of my dancing comrades suggested I give the hot yoga trend a shot. I am typically down for trying new things (except escargot. I. WILL. NEVER. EAT. THIS.), so I figured I'd put my previous opinions on yoga aside and go for it. The lucky place to get my presence was this phenomenal little nook in Newton, MA called Prana Power Yoga. It was welcoming and people were very helpful. They even gave me a little key chain scan card to add to my other hundred thousand mini cards! I genuinely enjoy these things.

Hot yoga is basically yoga on steroids. I've never done steroids, so I'm no expert, but this is what I would imagine yoga on steroids to be like. Basically, it's this dim room that is approximately as hot as what I imagine Hell to feel like--aka Florida in August. (Florida, I love you, but you are a sauna. Don't deny it. (And yes, I am fully aware that I just addressed a state as if it could respond. You should be impressed.))

You set up and people are lying there, clearing their heads (I think), and here I am sitting Indian style, flapping my knees up and down like a 4-year-old in ballet class thinking about what I want for dinner even though I already ate dinner. TOTally normal.

Then the teacher comes in and has you do the Ohms. These still are uncomfortable to me for some reason, but I do them anyway. I knew the standard yoga positions going into my first class at this location, but it was really easy to just look around at other people when I didn't know what dead bug was (awesome position, bee-tee-dubs**). And at my last class, the instructor was amazing and very willing to help. She offered alternatives if a particular position was not beneficial due to injury or other limitation. This was particularly helpful to me when a former right hip injury and minor limitation was making one position quite difficult. She showed me an alternative position providing the same benefits.

The most I can handle is 1 hour before I start to go stir crazy mentally. This is a lot longer than I can handle with regular/not hot yoga. However, it is a challenge physically and you are definitely sore the next day. 

Doing yoga is great for your body because it utilizes muscles you don't typically use. It is extremely useful for dancers! I highly suggest it for conditioning. It increases flexibility, focus, muscle tone, and core strength. It is also great if you are congested. The heat and controlled breathing clears that right up! I used to suggest a shot of vodka for strep throat, now I might prescribe Hell Yoga...excuse me...Hot Yoga. Just kidding. Sort of.

To summarize, I guess I should revise my opening statement to "I hatED yoga" because now, I don't mind it so much. I highly suggest hot yoga for anyone and everyone especially my peers who suffer from distraction-induced-boredom disorder, dancers, and the ill (unless you are contagious because then you are basically creating a breeding farm for nasty germs). Give it a shot and comment with your experiences. Here's a good link proving the benefits of hot yoga:

Little PubMed gem on Hot Yoga

**bee-tee-dubs=btw's=by the ways