It's day SIX of my Jan 31 in 31 day yoga challenge and I am feeling stronger both mentally and physically. Discipline, challenge, and focus.... good stuff.

One of the challenges is knowing how much to push myself and stretch myself without overdoing it. How do I know where the edge is and can I dance safely on its borders? I am reminded of some of the things we do with Kyle. We strive to play along his edge. When do we push and challenge and when do we back off, knowing too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing? Hmmmm.

Yesterday I was in search of an afternoon yoga class. My studio does not have classes on Saturday afternoons. I found one in the vicinity of my house and it was at a studio I had planned on checking out anyway. I didn't have time to read the info on their website in detail but it seemed, according to the schedule, that the 2 PM class was not one of their hot classes.

There is always a bit of uncertainty going to a new studio. There were several newbies signing in with me and one of the first things I discovered was that all the classes there are HOT. What does that mean? Hot yoga is a flow or power type class done in a very hot room. How hot? Around 100 degrees with humidity. It's designed to warm the muscles quickly and make you sweat out all those toxins we accumulate as human beans. Basically, kind of like exercising in a sauna but with clothes on. (Saunas are probably a little hotter :-) ) In twenty-one years of yoga practice, I have never ventured into this realm though I have heard people rave about how good they feel afterwards (and even during). I had actually planned on trying a hot class sometime this month. The key word here is "planned". Planning for it would mean hydrating well earlier in the day, coming prepared with less clothes, hair tied up and my own towels. And not having already hiked in the morning. Yesterday I was unprepared. They loaned me a towel.

I think the most challenging part of the class for me was the ten minute time period before the class actually started. I got myself pretty anxious prior to class. I began to worry that I had not had enough to drink earlier in the day and I did not have enough in my water bottle (my husband says I have a water phobia), and that maybe I had not digested his homemade broccoli soup eaten two hours prior. What if I felt sick or faint or _____??.

On my back, on my mat, waiting for class to start in this ridiculously hot room, my anxiety was escalating. What was I doing in this room full of 20 and 30 somethings? I had the option of leaving the room during class though they recommend resting instead since it's harder to warm back up when you come back in. Maybe I should just flee the studio before the class starts. Ha ha. And on and on went my mental chatter. Shhh.... just breathe.

And then the class began. Fortunately, I am very familiar with the poses in flow style yoga so I was not confused. (If I was a complete beginner, I think I would have been quite confused.) I very quickly got into the flow. Moving in the hot room from posture to posture, it wasn't long before I felt really really good. The anxiety literally melted and my muscles and joints felt so loose, so yummy. Other than desperately missing a hair tie and hand towel, the more I moved, the better I felt. Eighty minutes went by really quickly. There were many opportunities during the class to rest. In fact, rest was encouraged especially for the newbies, but I did not seem to need it. I was in the zone and wanted to keep going. Laying down at the end in savasana, final resting pose, the cool air coming in the door felt so delightful. It was then that I realized I had spent most of the previous 80 minutes of class "in the moment". Pure heaven.

Soaked and chilled, I floated home, showered, and bundled up. I was cold all evening but really calm and satisfied. I was hoping my warm muscles did not trick me into pushing over my edge.

This morning I woke up with a reasonable amount of soreness but nothing too extreme. I confess to wanting to race back there for more today. Now I understand the lure of hot yoga. However, I knew it would be smart to pace myself so I went to my studio for Yoga Nidra (yogic relaxation) the direct opposite of what I did yesterday. Another day, another kind of heaven.

It's always easy to speak after the fact. So speaking after the fact here, I believe it's good medicine to step out of my comfort zone. Hopefully, I am building strength and stamina for the next challenge life throws my way.

Join me?!?!

It's not too late for a January Challenge. There are still 25 days left. Doesn't have to be yoga. Could be anything just to stretch yourself... even a baby step, but done mindfully and done each day. Anyone? Anyone?

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