The New Friday Night Hot Spot

Tonight I waited in line on Preston street for more than 45 minutes to get into hot yoga. It really was the most bumping place on the street, with bouncer and all (think of the photo above but with everyone decked out in lululemon and carrying a yoga mat). They let us in 10 people at a time and had a guard at the front door and another at the hot room door. I'd never seen anything like it. One guy who was in line for yoga even lit up a joint while waiting in line and got booed at by everyone. The girl in front of me said "he better not get a little froggy sticker today" ha-ha that made me laugh.

Today I had to stay late at work so I couldn't make it to my usual 5:30 class and had to go to the charity class (1 hour Moksha, $5 minimum donation that goes to the Canadian Liver Foundation). The class is notorious for being packed with young rowdy students but tonight it was pretty mellow, aside from the joint smoking trouble maker who tried to pick a fight with the bouncer and was falling all over the place in class. The room was pretty calm and I had lots of space to stretch out. I felt very relaxed and stayed focused the entire class (aside from a couple of spontaneous thoughts that would pop in... but I managed to push them out). It was definitely one of my better classes and I'm glad I went in the end (I seriously considered bailing again).

19 days down, 11 to go!

Why Marisa Tomei Rocks

http://www.gaiam.com/text/videos/05-55200_video.html

Some Like It Hot...

Some Don't.

So one of my loyal blog readers has pointed out that I have not been updating this regularly. I apologize. You can infer that on the days where I did not blog, I was not having a great yoga day. There have been some good days and some bad and I have missed 2 days (both yoga and the greens+). I made up for one of them by taking 2 classes this Tuesday and it encouraged me to keep going. Less than two weeks left of the challenge and I'm excited! So far I have learned that forcing myself to go to the studio on those days where I really don't want to go (and I usually end up getting there super late and am in a mad rush) really are those days that I feel so great when it's done and appreciate that I went.

Earlier this week I felt like I was cheating by opting for a relaxing 60 minute YIN class instead of an intense 90 minute Moksha (Yang) class. Tonight I again opted for the relaxing late night YIN class, and on day 18, I think I finally understand why I am doing this challenge. The teacher said something that really helped me. She said "don't go anywhere without your breath". She also told us to keep breathing inwards until you could feel it in your collar bone. For some reason, these two little tips were all I needed to hear to completely clear my mind and focus on my breath for the entire class. This is why I am doing yoga. I want to achieve this clear state of mind, where we can let go of thoughts from the past and thoughts about the future and just enjoy the moment. If I start thinking of something else, I try to remind myself "don't let this moment pass you by". Cliché, yes. But it works. Yoga is really about so much more than just the postures (asanas), it is about being connected to yourself and being mindful in everything that we do. So tonight when I mindfully reached for my water bottle, I was able to stay in a meditative state and not get distracted by the nice lululemon shirt that the girl in front of me was wearing or start thinking about what I was going to do when I got home and what I was going to cook for lunch tomorrow.

So my summary of the challenge so far is that 30 days of yoga is hard, but worth it. There is no need to push ourselves to the max and no need to punish ourselves for missing a day. We do what we can do and if we feel good, then it's worth it!

Stay tuned for more updates!
~A

Day 8 = PAIN

One Week Down, Three To GO

So I survived the first week, yay! Day three was a struggle, mentally and physically. Day four was awesome and I felt amazing. I was really excited to go to yoga on day five, but my body was not cooperating. Class on day five consisted of a lot of child-posing. I have never not wanted to go to yoga so badly than I did on day six (but I made it and felt fantastic afterwards, although I forgot to take the Greens+ drink, oops). Today is day seven and I have a 90 minute class ahead of me this afternoon. Looking forward to it!

What I have learned so far:

- The days that you do not want to go really are the days that you need it the most.
- When doing a 30-day hot yoga challenge, stock up on laundry detergent! Wow my clothes are stinky.

Day 2

Ah right.. the yoga challenge. Today is day two and so far so good, apart from a minor set back where I thought I had strep throat. Turns out it is just a virus and the doctor said to rest and drink liquids and I should be fine to go to work and yoga. Yay!

So the best part about the challenge is getting to put a little star beside your name on the wall at the studio and a little frog sticker if you do the "greens" challenge too. I felt a little guilty today because I put my sticker up, then went grocery shopping and *GASP* forgot to bring bags. I didn't want to cave on day 2 though, so I am now the owner of yet another President's Choice cloth bag.

The Greens+ drink is actually fantastic. I've heard nothing but good things about this product (other than its taste) so I had some pretty high expectations and was expecting it to be an instant miracle worker. I have to say though, it was. I plugged my nose and chugged in down and before I knew it, I had super powers. I was more awake, more refreshed and my throat was even feeling a bit better. Hopefully I can keep it up for another 28 days. I just have to picture myself in Halifax at the Split Crow on a Thursday night, 2 minutes to 10PM with a table filled with beer. Chug Chug Chug!

In case you're wondering, this is the green stuff: http://survey.genuinehealth.com/review/product/list/id/317/.

Caught in a Flash Mob

Last night I dreamt that I was caught in a flash mob. I was in a field somewhere and out of nowhere, a ton of kids starting dancing all around me.... not sure what that meant.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, check this out:



So afterwards, I starting looking for videos and came across a couple of other gems from ImprovEverywhere.com that I must share. These have been floating around for awhile now but if you're like me, they will still make you smile :-).

30 Days of Sweat

I should probably change the title of this blog since my adventures are no longer Guyanese...

Tomorrow I am starting a 30-day hot yoga challenge. The challenge involves thirty days of doing yoga, drinking greens+, avoiding plastic bags and eating well. I'm hoping that posting blog entries will help motivate and encourage me (and make me feel guilty when I mess up!). So blog-readers (if you exist), stay tuned for updates. The challenge begins at midnight.

~A

La Escuela del Sol

Darn you facebook and your personalized advertising. It's like you know what my hobbies are and found the perfect advertisement to lure me in. Spanish, Surf, Yoga, Scuba AND POI! Unreal.

Escuela Del Sol promo from LucidTV on Vimeo.