I really wish I had a video or a post selfie pic of the hot yoga session I went to this past Monday. It was intense! I needed to let my nervous system calm back down before I could think of snapping a picture, but by then all my sweat had dried and I just looked like a hot mess (lucky me).
This yoga session was unbelievably challenging! The temperature in the room was up to 107 degrees. Talk about a hot flash! I have a hard enough time walking into a warm lecture hall let alone a room intentionally turned up to 100+ degrees, anyone that knows me knows I SWEAT, so I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Needless to say, I’ve never done anything like hot yoga before. The sessions I’ve always attended were slower flowing and moderately warm, like swimming in a warm pool with a cool breeze….
I do have to admit, although I thought I was going to keel over and barf, halfway through the session. I was proud that I managed to stay composed and not give up.
That is to say I managed to survive!
There were multiple times I just wanted to quit! Walk out of the room, and say, “F-this! Who needs this!” But I continued to pace myself - calm my mind, control my breathing, and managed to persevere through the hour and half long session from hell!
As I stood there, well mostly heaved over, gasping for air, I thought to myself, this is something I can learn from. Something we can all practice doing in our “hectic” daily lives.
When things are getting chaotic and you just want to escape, remember to pace yourself. Take a moment to center yourself, calm your mind (maybe even your breathing), and persevere. In sports they use the phrase “Push through…”
There are multiple challenges we face either physically or mentally every day, and it’s up to you to keep going. We won’t always have someone there to push us, but by practicing these few things may help you through those tough situations.
