Exercise

Yoga on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 AM

We meet in Strawberry Fields - right near the Imagine Mosaic

The view from my mat

"I can't really breathe," I gasped.  I was in plow pose (legs over your head, toes touching the ground.  Get your mind out of the gutter).  This morning only two of us showed up for Power Yoga with Jason - and that meant a lot of individual attention and hands-on corrections.  Jason was helping me acheive the position - he knows his stuff and I trust him completely.

I'm so stiff - even this position can be excrutiating!

But slowly but surely I am getting more flexible and gaining strength

Power Yoga became popular in the 1990's and attracts those who like the benefits of Yoga while getting a complete work out.  Even though it was a very comfortable 73 degrees this morning in the Park, when I was in Downward Dog I was sweating so much it sounded like rain pouring onto my mat.  The work out gets so intense that you can't think of anything else.  No ruminating on the day to day annoyances - and you strive to remain calm even though you are pretzeling your body into poses that can hurt.   At one point Jason touched a spot near my hip and I discovered this pocket of stress that I didn't even know was there.  He hit a trigger point and the muscle seemed to unspring and release.

When things get tough in Yoga I focus on more pleasant things -

like this beautiful shrub and flowers that I passed on my way into the Park

Here's my take on it: with intense exercise such as Yoga and Spin you learn to stay relaxed and calm even though you're going through very daunting challenges.  Jason encourages this by joking even when we're having a grueling workout.  I find myself laughing even though things are pretty intense.  I try to carry this philosophy with me outside of classes and apply it to my day to day living.  When my workload goes off the charts, I take a breath and slowly and calmly get everything done.

Not my greatest Shoulder Stand

Even though it's a bit ungodly getting up at 5 AM to make it to Yoga with enough time to walk Hubbell, Yoga in the Park is practically a religous experience.  The sun is rising, you can smell the flowers and when we are finishing up at 7:30 AM the birds are waking up and there is a cocophony of hoots, whistles and wails.  You've had a great workout and the entire day lays ahead.

The Sun is just peeking through the trees when we begin

Jason offers his class for free every Tuesday morning at 6:30 AM so long as the weather lasts.  (Though it's polite to offer Jason a tip at the end of class).  All are welcome.