30 Day Challenge! Initiate Yoga-Bot Transformation Sequence

Day Seven- Ground Hog's Day

It is days like today that make all the impossible practices worthwhile. I strolled into the studio with confidence on Tuesday as though I were the cock of the walk. Day seven- here I am. I’m going to rock you like a hurricane. But then, I looked at the broader picture and became giddy with nerves. So wait, after I complete today’s class I STILL have 23 days left?! That’s a bit daunting. I tried to narrow my focus again and remember the age old wisdom from the classic film “What About Bob”: Baby Steps. I can baby step this one day at a time.

I’ve been going to this studio for quite some time, so I have had the opportunity to get to know a few of the other diehard yogis like myself. This has had the added benefit of incentivizing me to show up to class because it becomes a sort of social hour before and afterward. (As I told Brett-I’m turning into a socialite cum yogi: a “yoga-lite.”) My friend Jen is a baker at the Flying Apron Bakery in Fremont and one of the gals who is very likely now going to participate in the 30 day challenge. She greeted me with a vegan cinnamon roll, at which I immediately began nibbling. The prospect of having companions with whom to tackle the challenge is extremely comforting and exciting because we can not only rely on each other’s strength but also cheer each other on with little treats (such as the aforementioned cinnamon roll). I caught up with Kate, one of my instructors who has not taught in a while because she has been traveling a lot for her work as a photographer. I bounced around the changing room like a ping pong ball and then landed on my friend Kim who just returned from a long weekend touring Alabama with one of her favorite bands. I feel so much love for all these people and was literally bursting with energy as a result of these wonderful relationships I’ve begun to develop.

As a result of being such a busy-body before class, I wasn’t burdened with over-thinking what my practice would be like. I spent the final moments before 6pm chatting with Kate and BJ before finally scurrying over to my mat. I was all but grinning as I began my pranayama deep breathing and was continually (dare I say) proud of my fortitude despite the intensifying, almost burning heat. I made it all the way through the standing postures with my energy level and spirits in tact.

But then, after sucking down a few sips of ice cold water, my fatigue caught up with me. It was as though my body had a chance to realize what exactly it had been enduring for the past hour. Right before the full locust pose- where you lie on your belly and lift up your entire body using your spine strength, I felt like I could close my eyes and fall asleep at that moment. Considering that I had such a strong practice thus far, I decided to utilize the mechanisms of my youth when I was in a swim meet or any other competitive environment: self-induced fear. In order to make myself swim faster and push myself harder, I would imagine that Freddie Kruger was chasing me. I can only conclude that this idea worked because I always won my events and beat my previous times. As I lay there with my arms sprawled to either side and my legs and feet glued together, I pretended that I was on the precipice of a volcano. I imagined that once the posture began, lava would flow up and burn me to pieces if I didn’t raise my arms and legs as high as absolutely possible. The higher I could lift myslf—the cooler the air would be. At least, that’s what I tried to convince myself. Much to my amazement- my little trick worked. I powered through the rest of class like a yoga-bot. I’m going to have to keep that tool in my back pocket for day 27…..