Yo! Gah!
I woke up this morning after a rough night of bed-hopping kids and pee-pee accidents, and felt myself sliding toward anger before my head was off of the pillow. This is not the way to wake up. Although, let's be blunt, waking up to three children screaming and crying is not a good way to wake up in general.
Note to self: Tranquilizer darts. Get some.
I've been thinking about giving Bikram Yoga a shot, on the recommendation of several friends. Grace Davis made a particularly good case for it a while back. When it became obvious that I was going to walk around with my body twanging from stress, I decided that today would be a perfect day to get away for a ninety-minute session.
Ninety. 90. Nine Zero Minutes. The hell? I find that a little over-the-top, don't you?
Okay, let's just establish that I'm a big wimp. I like my intense exercise in 30 minute blocks. Or, okay, 20. Beyond that, I'm a withering flower. I wilt. And start pouting. And, depending on what time of the month it is, I also get really nauseous.
Go, on. Guess what happened?
I arrived at the class with my pink mat and a bottle of water and a washcloth. I rented a towel from the front desk, and confessed breathlessly to the instructor that it was my very first time at Hot Yoga.
He was gracious and explained how the program works, and demonstrated the opening breathing movements so that I wouldn't be completely lost from the opening exercise.
I tiptoed into the locker room and dropped off my sweatshirt and BlogHer tote bag. Opening the door to the studio, I wandered through the mats, looking for a spot where I could sweat and cuss under my breath in relative peace.
Holy hotness. I was glowing from the moment I closed the door behind me. I glanced around and saw everyone else laying down on their backs. Okay. I spread out my mat in the very back of the room and lay down. I wasn't sure of the rules, but I figured that smiling at people was okay. I was too fidgety to stay on my back, so I sort of rustled around, spreading my towel, arranging my face cloth, opening and closing my water bottle. At the appointed time, the instructor came inside and got the class started.
I got through the first set of poses, sweating and cursing the size of my body. It's hard to do some of these poses when you are overweight. I warmed up and enjoyed the stretching sensations, but the heat was making me woozy. As we approached the balancing section of the workout, I felt like I was going to puke. I sat down and tried to chill. I lay down on my back, and stared at the ceiling. Waves of nausea continued to wash over me, and I figured I had better make a run from the room, just in case. I hurried to the front of the class, and exited into the cool women's changing room.
Within a few moments, I was fine. I didn't puke, and the nausea disappeared. I mopped the sweat off of my limbs and face and waited for a chance to sneak back into the class. Sheepishly, I entered between poses. I dodged and weaved around my transitioning classmates and jumped back in with my chubby-thighed version of tree pose.
I survived, and was able to do most of the poses, however imperfectly. It was a huge challenge for me, and as I worked my body and sweated (and sweated, and sweated some more) I felt the tension just leave. I don't think I have ever been so happy to just lay on the floor.
Buh-bye, tension.
In short, I found Bikram Yoga to be a worthy challenge. They had a new member's special of $29 for a whole month's unlimited classes. In reality, I don't know how many classes I can work in during an average week, but I'm going to try to go a few times this next week, and see if I start acclimating to the heat.
Oh, and I stepped on the scale when I came home, and it said 172. Buh-bye extra three pounds from yesterday.
Comments
Hey Yo!Gah!
I felt your pain once. I still have a hard time with the exercise do to the fact I am still overweight. BUT when my children were little I went to arobics and I had to bring my youngest with me since it was at 10am. She would climb on anything and everything she could too. It still helped me to get that exherting exercise and I am glad I did it. No body at home got hurt that was I was able to maintain some kinds of self controle. It is hard with three children. Which is what I have. ages 23, 21, 16. I can hardly believe that they are those ages already. I still get frusterated with them only now I can say "I'm going for a bike ride, I'll be back later!" and I don't have to worry about them getting into something. We also had the pee pee accidents and that was so hard to deal with especailly when it happen and I'd move the child to clean and change bedding just for it to happen agian before I moved her back to her own bed. I later found out it was a hormone issue and she did gorw out of it. But till that magic time happend I did put her on a RX called DDAVP she was about 10 yrs old when she went on it. It would have been sooner had I been aware of it's benefit to her self esteem. Anyway I am glad you are trying Yoga. I now like to walk in the morning with a friend we are like a sounding board for each other we cry together laugh together and share problems etc... It helps to just be able to talk and not have someone trying to always tell you what you should do. I hope the yoga helps you to wake up cheerfull so you can be the mom that you want to be. Good Luck
Posted by: Joyce | August 20, 2006 5:27 PM
Let me start by congratulating you on yet another great loss!=) I'm glad you were willing to challenge your body with something new, and gained from the experience; however, just 9 days ago, you mentioned feeling like your schedule was too full and overhwelming, and you signed up for a belly dancing class. From one person to another trying to live a happy healthy (realistic) lifestyle, as per your own admission in your (10 tips about losing weight) you don't like regimented exercise that doesn't involve spunk, freedom, and silliness. Since you know that about your personality, maybe hot yoga, even though valuable, isn't your thing. The best way to lose the pounds, in my opinion, is to have purpose and focus. You know you want to use the Fat Fallacy as an eating guide, but what is your spirit/soul saying to you about your body? How much negative/self defeating "mental talk" goes on in your mind? Perhaps if you narrow your focus in every area and then the future you want, will start happening now. You CAN DO IT!!!! Lord Bless ya, and I'm rooting for you!=)
Posted by: prov31wisemom | August 20, 2006 7:25 PM
wooohoooo!
go, mama, go!
Posted by: the womom | August 20, 2006 8:55 PM
Okay, sorry this is a comment from "A New Angle", but...I actually weigh myself everyday so that I now what I did wrong the day before. Like if I gain a pound, I can blame it on the 1/2 cookie that I indulged on or whatever. I have found that since I started weighing myself daily, it seems that I am losing weight faster. I don't know, maybe its all in my head, but I lost four pounds last week.
Posted by: LoriB | August 21, 2006 7:51 AM
Does it have to be that HOT yoga you go to during your free month? I'd try out some regular yoga and see if it is just as relaxing, but not nauseating. My mom who's in her 50s goes once a week or so and it's great. (And the people in her class are really a lot like her---not Perfect!) I am on again-off again yoga, and I don't pay to go anywhere, I do DVDs at home (but my kids are a few years older than yours, I think). Yoga is like getting a massage, sorta! But I don't know about all that hotness.
Posted by: jenny | August 21, 2006 12:09 PM
Yay for you! I'm not sure I could do the hot version (my knowledge of yoga lingo is sorely lacking), but I loved the plain old basic yoga classes that I used to take at our rec center. I'm planning to re-up our membership tomorrow and get back into the swing of things. It's simultaneously energizing and relaxing (and fun for me because flexibility has always been my strong suit).
Posted by: mothergoosemouse | August 21, 2006 5:41 PM
Wiat. So, the whole studio is actually hot, like hot temperature hot? I would want to kill myself within two minutes. I think saunas were probably invented by Satan. Hot is bad, if you ask me. Hot makes me snappish and irritable.
But, you go, girl! I admire your gumption!
Posted by: Shrinkingmom | August 21, 2006 10:01 PM
Have you done regular yoga? Was hot yoga better?
Posted by: Sheryl | August 22, 2006 2:49 AM