9 : Namaste

I have always been the working out type.  You know the type.  The person that has to work out not necessarily to lose weight, but just because it is a part of who they are.  Once I had kids, this became increasingly difficult.  I was working full time, then rushing home at night to put to bed 1 child, and eventually 2 children.  Even when we were together, the majority of the childcare responsibilities fell on my plate while my husband was able to focus more on growing his career.  (Don't feel sorry for me, that was the arrangement that we both agreed to.)  And then everything fell apart.  And I took took my LOA from work (see post #6).  Suddenly I had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with.  Running had always been my avenue of choice (2009 Chicago Marathon finisher, thank you very much!) but I didn't feel motivated to run right now.  I felt tired, weak, broken. I decided to try yoga again.  I had done yoga in the past, but often would get bored or anxious during the class.  I would end up spending half the class DYING to know what time it was so I could leave and cross off 'go to yoga' from my To Do list.  But here I was now with all the time in the world and nothing to do but take care of myself.  So maybe it would be different this time.  A phone call later, I discovered I still had some passes at a Bikram studio that I had put on hold nearly two years ago after I got pregnant with my oldest. Namaste! I went to my first class and allowed myself to get lost in the heat and the stretching for 90 minutes.  That's all it took.  One class and I was craving to go back.  Over the course of my LOA I went to yoga at least 4 times a week if not more.  Before I knew it, I could hold a toe stand for almost 10 seconds (if you don't know what that is, look it up - I'm really proud!)  After each class, I couldn't wait to get back.  For the first time I was able to shut off my mind for an entire 90 minutes and just be present in the moment.

Note: For anyone reading (is anyone reading?) that lives in the Chicago area and is interested in Bikram yoga I suggest www.105f.com in Wicker Park.  It's a good mix of people and talent levels, so regardless of how much you've practiced yoga, you don't feel out of place.