I started Hot Yoga yesterday. I have attended two classes so far and I love it. Is it easy? Hell no. Have I done yoga before? Here and there AKA roughly 4 times ever. Is it hot? 120 degrees – or something insane like that. I didn’t even know my shins could sweat but they can and they absolutely do.

A little back story from the past 48 hours:

I woke up yesterday morning (Tuesday) and felt like shit. I literally opened my eyes and already felt tired.  I woke up feeling like shit and sick of my shit. Meaning? I know what I’ve been doing to myself for months now. I haven’t worked out. I have been eating whatever I want whenever I want. Casual beers were happening just about every single day because why not. I was making any excuse to make it seem like I was just living my life – happy and carefree. Can I be honest with you though? I have felt pretty bad about the way I have been treating myself – like I wasn’t worthy of putting actual time and energy into myself.

This is how it went down: 

I got into work, opened Google Chrome, and I checked out Melt Hot Yoga, a location nearby that I was familiar with due to a dear friend of mine attending classes for a while and using words like “life-changing” and “incredible” when describing how it made him felt. Wouldn’t you know – they had a $30 for 30 days of unlimited classes banner across their homepage. This was it – I was signing up and not only was I going to start taking classes, I decided I am going to take 30 classes in 30 days.

Yoga wasn’t the only decision I made yesterday. I also ordered my daily coffee black – without the cream and sugary flavoring. I grabbed a salad for lunch, pita and hummus for a snack. I was ready to commit to an overall change.

Make a change if you want to see a change. 

I said that to someone yesterday and I felt like I gave myself a life lesson upon reading it back to myself. There is no perfect or right time. If you wait until Monday you’ll never start. It is whatever moment, whatever day, you decide to implement a change into your life that matters. It is being true to your own word, your promises to yourself, because that it who you are impacting most.

Making changes? A little heads up before you get started: You will need to be gentle with yourself. Patience will be key. You didn’t pick up bad habits or build a certain attitude about something overnight so don’t expect things to completely change in a moment’s notice. It is going to take time, energy, and focus.

Focus: Your heart may beat fast but you are in control of your breath.

The instructor in my first yoga class yesterday said this to us. It was honestly perfect timing because at the moment I was laying on my mat with my left cheek to the floor trying to catch my breath. I felt all over the place. I heard her say those words and I did exactly that: I focused on my breathing. I felt my heart pounding through my body against the floor but I focused. Deep breath inhale, controlled exhale. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I concentrated on how in control I was of my entire being, my entire existence. We only had about 10 seconds in that position and that’s honestly all it took – 10 seconds – to gain control of myself, my energy, my mind.

Never allow waiting to become a habit. Life is now. Live it now. 

Take a step back and think about your current state of life. Where are you at? What are you putting off? How is your self care? (Does your self care even exist?) Take some time to focus. Focus on yourself. Focus on your surroundings. Focus on your emotions. Focus on your relationships.

And if things get a little wonky or overwhelming: Don’t forget to breathe. 

Remember: You are your choices. Choose wisely. 

Peace signs and positive vibes,
hkp