My first time trying yoga... and it was HOT yoga!

So… recently ive been on this journey, or…rollercoaster, trying to eat, live, breathe, BE healthier. Its hard… Its hard to be healthy because our schedules are so jam-packed that it seems we have NO time to devote to ourselves, let alone to our health and going to the gym or working out. Not to mention the cost of food, specifically organic and produce!

BUT- we NEED to make time to stay healthy. I know I need this.

SO… Ive been eating cleaner and have recently decided to try yoga.
*Note- I’m a 5’6  180lb women… I’m not long and lean. I have too many rolls around my belly, and my thighs are huge. I have super bad joints and have headaches every day. Lol
BUT I needed something.

I have this friend who has been going to hot yoga, and one day, after I spent HOURS picking lice out of my daughters head for the 100^th time, and cleaning the house for hours for it to be dirty again before bed, and a 8 hour day at work, and probably an argument with my husband… she text me, “I’m going to hot yoga tomorrow, you wanna come with?”

AND holy crap the clouds parted, and tingles raced along my skin as I realized that YES! Yes I wanted to go with her! Yes please take me away! Lol

(I was already planning on meeting her to talk about the formatting of her novel, MINDER, which will be coming out in paperback soon! YAY)

So I went…

AND crap on a cracker that shit is HARD! Yoga in not for the weak minded, or…weak. Haha.

How was I supposed to know that my balance is super bad? How was I supposed to guess that being in a room that’s 100 degrees and stretching your muscles would make you nauseous?!? Lol (yeah… I guess I should’ve known that.)

So I sweat. And I sweat some more. And everyone around me was skinny and lean and balanced on their toes like ballerinas… BUT I did it! I lost my balance twice, but got right back up without missing a beat. And I realized that the majority of the women were older, much older than my 25 years. But they were stronger than me. Healthier than me… and it reaffirmed my motivation, my determination to BE a healthier me!

 Not ONE lady looked at me weird. No one was judging me or my belly rolls. Lol

And after the 75 minutes of pulling my muscles, pushing my limbs, stretching my joints, releasing toxins, and making me stronger… we laid back on the floor for the final relaxation pose.

Palms up. Back flat on the floor. Lights off causing the heat to begin to dissipate slightly. I felt my body fall into the floor. I was one with the earth. My mind and body connected on a level I had never really experienced before.

And as the instructor talked, she said something that truly moved me.

“Loose your tongue, loosen your words!”

My words?!? Does she know I’m an author? Does she realize how much impact she had on me in that one moment? Loose my words… I would do it.

And then she continued… “Speak kind words. Not only to others, but to yourself.”

Holy crap lady… she was talking right to me! Chill bumps popped up, tiny hairs lifted to the sky along my arms, and tears entered my closed eyes.
I’m kind. I’m a pretty freaking awesomely kind person 99.9% of the time. To basically everyone…

But to myself? Do I speak kind words to myself? Hell to the no. I tell myself every day what the hell is wrong with me. Where my faults are. Here I’m too round. Here I’m too pink. Here I’m not smooth enough. Here I’m not good enough…

I walked out of that room, out into the 68 degree BEAUTIFUL Texas morning and took a deep breath and realized I needed to not only be healthier on the outside. Yeah, I’m overweight. My body needs work.

BUT I needed to be healthier inside.

I’ve gone back and all I can say is, if you have never tried yoga? TRY IT. If I can do it, so can you!

And hot yoga is an experience you will never forget.

And a little SMILE for you.
My 2 year old trying to do yoga! :)

Almost Warrior 1...

And here are some more...

Pilates 100? 

butt lift?! lol

Upward facing dog

downward facing dog

plank

POOPED!!! lol

BTW- if you STILL haven’t bought ANY of my books, Shame on you. You should. Right now. 

Power is available on kindle for only $2.99! That’s super cheap! GO buy it. Read it. Love it. And then buy Hope too… lol