Five tips for Bikram beginners

My Bikram studio recently did several Groupons. This is great, because Bikram yoga is wonderful for your mental, physical, and emotional health, and everyone should give it a try! That being said, I've realized there are a few things that I wish someone had told me as a beginner, and so I'm sharing them here.

If you're going to try your very first Bikram yoga class, here are five things you should know:

1. It's super important that everyone can see part of themselves in the mirror. If you're anywhere but the back row, be aware of other yogis in the class, and stagger your mat so that they can see themselves as well.
2. The yoga room is a silent place. The Bikram community is wonderful, and talking in the lobby is totally encouraged, but a lot of people come early to class to zone out, get their meditation on, or just enjoy some silence. Even if you're coming to yoga with your friends, try not to talk inside of the room.
3. It's totally okay to sit out a posture. Or seven. Yoga isn't a competition, and it's about the journey. If you need to sit down and take a breather, do it. Noone is judging you, I promise.
4. People don't wear a lot of clothes, and it's more than acceptable to join them. You know why? Because it's cool. Literally. You are sweating in a 104 degree room for 90 minutes, and you're going to feel a heck of a lot better in a sports bra and short shorts than leggings and a t-shirt. Like I said, noone is judging you.
5. Come back the next day. So maybe your first class was rough. Maybe you felt hot and sweaty and not flexible. Leave the room, sign up for the next day, and come back. Flexibility, inner peace, happiness... all of these things take time. You're never going to heal yourself physically, mentally, or emotionally unless you keep coming back.

Anyone else a Bikram yogi? What would you tell a newbie to the practice?

Happiness is a choice.

 

Here’s a shocking fact: bad things happen to everybody. Okay, so maybe it’s not that shocking. But for a few months earlier this year, it was shocking for me.

 

It’s not like I’ve never had anything bad happen to me; of course I have. But the way I felt was new – and for two months, I wallowed, I pity-partied, and I told everyone who would listen about my plight.

 

At some point, I got sick of being the only person at my pity party, and decided that I could create the life I wanted. I signed up for a marathon, I registered for my first pageant in three years, I started blogging more. And in the last several months, amazing things have happened: I landed a fantastic job, I ran a marathon, and I earned my way to the Miss Virginia stage – somewhere I never thought I would be competing. All of those things have happened not because I am special or lucky, but because I refuse, on a daily basis, to allow things I cannot change impact my attitude.

 

Bad things happen to everybody. And most of the time, they’re bad things that you have zero control over: getting rejected from your dream college, someone breaking your heart, someone saying something mean. But you know what I’ve learned in the last nine months? While you have zero control over what happens, you have 100% control over how you react to it.

 

Positivity is a choice. Being happy is a choice. Proactively going after everything you’ve ever wanted in life is a choice. Change what you can, accept what you can’t, move on from your past. Forgive people who have hurt you, and stop letting them take up your time, your thoughts, and your energy. All of those things are too valuable to be taken up by people and things that do not serve you.

 

Today, be kind to yourself. Go for a run, read a good book, eat your favorite ice cream. Call your best friend or your parents, make that recipe you’ve been dying to try from Pinterest, volunteer. Write down all of those things you’ve always wanted to do, and go do them.

 

Why not?

Bikram reflections: Days four and five of my 30 day challenge

Well,  so far I am five-for-five in my 30 day challenge, and as I'm writing this post, I'm preparing for class number six.

The last two classes have been pretty awesome. In a way I've never really experienced before, both classes felt like they went pretty quickly, and I actually kind of enjoyed every series of both of them. Bow (the pinnacle posture of the spine strengthening series) felt really strong both days, and I was kind of proud of how much better it looked and felt. Bow, just so you know what I'm talking about, eventually looks like this:

I am also finding that my practice is starting to feel like the "moving meditation" that it claims to be. I definitely am starting to fall into the rhythm of the practice, and I think that's probably what has been most helpful in making the 90 minutes enjoyable each day.

Scheduling myself time for my practice each day has been great. I love how Bikram makes me feel, how it makes me look, and that it gives me time daily to focus on myself. I'm sure I've blogged about this before, but I think that we sometimes forget how important it is to set aside time for ourselves each day. I don't just mean time to workout, I mean time to let all of our other responsibilities take a breather for a hot second (literally hot, in this case) and just let our mind have a break. We're all so busy all the time, and we sometimes forget that taking a breather is necessary too.

Here's to class number six.. after today, I'll be a fifth of the way there!!

Bikram reflections: Starting my 30 day challenge

I started my 30 day Bikram Yoga challenge three days ago -- and I am three for three so far! I'm doing my own little 30 day challenge for several reasons. Obviously, first and foremost, for my health -- to see what 30 straight days of getting my 90 minutes in the hot room can do for me. Then, it goes without saying that the competitive part of my personality thrives off of challenges. I've also been neglecting my practice a little bit lately, so it's definitely long overdue for me to kick it back into gear.

I'll be trying to reflect on my practice daily on this blog, but figured I would go ahead and combine the first three days. My three classes were all at different times (7:15pm, 8:15pm, and 6:00am), with different class sizes (five people in the 7:15 class, a full room during the 8:15 class, and then probably about 10 people in the 6:15 class), and with three different teachers. Here are my thoughts so far:

• I was really distracted during the 7:15 small class, when a gentleman was breathing really heavily throughout the practice. I did realize that this probably means I need to work on focusing on my own breathing, and not letting little things distract me.
• Holy cow is standing separate leg stretching pose hard. I always thought it was difficult (even though it looks like it would be one of the easiest poses), but after being away for so long, it's gotten even harder.
• The 8:15 class is for beginners. There's a lot of people, a lot of fidgiting, and a lot of groaning. Again, reminded that I need to work on focusing internally instead of externally.
• Conversely, the 6:00am class is for more experienced yogis. There's a lot less water drinking, and a whole lot more "class energy" propelling you through the series.
• The 6:00 class is also nice because I think it's too early for your brain to be awake. It makes it a lot easier to make the practice your "moving meditation" and control how much your mind wanders.
• I can do the whole spine strengthening series!! Yeah, it hurts, but I can do it, and I'm confident that I'll be doing locust correctly in no time :)
• Sometimes, increased humidity is worse than increased heat. More on this later, I'm sure.

Anyways, just wanted to get this up before I head to work. Always nice to start my day with a Bikram class :)

My first marathon: moments of inspiration

Well, it's been broadcast all over Twitter and Facebook, but I figured I'd do a different kind of race recap here. In case you haven't heard, I finished my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, yesterday. Victory tasted pretty sweet:

My dad and I finished in 5:30:41. Considering he ran the whole thing with a broken toe, I would consider this time a success! Plus, we crossed the finish line hand in hand, smiling. They've started to load the official race photos, and I have to say, I look like I am genuinely enjoying the race in each photo.

For me, this marathon was about finishing. It was about pushing myself to achieve something I had never achieved, and proving to myself that I was capable of accomplishing something this big. And I have to tell you, this may be my greatest personal accomplishment.

Today, as I try to foam roll out the stiffness in my legs that is a constant reminder of yesterday, I wanted to take the time to blog about my experience, and about moments of inspiration from the race.

My race started at 7:55am. We placed ourselves in the 5:00 finish corral, which was silly because our strategy was to run the first 15 miles and then alternate walking and running (walk one mile, run two) to the finish. In retrospect, we should have placed ourselves in the 4:30 finish corral, which would align more with our running time. Instead, we ended up trying to make our way through the pack of people running at a pace 2-3 minutes per mile slower than us for the first three miles.

Being in this grouping brought our first pop of inspiration, when around mile four, we ran past a blind woman running the Marine Corps Marathon, guided by three guide runners. If that doesn't inspire you to be limitless, I don't know what will.

Somewhere around mile four or five, we also found a group whose shirts read "The journey is the reward, the marathon is the victory lap." Reflecting on my own journey, from where/who I was when I signed up for the marathon in March to where/who I am now is a pretty powerful thing. And they're right, the marathon was my celebration - a celebration of living a life that I love and getting a little bit closer to exactly what I want my life to look like.

Mile 11 brought us to our first views of the national mall, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The roundabout we went around was lined with spectators, cheering for friends and family members and random strangers. It was one of two times that I started tearing up, and really only out of sheer inspiration. Here I was, in a sea of 20,000+ runners, all achieving a goal - whether just to finish or to beat a time.

We then made our way to Haynes' Point, which was the most challenging part of the race for me. For miles 13-16, we were spectatorless, and I was hurting. I was pretty excited to cross the 13.1 mile marker at 2:15, which is a whole 15 minutes faster than the half marathon I ran in April, but other than that, I was just ready to start walking. Then, right when I was getting frustrated, I started seeing pictures of fallen soldiers. About 25-30 pictures of young men in their uniforms, smiling, with their names and dates of birth and death along the bottom. Following their pictures was a line of people, each bearing an American flag with a black ribbon, embroidered with a name. It was moving and humbling, and I found myself pretty emotional again. The Marine Corps Marathon is special in this way -- you are inspired by the hundreds (thousands?) of Marines cheering you on from the sidelines, as well as by the countless young men and women who never made it home.

The last ten miles were a blur. I know that my little Miss Greater Springfield princess, Hannah (who loves to run), was my inspiration during mile 21, and that my Girls on the Run girls were my inspiration when my knee started hurting during mile 22. I know there were donut holes at mile 24, and that I ran the last 6.2 miles (after "beating the bridge") with a huge smile on my face after seeing a sign that said "Smile and wave if this is your first marathon -- you are now a marathoner."

And at 26.2, they announced my name, and I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with my dad, a huge smile on my face. Because my journey has been my reward, and the marathon truly was the victory lap.

I hope that if you're reading, you take away this: you are capable of anything you set your mind to. You are in charge -- of what you accomplish, of how you feel, of your life. It is never too late to decide what you want out of your life and to determine how you are going to go after it. Let the blind woman running the Marine Corps Marathon be your inspiration too -- the only limits you have are the ones that you create for yourself.

Can't wait for the next one.

My only political post: Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know tonight was the last presidential debate. And to be honest, I have never been so excited for a television series to end. Seriously.

Ya'll, I used to enjoy politics. I studied political science in college, and at one point in my life, I dreamed of running for President. I loved politics because, like philosophy, it was an area that had no right or wrong answers. Politics, unlike hard science, is about balancing opinions. I was drawn to study political science because it centered around compromise and listening to the viewpoints of others. For me, politics were about listening to others talk about their beliefs and learning about how they formed their opinions. If you listen closely enough, a person's views tell their life story, because their views are built from their life experiences, circumstances, and situations.

But this election? This election has nothing to do with anything that made me fall in love with the study of politics. This election has everything to do with "big manning" your opponent, and nothing to do with coming up with solutions to our problems. I can't watch TV, listen to the radio, or go on Facebook without hearing a negative political ad or seeing a friend belittle another friend because they have a different opinion.

In case you forgot, our freedom to think, feel, and say what we want is what makes this country so great. We all have different life experiences and situations that have shaped our views into what they are. Further, we all have different issue priorities. The presence of many different opinions does not mean that some are wrong or even that some are more right than others, it simply means that we are unique individuals who have come to different conclusions about how we want our country run.

Are there uneducated voters? Absolutely. There are uneducated voters who will show up to vote for each candidate. But to make generalizations about people simply because they will vote for a different candidate than you will is both heartbreaking and ridiculous.

Here is what I know: the men who are running for President both care deeply about the United States of America. They both want what they believe is best for this country and for you, the American citizen. Whether or not you agree with their plans and ideas is up to you, and I encourage you to get out and vote for the candidate that best aligns with you on whatever you deem to be the most important issues. Instead of bashing the other side, the other candidate, the other voters, learn to agree to disagree. Embrace the fact that this country is beautiful and special because we have the ability to make our own choices and form our own opinions from all of the information available.

Because as we tear down each other and tear down each candidate, we further divide our country. We take this election from one in which we are choosing between two men who care about the future of this country to one where we are choosing between the lesser of the two evils.

And while you're at it, research your local congressional candidates as well. Vote for the person who best represents you, and the one who will work across the aisle to get things moving again. Because without a Congress that will compromise to move forward, neither Presidential candidate will be able to forward any of their long-winded promises.

That's all I've got. You've got two weeks to get yourself educated, and a whole lifetime to work towards making politics more of a conversation and less of a fight. November 6th is a very important day, and I hope all of you take the time to make your voice heard.

What exactly does "Start the Conversation" mean?

This weekend, I'll be speaking about nutrition with a group of kids, and I've been thinking about my approach for the last few days. This will be my first planned time speaking on this topic to a group. While nutrition is something that I've been passionate about for a while, and a passion that I've shared on many, many occasions, this will be the first time that I'll have prepared a presentation and shared it.

I think it's fair to say I'm a little nervous.

But I'm also extremely excited. Public speaking is a passion of mine, and I am SO excited to talk to these kids about REAL food. About building a healthy relationship with food. About enjoying homemade cookies and made-from-scratch pizza every once in a while.

Start the Conversation is about rebuilding a healthy relationship with food. I think that we've gotten to the point where we're so obsessed with counting calories or carbs or labeling foods as bad that we don't appreciate food for what it is -- a cultural staple, our sustenance, and, most importantly, something to be enjoyed.

We feel like we can no longer enjoy the "secret family recipe" because it's made with butter or whole milk, and society tells us the calories are bad. But while we're scared to cook our food in olive oil, we're made to believe that eating cereal or microwave dinners made of countless ingredients we can't pronounce is somehow better for us.

I want to use this year to help people feel better about eating the real foods they love and less of the chemically flavored things that have been developed in a lab in order to reduce calories, fat, carbs, whatever. I want to share a message of moderation, one of enjoyment, and one of food appreciation. I want to help people stop obsessing over what they should and shouldn't eat, and instead use all of that energy towards enjoying life.

I'll share my weekend experience with you all on Sunday. If you have any advice for me for sharing this message with kids, please leave me a comment below!