Picture it: 2009. The holiday season. I'm feeling bloated and gross from really letting myself go physically. The soccer team I was a part of disbanded so I was literally getting zero exercise. The number on the scale was scary on a level of epic proportions. I decided I had to do something, but what?
My first attempt at getting in shape began with a change in my eating habits. I started to eat mostly vegan, eliminating a lot of bad choices from my diet. I noticed a significant tilt on the scale and decided I'd like to add a physical component to my attempt at a healthy lifestyle. I began running, using the Couch to 5k program. I experienced a nice degree of success with the program. I completed it in the recommended nine weeks and ran two 5ks. I talked some of my friends into getting bitten by the running bug and we were all starting to have some fun with it. My lovely boyfriend Jason and I were running a few nights a week and I felt pretty damn good. I'd lost about 25 pounds and was starting to feel less and less suicidal every time I stepped on the scale. Then, disaster struck! (bum ba BUUUUUUUM!)
Out of nowhere, I got this searing pain in my knee. It hurt especially if I tried to put any direct weight on my knee. No squatting, no kneeling, no bending my knee. After working so hard for months to get myself into a better space, my doctor informed me that I'd developed patellofemoral pain syndrome. That's just a fancy way of saying that the tendon connecting my kneecap and tibia was inflamed and cranky. The syndrome develops when your quadriceps are not strong enough to control your kneecap in its normal groove. Your kneecap goes all willy nilly and any kind of impact on the knee will make it worse. My doctor recommended a little bit of rest, some Naproxen, and strengthening of my quads.
Okay, okay, I'll admit it: at this point, I got a little lazy. I was careful to not let my weight balloon back up to the aforementioned jump-off-a-cliff number but I was stuck at an annoying plateau. Following the doctor's instructions, my knee felt better in about a month. At this point, I decided it was time to try something new. I rationalized that running would be a more feasible form of exercise when I am lighter, therefore exerting less impact on my knees. This is when Bikram Yoga appeared in my life.
I bought a Living Social deal for a yoga place by my house. Ten classes for $10, how could I pass that up? My knee was feeling healthy and strong and I was experiencing no pain. I figured yoga would be a good way to slide back into fitness, get my muscles moving, and maybe reconnect me with my dance background. I took one class and found it challenging but not entirely fulfilling. I started to research some different yoga styles and eventually stumbled across the website for Bikram Yoga Dallas. I was instantly intrigued and immediately signed up for their introductory $40 for an unlimited month of yoga package.
The first day was, quite frankly, awful. 105 degrees is hot, man. I felt sort of uncomfortable in my tank top and spandex pants, especially with the large ratio of perfect bodies around me. As soon as the practice started, though, I realized that not only did I not have time to look around and be bitterly jealous of the other yogis in the room, but they had no time to look at me and judge. This practice takes serious concentration. I sweated. I felt faint. I sat down. A lot. This was all okay! I was encouraged to do what I could but listen to my body. I plodded through the 90 minute workout the best I could, which was not that well, and at the end of class, I lay gasping on my back in savasana, barely able to eek out a "namaste" at the conclusion. The teacher encouraged me to return within 24 hours for my second workout in order to reap the most benefit possible from the practice.
Normally, I'd have been all, "whatever!" but for some reason I decided to actually come back the next day. I took 6 classes in the first 7 days. My body was changing and I could feel it. My legs were the first thing to experience changes. My calves started popping and my quads gained strength. I had absolutely zero pain in my knees, and I was starting to feel changes in my mood as well. In the first month, I practiced 24 days. I found on the days I didn't practice, I was cranky and had less patience. This brought me to a very important decision I made today.
I signed up for a 60-day challenge. What's that, you ask? I will attend 60 yoga classes in the next 60 days. I can skip a day but must take a double on another day to make up for the lost class. When I complete this challenge, Bikram proselytizes I will have a "new body, new mind, new life" - and a new t-shirt proclaiming my achievement. I don't have any doubts I will be able to complete this challenge, but I do recognize that it will certainly be a challenge. I started this blog to chronicle my journey towards 2 months straight of yoga and I hope you'll join me along the way.
Day 1: Today was great. I felt rested and alert. I had a good focus in the front mirror and felt my balance was better than it has been. Balance is something I struggle with, which I think has something to do with my past as a dancer. Yoga requires a much different body posture than dancing and it's extremely hard for me to balance without turning my feet out. Standing head to knee
continues to be a big giant bitch. I can only stand with one leg locked and reach for the opposite foot. Doing this really engages my core, though, and I know it will just be a matter of time before I can reach that damn foot. My extra body bulk can get in the way on some postures, notably the compression postures. I must always remind myself to be patient.
The big breakthrough today, though, was camel (ustrasana). Ladies and gentlemen, I generally abhore this posture.
The first time I ever attempted this pose, I got so dizzy I legitimately almost blacked out. My vision quickly faded out to black and I had to flop on the ground and gasp for air until I stopped seeing stars. As time goes by, I get better and better at it, however. Today, I think I had a breakthrough. I really pushed my hips towards the mirror and let my head fall back. I could see the back of my mat and pushed in an attempt to try and see my feet. Once I lifted out of the posture and lowered into savasana,
I felt this amazing tingle go up and down my spine and settle in my chest. It was the most intense and incredible lightness I've ever felt inside my body. I could feel fresh blood flooding the area and a gorgeous sense of airiness washed over me. In that exact moment, I decided to commit to the 60-day challenge and really begin my practice.
So that brings us to right this second, folks! I hope you'll enjoy following my journey and experiencing the ups and downs with me. I look forward to keeping you informed!
