Physical activity isn’t my thing. I’ve never been one to go to the gym or participate in sports. A physio therapist once told me I was the least flexible person he’s ever seen.
So when the idea of me participating in a hot yoga class and writing a commentary about it was pitched I thought it was hilarious. I agreed to do it and didn’t put much thought into it. I thought my editor was joking.
This joke soon turned into me losing sleep the night before, worrying about how I was going to do. Was I going to mess up? Was I going to be able force my body into weird shapes? Would I look like a fool in front of everyone? I got four hours of sleep that night.
All this worry was for nothing. I’d do this all again, and I’d recommend it to anyone.
Going in to the Moksha Yoga studio, I knew hot yoga was done in a hot room and I knew two poses. Other than that, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
As I walked in, the receptionist (who I didn’t know at the time was also the instructor) asked me if I had done hot yoga before. When I responded “no,” she made it very clear if I felt like it was too much to handle, stopping and focusing on my breathing would be more beneficial than hurting myself or getting sick.
When I opened the door to the studio I was hit with the overwhelming heat; it was like walking in to a sauna. The room was large with hardwood floors and mirrors lining one wall. It was lit softly with dim ceiling lights and natural light from a large window in the corner.
There were already people set up with their mats on the floor, but everyone was very quiet. I followed suit, set up my mat and laid down on the floor. I closed my eyes, relaxed and focused on my breathing. The more I laid there the more my body got used to the temperature.
The instructor came in, and once again told the entire class every movement you do, you push yourself to where you feel comfortable.
As she moved around the room, she told everyone to get in to certain poses, move or stretch a body part and to keep focusing on the breathing. I didn’t know what the poses were or how to get into them, since I’ve never done this before. I found watching other people do the movements and mimicking them helped me keep up with the rest of the group.
If I was falling behind or looking confused, the instructor would come over and walk me through the steps. This reassurance of knowing I was doing things right is what kept me going.
Even people that seemed to know what they were doing would mess up sometimes or I would be doing more of a movement than they were. Normally my competitive side would come out and think “look at them, I’m doing better,” but this time it didn’t. Because everyone was moving and doing everything at a level they felt comfortable with, it made me feel like I was on the same level as everyone else.
This experience was difficult. It challenged me physically and mentally. You have to focus on every movement you’re doing, but also keep in mind you need to balance, straighten up, stretch a little more and ignore the fact that it’s the hottest environment you’ve been in.
Coming out of that room feeling like I really understood everything was a huge weight off my shoulders. For once a physical activity made sense to me and I gained a bit of confidence.
I think this is the one activity that’s accessible to everyone. There were people of all different sizes, genders, and abilities, but there was no judgement from any of them. They were focusing on themselves, and I was focused on me.
