How Yoga Saved My Life
“Hot yoga has really helped me through this. I will take a class with you if you want to give it a try.”
Although there was laughter in my head, I did not let it out. I didn’t want to insult the woman I was on the phone with. I had never even met her.
I had started my blog, “The Widow Wears Pink” only two months earlier. I loved that I was starting to reach women from all over who were also widowed. The woman I was speaking on the phone with happened to live in my town, yet we had never met before. We were chatting on the phone about our situations and how we have gotten through the hard times. That was when she mentioned hot yoga.
Yoga? HOT yoga? I didn’t think so. When I thought of yoga, I imagined the graceful people you see in pictures or on TV who hold themselves in beautiful poses without breaking a sweat. That was NOT me. I am not the least bit graceful. I walk into furniture in my own house and have fallen down while walking in high heels. I would completely embarrass myself in a yoga class. I said all of this to my new friend on the phone but she kept encouraging me. She explained how she had the same fears but she gave it a chance and fell in love with it.
She somehow convinced me. One Friday morning I met her at the 9:30 AM class at Powerflow Yoga Livingston. She brought me an extra mat and showed me where to get blocks (blocks? what did I need blocks for??). She then introduced me to the instructor and explained to her that it was my first class.
I was nervous but there was no turning back. We walked into the full room and set up our mats in the corner which seemed like a good idea, but we were also in the front row which seemed like a bad idea. People were going to stare at me!
I need to reiterate how I truly knew NOTHING about yoga. The class began and everyone in that room seemed to know exactly what they were doing. I was clueless and it felt terrible. This was way out of my comfort zone. Just when I considered escaping through the back door, the instructor came over to me and explained how to do the poses. She was so patient and understanding that it was my first class ever. She truly made me feel comfortable. What amazed me was that while she was giving me individual attention, she was also still teaching an incredible class for everyone else.
I was doing yoga (well sort of). I was also sweating (a lot). Hot Yoga is hot! When the class was over I was soaking wet and exhausted. The instructor came over to me and told me to drink a lot of water. She also said I did pretty well for my first class (still not sure I believe that). The thought in my head was – although I was sweaty and exhausted, I didn’t hate it. Coming from me, that is a rave review. I have never been big on working out at the gym because that is something I do hate.
I was proud of myself for making it through, and I saw a tiny glimmer of hope that this was something I might grow to like. Before I left that day, I signed up for a trial month at Powerflow Yoga. That is how my yoga journey began…
