Yesterday I started a 30-day yoga challenge. For some people, 30 days of yoga may sound like a piece of cake. Not for me. I'll run a marathon for fun or do pull-ups until my hands bleed, but do yoga 30 days in a row? That's a scary challenge for me. But I'm kind of addicted to challenge anyway, so...
Luckily, I work with the coolest people in Houston (at lululemon athletica Highland Village). We're openly obsessed with creating the future through goal setting and holding each other accountable. At the first mention that I might want to try a 30-day yoga challenge after the CrossFit Games, I had a handful of people who wanted to join me. Before I knew it, my regional manager and almost my entire team had committed to the challenge as well. At that point, there was no turning back. I promised I would start a blog for us to share our experiences with each other and our friends. And that was the beginning of The Yoga Experiment.
Day 1 was a rainy day in Houston, which I almost used as an excuse to delay the start of my challenge. But iTunes to the rescue - I downloaded a free podcast by Dave Farmar, did yoga in my living room, and learned that there really is no excuse to miss a day.
Day 2 (today) I went to BIG Yoga, with my brand new, Pow Pink The Mat. Obviously I couldn't start this journey without a new mat!
As I flowed through the 75-minute class, in a room full of people but alone with my thoughts, I had a little epiphany. The teacher, Cristina, had just called utkatasana (chair pose) for probably the fifth time. If you do yoga, you know this is one of the most unloved poses. It only takes a few seconds for the burn to spread down your quads. I instantly thought, "Oh sh*t - is she going to make us hold this for long? Please let it be for just one breath. How long?! HOW LONG?!?!?" And then came my realization. I had no idea how long I'd be holding the pose. Absolutely no way of knowing. Beyond that, I had no control over what she would say next. Hmmm...
It's like life, right? Why do we worry, or even waste brain space just thinking about things that are entirely out of our control? By the way, she did make us hold the pose for a while. And as soon as I stopped wondering when the pose would end, I was able to breathe a lot easier and just embrace the burn.
