Yoga is "Play Time"

I've been having fun with yoga lately.  The Bikram Yoga Summerlin studio is becoming my home away from home.  Just like days of old, when I would hang out with the "regulars" and have a blast during challenges, the same is happening up at Summerlin.  We facebook "tag" each other when we "check in" via facebook.  We do facebook "shout outs" to see who's going.  We save spots for each other.  We breathe as one, we help each other up in full locust.  After class we play around on our mats a bit, practicing postures, stretching, our bodies like a built in jungle gym.  And of course, there are the sweaty hugs after class.  At 41 years old I am suddenly more curious than ever about my body.  I was always the kid in gym class who got picked last.  I could not do cartwheels, handstands, headstands or splits like the other girls.  I was very uncoordinated, completely not flexible and just non athletic period.  In high school I swam and ran cross country but I was not great at either.  Now I find myself going through a process.  "I want to learn how to do handstands".  "Could I ever do the splits?"  These thoughts have been rolling around in my head, bright spots of "what if".  What if?  What if I could, at 41, learn the splits, a handstand??  What else could I learn?  What other postures can my body do with practice?  So I asked for help, from a teacher.  She's going to show me what to do, everyday, to work up to the splits.  I'm excited, because instead of what if....it's when.  If I practice everyday I will do the splits!  I don't know how long it will take, and it doesn't matter.  What matters is progress! 

Sampling

I feel like I've been sampling a fitness buffet this past week.  I've taken hot 90x yoga/pilates, hot Venus (similar to bikram in a sense) and hot pilates twice.  The second pilates class I did much better and already saw some improvement.  Tomorrow I'm going to back to my one true love, Bikram, then Wednesday, it's back to get tortured and maimed in 90x.  What I've learned so far from this experience is that 1) I was getting way to comfortable and complacent 2) my overall fitness level is low 3) I am determined and when pushed, my body responds and 4) I'm enjoying new experiences and staying open minded.
What will I do going forward?  I'm not sure.  It would be awfully expensive to maintain memberships at both studios.  Awesome, but expensive.  For now, I've got some classes left at both and I'm going to enjoy the crap out of this fitness buffet.

In over my head

Last night I took a class at Vegas Hot.  It was a "90X -Hot Yoga/Pilates" class.  The instructor is the guy who teaches kettlebells there and is very popular.  I walk in and set down my mat, not having any clue what to expect.  I should have known, by looking around, that I was in the wrong place.  I mean, the instructor is ridiculous.  I mean that in a good way.  He has not an ounce of fat on his body and muscles in all the right places.  He looks like a statue of male perfection.  I was looking around for the elf with the chisel that must follow this guy around and carve out those perfect abs.  Seriously, he's ridiculous.  That's just the instructor.  The students, well, let's just say I didn't see any overweight people in that room.  Except for me.  That should have set off all sorts of alarm bells and warnings.   But like the lobster that sits in the cold water pot, letting the heat rise slowly, I wasn't prepared for the boil. 
I can't even remember what we did.  I can't rattle off pilates moves and yoga postures.  I do remember lots of plank type stuff and I can't do plank.  Like at all.  The first 45 minutes was some sort of hot pilates boot camp hell with a little yoga mixed in there.  I was on my hands and knees, staring down at my mat, dripping sweat, panting, thinking "oh my God, I can't do this.  I'm in way over my head, I need to leave right now!"
I looked over at my friend Carmen and whispered what I had just thought.  She encouraged me to stay.  So I did.  I'm quite sure I looked like a train wreck even attempting that class but in the end, when it was over, I was proud of myself for sticking it out.
I've got to try that again!