Yoga is Hot

Yoga is hot.  Studios are opening on main streets and in malls.  Yoga is in ads selling everything from cell phones to insurance.  It has become so pervasive in pop culture that you might be tempted to dismiss it as cliche.  If you told me five years ago that I would be standing in a room heated to 105 degrees, dripping sweat in spandex, with a spontaneous smile spreading across my face I would not have believed you. I first put my face down on a stinky yoga mat at the Chattanooga YMCA five years ago and have been slightly addicted ever since.  This post is my attempt to convince you to try it, maybe just once.  Wait!  Before you click away, consider the top excuses I hear from people.  I dare you to not be one of them.

1. My body isn't made for yoga.  Ok, I get this.  Sometimes all those mirrors are downright depressing. But, here's the thing. Yoga can change your body.  The great thing about yoga is that you will see all body types.  Those classes at the gym with the overly perky girl yelling at you?  Not for me.  I get passive aggressive and want to go slower instead of pumping harder on some plastic step from the 90s.  Yoga is calm, quiet, and contained to one little mat.  It will regulate your metabolism, stretch out your muscles, improve your posture, and make you taller.  Well, maybe not that last one, but a girl's gotta have dreams, right??

2. I don't have the time.  Wrong.  You do.  Squeezing in a yoga class might mean other things in your life don't happen.  A few weeks ago, while in the bathroom at Whole Foods, six year old Eleanor says, "Mom, can we always come here to go to the bathroom?  The toilets are so much cleaner than ours." 

3. What about all that spiritual stuff?  You have to listen to your own conscience on this one.  I've been to studios where I walked out because I felt uncomfortable.  Remember, YOU are the customer.  You paid the $, and you don't have to stay.  That being said, 95% of yoga classes I've attended are purely exercise with the obligatory 'namaste' at the end of class.  No one is watching to see if you are putting your hands to your "third eye center."  Don't do it!  Just chill out, relax, and enjoy a moment of quiet.  What are they going to do? Make you stand on your head for 10 minutes?

4. I don't have the right yoga clothes.  For the last five years I've been faithfully sweating through my $6 yoga top from Marshalls.  I've paraded my self righteous lack of fancy yoga wear past Lululemon with moral indignation that some people actually pay lots of money for that little swirl logo on the back of their spandex.  I thought if I bought a nice yoga top from the infamous store that someone might as well slap a Starbucks latte in my right hand and a conformist poser sticker on my forehead.  Two weeks ago I succumbed, and I must admit you get what you pay for.  No pulling, yanking, sagging, or flyaway boobs. Gentleman readers?  Wear what you want.  Bike shorts are perfect or maybe a long pair of comfortable non cotton shorts.  And don't worry, no one is looking at you.  Everyone is too busy looking at themselves.

5. I can't do the party tricks.  Just because you can't get into 'crow' pose, stand on your head, or twist your body into a pretzel while doing a backbend doesn't mean you can't enjoy the benefits of yoga.  Do what you can.  Go by yourself so you won't worry what your friend thinks.  One day you will pop into a headstand and feel awesome.  Just don't try it after two beers.  Please.

6. It's too hot.  Yoga doesn't have to be hot.  You might find, after trying a few classes, that you are ready to try the heat.  After three Portland winters and one brutal Chicago winter I find that walking into a hot room is incredibly soothing not only to the body but to the mind.  If you can't have sun, at least you can be warm!  If you are in Colorado, California, Portland, or Chicago check out CorePower Yoga.  They have non-heated beginner classes, slightly heated classes, and their own version of Hot Yoga which is only an hour (instead of the traditional 90 minutes).  

7. It's too expensive.  Practicing yoga at a studio can get expensive, but don't let that deter you.  There is always a way.  Most yoga studios offer introductory classes that are free, a free week, or a discounted beginner package.  Some studios offer a trade for yoga.  For three years in Portland I 'cleaned' one of CorePower's studios for 1 1/2 hours in exchange for unlimited free yoga.  Lots of community centers offer yoga and even Lululemon has free classes in their stores.  Try visiting a studio if you can.  Typically, the quality of instruction and the warmth of the room is much better than you will find at a gym.

8. It’s a girl thing.  Last week I did yoga next to a six foot tall black football player on one side and a wiry 70 year old woman on the other.  Stretching is good for everyone. Any age.  Man or woman.  Ask Jason.  He’s convinced.