Clarity and Relaxation

I went to a yoga class for the first time after a few years this Saturday, and I've felt like a changed person since.

I've never been a person who loves to work out. In fact, I really dislike working out. I used to do a lot of pilates, which is great for stretching, muscle elongation and is definitely a great form of work-out. But, maybe I didn't have the best instructor, and I felt I always had to spend extra time driving to the gym and find parking everytime I wanted to go to a class. Before my wedding, I also used to work with a personal trainer to tone my body, and actually I continued the training a few more months after the wedding. However, I finally decide to stop when I realized I lost my motivation to squat 30 times while carrying a 60 pound bar on my shoulder, and the worst came when I drag everytime I was getting ready to go.

For the past couple of years, my excuse of not working out has been that I walk a lot on my way to the office and back. I'm a fast walker, and the long walks do feel like light cardio work-out. Recently however, I've been feeling extremely stressed out at work. It might be due to the nature of any sales jobs, but for a few weeks I was feeling very burnt out, and I would wake up in the middle of the night contemplating my strategy to close certain contracts. I've had a great first quarter and a successful April, but I'm always thinking about my next contract.

The mental stress has put a toll on my body as well, so I thought I need some form of exercise besides walking that will help me relax. It might be a message from God that made me discover a yoga studio in the alternative health organization 2 blocks from our house! And they are currently running a promotion. How perfect! I've always wanted to be able to walk (rather than driving) to a gym or exercise class!

The class I went to on Saturday morning was a beginner's yoga class. It focused on breathing and a lot of the basic postures and flow. After the 1.5 hour class, I felt unbelievably relaxed physically and got so much clarity mentally. I got home and couldn't stop smiling! It's hard to explain, but I was really in a nirvana state. I felt all of the knots in my body have been opened, and all of my thoughts have been crystallized.

In the late afternoon and evening, however, I started to have really bad headache. For some reason, I felt the headache was happening in a good way. I felt like my body was releasing all of the bad stuff out! After a good night sleep, I was like a brand new person. I have great energy all day on Sunday and no aches and pains at all. After a day of running errands, being at a birthday party, and an hour long walk with Scraps, I still feel like I can run for miles.