Yoga and the Bug-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named

I've inherited many things from my mother, among them, her irrational fear of bugs.  I don't just dislike bugs; I actually panic.  I run from bees.  I duck to avoid butterflies.  The worst, though, are those city-dwelling insects.  Even the word makes me cringe.  Years ago, when a roommate told me she'd seen one in our apartment, I started dating a guy to avoid coming home (until I decided the critter's company would be preferable).  I've fled many an event upon a Bug-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named sighting, most notably a Law Review karaoke party...  I've yet to live that down.  A friend quickly killed it, but I couldn't bear the thought that it might have family nearby.  Among my biggest fears is finding one in my apartment.  I'd have to move. 

You know where this is going.  Yesterday morning, as I was getting my coffee at work, I spotted one.  I yelped, but I didn't scream.  I didn't quit my job.  I didn't even run.  Instead, I sought out an able-bodied coworker and calmly informed him of his mission: kill the thing.  Now.  Once the Bug-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named was disposed of, I took my coffee back to my desk and did my work.  I really didn't freak out at all. 

It's not possible that I've outgrown my fear.  Not even two weeks ago, I called my dad over to my apartment to help finish off a mostly dead fly of sorts.  So, whence my zen and totally rational reaction?  I've decided it has to be the yoga.  I've been pretty good about going for the past few weeks, and had been to class yesterday morning just a few hours before the incident. 

Perhaps there's hope for me yet.

Namaste.

-Gym Belle-

What's My Motivation?

When a yoga instructor tells me to "set an intention" for my practice, and I inevitably draw a blank.  That's exactly the kind of thing that makes me uncomfortable in yoga.  I'm not sure what it is exactly that bothers me so much.  Maybe it's too abstract.  Maybe I just don't like the idea of taking myself that seriously. 

When I took Lauren Imparato's yoga class, she had us each pick a person to dedicate our practice to at the beginning of class.  That was surprisingly easy for me.  Lauren encouraged us to pick the first person who came to mind.  I immediately thought of my friend S, whose mother was recently diagnosed with cancer.  At various points during class, Lauren reminded us to think of the person we'd picked.  It was effective.  I don't mean that my dedication had some kind of metaphysical effect; S won't know I was thinking of her till she reads this post.  But, at least from a purely selfish standpoint, thinking of S motivated me to push harder during the strenuous class. 

I don't usually think of working out and thinking as being compatible.  In fact, while sleep and diet matter, the single biggest detractor from my workout quality is my brain.  When I get up early to workout, I try hard not to think.  If I do, my head will rationalize "you're too tired" or "you can go after work."  My body (almost) never says those things. During a workout, if I let my brain go, it will think "well, I'm here today, that's enough" "if I lift any heavier, I'll be too sore to work out tomorrow" "I should pace myself" "4 miles is enough, I should get to work."  Those thoughts slow me down.  My body, on the other hand, is generally pretty cooperative.  It can usually do whatever I ask it, and often it can do more.

Sometimes, my thoughts do motivate me.  For better or worse, pride and anger totally work for me.   I'm ever so slightly competitive.  It's not that I feel the need to better than other people, I just don't like them being better than me and I expect a lot from myself.  So, if I think I have a shot of being the first girl finished with a CrossFit WOD, I'm going to fight for it.  And I like being the girl who doesn't need to break from waterski position in Physique 57; damn straight my hands will be in prayer position during pretzel, too, if I can manage it.  If I'm close to a PR in anything, I can make that happen.  Anger, though it doesn't come easily to me and doesn't last long, also gets me going. 

I think the reason Lauren's class has stayed with me is that the dedication was mid-workout motivation that I felt a bit better about.  I have yet to try it in another context, but it's something to keep in mind.

I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-

Fashion's Night Out, Gym Belle Style

Last year, I remember leaving work just in time to see the stores shutting down after Fashion's Night Out.  This year, I lucked out and left the office a little past 6:00.  There were so many choices, I almost didn't know where to start.  I went down to Soho, which was totally packed and completely insane.  Judging from all the shrieking going on, people around me definitely saw famous people.  To escape the crowds, I ducked into Lululemon where I found this:

Thumb holes!

I felt very fashionable at the gym this morning.

When I got to Lululemon, they were setting up for a special yoga class (complete with live DJ) in honor of FNO so I decided to stick around.  The instructor was Lauren Imparato from I.AM.YOU. studio.  I remembered reading about the i-banker turned yogi on Social Workout last year, but I'd never been to one of her classes.  It was great.  The class was fast-paced and aerobic.  I was super tight and inflexible last night, worse than usual even, but Lauren was a great instructor.  She really helped me with my wheel pose.

 Setting up for yoga

I left Lululemon re-energized and ready to shop. 

Lauren's giving another free class at Lululemon Soho on September 29 at 9:00 am.   If you can go, I totally recommend checking it out.  Each of the participants last night got a pass to take a free class at her studio.  I'm going to put that to good use. 

I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-