bending over backwards just to try & see it clearer

i've been a yoga lover for years now, but i've recently considered taking this relationship to the next level...

'standing bow' in horseshoe bay, bermuda

i started practicing yoga when i was 14, joining my mom at the local studio and bringing along a few friends of my own. growing up a tomboy, with a full schedule of volleyball, basketball, track, and softball practices, i didn't really understand what this slow-moving, sometimes boring, often awkward form of exercise could do for me. it took me years to realize that it benefits your mind just as much as your body.

i was introduced to vinyasa yoga when i lived in burlington, VT and instantly fell in love. it was the type of practice i could relate to; fast paced, strength developing, sweat induced moves, set to a funky soundtrack. i started taking classes regularly, occassionally dragging joey along with me, and even doing my own practice at home- it became such a calming experience for me and helped me appreciate how much strength is in this tiny body. then, after a knee injury worsened this past year, a friend of mine suggested i take a bikram class at hot yoga saratoga, an amazing local studio.

bikram is the 'extreme sport' version of yoga. it's a 90 minute class in a heated room, which usually has a temperature of 110 degrees or higher. this form of yoga consists of 26 poses and each one is done twice throughout the 90 minute class. i was told the copious amount of sweat, heat and stretching would be good for my knee so i decided to try it, and it was one of the best experiences i've ever had. within a month, my knee pain was almost completely gone and i discovered how far i could actually push my body. dont get me wrong, the first few classes were hard as hell, and there was one in particular where the temperature rose to 117+ degrees due to the outside weather and plethera of people.... but it's such an amazing experience, i would recommend it to anyone. the training these teachers go through is crazy, and they are so unbelievably talented that you will get hooked after the first class, guaranteed.

and so, i digress. with all of this love for yoga, i just recently started to consider becoming certified myself (just so we're clear- not in bikram. god bless those instructors, but i will stick to being a student when it comes to bikram... i'm thinking more vinyasa)... it's a little intimidating, but i asked a yogi-friend for some guidance, so we shall see... maybe some day i'll be writing this blog as a certified yogini, fingers crossed.