Bikram Yoga Lisa

This week, this has been making the rounds on the interwebs.
 
Click Here
 
And you wanna know the sad thing? Multiple friends posted this on my facebook wall. That’s what I’m known for. I’m the crazy one that does Bikram Yoga.
 
Of all the things to be known for, I think I’m pretty ok with that one. 

Yoga and Pringles

I finally made it to yoga! It was a super tough class and I felt all empty after. The good thing about that yoga drunk feeling is once it passes, you feel all shiny and new. Since my hard run on Saturday, I sort of didn’t want to think about running. But since I felt all brand new, I thought I would give it a shot.

This morning I got up early for a nice easy run. My legs still felt pretty heavy, but they weren’t as tight. I think a few more yoga classes might do the trick. I might even try hills tomorrow. Eek!

This might be really random, but I was in the drug store today and there was literally a whole aisle with every Pringle flavor known to man. Now I love me a good Pringle, but since when do you need Buffalo Chicken or Pizza flavored chips? If you wanted something that tasted vaguely like pizza, wouldn’t you just eat pizza? Anyone?

Summer is Here!

This has been a long LONG winter, but now, summer is OFFICIALLY here! One of my favorite things about Summer Solstice is free yoga in Times Square. I work in Times Square, so went to the lunch time Bikram session.

Yoga in the middle of Times Square is a totally weird experience. Here’s why:
1. Sirens pass constantly.
2. Tourists take pictures of you when you’re half naked and sticking your butt up in the air.
3. The street isn’t exactly even. I was standing on a huge incline.

But yoga in Times Square is also really awesome. Here’s why:
1. You get to be on the jumbotron! (I even saw myself)
2. It feels good to do your back bend and see sun and clouds above you.
3. It gives people a chance to experience the awesomeness of yoga for free.
4. With so many yogis in one place at one time, the energy is amazing.

See? This is about 1500 yogis in Times Square. We took over Broadway between 45th and 48th St.

I did a shortened class (because I can’t take two hours for lunch) but it still felt pretty great. I went back to work feeling energized and relaxed. My slanted mat was a bit of a challenge, especially when it came to balancing, but it was a good challenge. The whole experience was a practice in extreme concentration.

Later that day I went to my usual Tuesday night yoga. I’m not crazy, I just happen to work at the studio Tuesday nights. I was feeling like a rockstar from the Times Square yoga. My poses looked pretty good, if I do say so myself, and I was even offering posture advice to some of the newbies. But something must have happened between noon and my 8:30 class. I spent a lot of the class sitting or just trudging through the postures. Then I started thinking something must clearly be wrong with me. Why can’t I do this right? Why do I feel like I’m a beginner again? This is what I like about this kind of yoga. The struggle is good for us. It’s how we learn.

The good news is, it wasn’t just me. Everyone was having a hard time. Some people blamed the humidity. Some people blamed the solstice. I don’t think it really matters. The important thing is it was hard, but we all did it and I don’t know about everyone else, but I felt pretty amazing after- and starving. I rewarded myself with a slice of pizza the size of my head. Even after that, I STILL felt amazing.

All in all, a good first day of summer.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

By now, you might be asking, “Hey, Running Lisa, what do you do when you’re not running?” Good question. If you don’t know me, you should know one thing: I hate the gym. I think it’s a place of torture and I refuse to go there, but I still need to do my cross training. I prefer to torture myself in another way: Bikram Yoga. In case you don’t know, Bikram is a set of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises performed in a heated room. We’re talking over 100 degrees hot, plus humidity. Crazy, right? I started out several years ago with just regular old Vinyasa yoga. When I was living in California, I found a more intense class and I loved it. Then I moved to New York and I upped the intensity again with heated Vinyasa classes. I flirted with this for a while until I moved to Harlem. There’s a Bikram studio in my neighborhood and they had a 30 days for $30 special. I tried it and was hooked. I don’t know what it is about it that I love, but I’m pretty much addicted. Not only do I get a great stretch (and a great sweat) I’ve learned a lot about my body that can be applied to my running. Like how I have lots of muscles in my legs that I’m ACTUALLY supposed to use. Or like how your core ACTUALLY has a purpose. Who woulda thunk?

This time of year, I start to question my sanity. If you've never been in the city during the summer, it's HUMID and SMELLY. So not only is it hot in the hot room, it’s CRAZY HOT. Like so hot I ask myself "WHY AM I HERE?!?" I had one of those classes last night. I think I sweat out a small child. Recently I’ve taken to dreaming about ice cubes in class. I imagine myself completely covered in ice cubes up to my neck. This is how I know I’m really going crazy. But I still drag myself to class 3 to 4 times a week. It’s like the Yin to my running Yang. Plus, where else can you find lots of attractive sweaty guys in tiny little speedos?

This is Dandayamana-Dhanurasana, or bow pulling pose. It's one of my favorites. Can't you tell from the look on my face?