Waking up at 5:45 in the morning in college is an anomaly. I marvel at how I used to wake up at 5:00 a.m. in high school and do calculus to “get my brain going” before leaving for school. It’s like when I moved to Charlottesville, my body became physically unable to wake up until the double digits of the morning. My poor 8:00 a.m. discussion, may she rest in peace.
It was amazing then, when last week some friends convinced me to join them for early morning hot yoga. Waking up at 5:45 in the morning is one thing, waking up for exercise is quite another. When my alarm went off just three hours after I shut my eyes, a brutal mental battle between yoga and sleep ensued — but yoga won.
The extent of my yoga experience is doing Wii Fit’s Tree Pose in my basement, so I had few expectations. We rolled up to the yoga studio with the sun just beginning to peak over the buildings of the Downtown Mall. The studio smelled like eucalyptus and incense, and there was heavy condensation on the windows from the heat inside. A lady with heavy eyeliner and a pleasant Eastern European accent greeted us and explained that, since this was our first time doing hot yoga, it was “normal” to feel nauseous, light headed and possibly pass out. She handed us an agreement that if we collapsed, we were liable, not them. The document seemed quite reminiscent of a liability form I signed when I hiked a volcano (hmm).
I understood the purpose of the agreement as soon as we stepped in the room. When they say “hot” yoga, they really mean “hot.” The studio was jacked up to a balmy 105 degrees and in our naiveté, our crew showed up in full length leggings. As a former cross-country runner, I was expecting yoga to be a breeze. It’s basically just stretching, after all. By the third move, though, I was really struggling. I tried in vain to copy the instructor, her body twisted like someone at Auntie Anne’s got a little too excited crossing their pretzel dough. The excessive heat in the room made my whole body slippery with sweat, making it even harder to hold each position. In fact, the sweat was the hardest part. There’s a reason hell is hot — the ultimate suffering is unending sweat.
By halfway through the class, however, I found my body was already adjusting to this new form of exercise, and more than that, my mind was slowly relaxing. It turned from thoughts of essays, deadlines and unplanned summer internships to the rhythmic counting of breaths and the beads of perspiration on my face. With perspiration accounting for half my body weight, I felt purged of anxieties as well. My mind had no choice but to focus only on my body and staying upright, so all other thoughts were let go. In the last “Shavasana,” with a cool towel soaking up the sweat on my forehead, my mind was the clearest it had been in a long while. We left the studio, and I still had time for my 8:00 a.m. (lucky me).
I’m constantly looking for ways to unwind in the midst of a hectic week. It usually turns to eating microwave meals in front of “Grey’s Anatomy” for a few more episodes than is healthy. Though I can’t promise I’ll be waking up before the sun each week, I’ve definitely discovered a few important things. First, yoga-enthusiasts (yogis?) are true athletes. Second, sweat is a good thing. And third, perhaps it takes isolated thoughts about your physical self to release all the pressures of your mental self. The next time my mind threatens to explode from the amount of work on my to-do list, instead of automatically curling in a fetal position to discover “what type of lettuce” I am on Buzzfeed, perhaps I’ll consider a Sun Salutation.
Read More
How study abroad taught me to stop studying
By Grace Scott | 5 hours agoTurns out, it took attending one of the most prestigious universities in the world for me to realize there's more to life than studying.
Collyn Clark reflects on Space Workforce 2030, building an inclusive space industry
By Carly Stender | YesterdayClark said programs such as the SWF 2030 internship can serve as launch pads for a career in the aerospace industry.
The White Spot: an iconic diner etched in student nightlife
By Alexa Graham | 2 days agoThe White Spot is a timeless diner for Charlottesville residents and students looking for a greasy spoon infused with University spirit.
