Oh hot yoga, I love you so. I found you at the right moment and I never want to let you go!
Growing up as an athlete, exercise always played a significant role in my life. Long nights and early mornings spent at practices, along with weekends filled with tournaments, made me feel at home with the smell of indoor turf and the buzzing of ice rinks. However, during a short break from my sport in November of 2023, I found myself at a crossroads. Without the camaraderie and connection of a team and lacking any structured form of movement, a huge chunk of my identity was missing, and I felt lost.
After a week or two of wallowing, I made it my mission to find a form of exercise to immerse myself in, hoping to rediscover who I was. From running and biking to Pilates, HIIT, and barre, the plethora of options and their varying price tags felt daunting.
On one blustery Thursday in December, I stumbled into a hot yoga class. The humidity enveloped me as I rolled out my mat, unaware of the journey I was about to embark on. After the first flow sequence, I was hooked.
Hot yoga challenged me mentally and physically; I was bending in ways I couldn’t imagine before, breathing through discomfort, pushing myself to go further, and being forced to slow my racing mind and body. Leaving the studio, I experienced a euphoric sensation of connection with myself. I knew I could never stop chasing that high.
So often today, we equate exercise with the goal of altering our body composition, fixating on everything we dislike about ourselves. Why do we obsess over exercises that can change us when we only have one body, one soul, and one life? Once we find a movement, activity, or hobby that resonates with us, that’s when we will see the most significant changes.
Hot yoga, thank you for teaching me that movement is truly the best medicine out there.
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