There are not many things I’ll get up for at 5:15 am. Definitely for an early morning flight to some place warm. Possibly to lock Noah in the kitchen so I can go back to bed and sleep really late without interruption. I would have thought that was it for the list.
But then fate led me to find my favorite instructor at a new (to me) yoga studio pretty close to home, Haleybird Studios. Her only class that worked with my schedule was 5:45 am on Fridays. Without question I signed up. (Well, mentally…you can just drop in for these classes.)
Here I am 6 hours later barely able to keep my eyes open. No, not because of the early morning wake-up call (though I kept waking all night…didn’t want to miss Santa my class!), but rather because I got one of the best workouts of the fall this morning. My body is completely exhausted, but in a good way. I bounded out of the room full of energy and life and smiles. Now I feel ready for a good nap with a cozy blanket; I’m that content with today. Jes does a great job teaching the anatomical mechanics of each yoga pose, but also is a fantastic meditative leader. I seriously can’t tell you how much I’ve missed her.
If Jes’ schedule doesn’t work with yours, I’d also recommend Biz. I have taken her classes at the WAC. She’s another great one for pushing your body, but not to the point of ridiculousness. Maybe this is why I like yoga/pilates. You work hard-harder than you think you can, but you leave feeling energized and alive, not used and depleted. Our days are too busy. This 60 minutes of reflection is sometimes more valuable than the physical practice. (Though there is NO way I could just sit and meditate.)
One of the many good Steve Jobs quotes floating around the internet yesterday was something to the effect of this: “If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” Well, it’s pretty darn hard to look in the mirror at 5:20 am (ack! The light!!), but this morning I liked what I saw. Sure, I’m wasting a good portion of it bored at work (I can say this publically…I told the boss and his response was “Ok, good to know.” Blah.), but I started the day in a favorite way and will end it working creatively and snuggling with a cute dude and fluffy dog. That’s a good day.
Namaste.
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