The 30-Day Yoga Challenge :: Days 19, 20 and 21

Sniffle … cough … sniffle … sniffle …

This is what I currently sound like.

It seems that the month of June 2012, and all that I tried to accomplish in it, has finally caught up to me in the way of a head cold. I suppose it could be worse.

On Thursday I woke up with a slightly sore throat, but thought it was just a little dry from the AC. However, when I woke up on Friday, my throat felt like someone has taken a Brillo pad to it in my sleep.

I rarely get sick. I attribute this to my strong Puerto Rican genes, running and not having kids. The not having kids part seems to be very important. All of my friends that have them are always sick. Apparently kids are a cesspool of germs and I shall remember this for all future consideration of baby-making. 🙂

However, I’m not running and yoga does not seem to have the same germ-fighting effects on me, so alas I have a head cold.

Sniffle … sniffle …

Here’s how the last three days of the 30-day yoga challenge went:

Ashtanga 1

Thursday night I headed off to class feeling tired, but encouraged by the knowledge that a rest day was just hours away. Since I got there early, I was able to choose my favorite spot: next to a wall, halfway between the front and the back of the class.

A new yoga friend set her mat down next to mine and we chit chatted a bit before class started. We wondered aloud if the giggling pre-teen girls from last week would be back.

Thursday’s practice was tough, and I felt amazing afterwards. So amazing that I considered coming back Friday for Power Yoga so I could have a rest day over the weekend.

But then I woke up Friday with my throat thing and I knew yoga that night would not be likely. Still I tossed my clothes and yoga mat in my car and hoped for the best. Sure enough, but the end of my Friday I wanted nothing more than to go home and lay down.

Beginner Hot Yoga

From Friday to Saturday, my sore throat progressed to the sniffles. Donnie suggested I should take a hot yoga class and sweat it all out.

There are a couple of reasons I hadn’t yet ventured into the hot yoga classes in the other studio. One of these reasons was not owning a yoga towel for my mat. Our studio is a nice studio and I always figured it would be frowned upon for me to show up with a beach towel. But I just can’t bring myself to spending $30 on a yoga towel. Not until I know whether I like it at least. Besides, I don’t even spend that much on my bath towels! However, Thursday night I noticed someone using a beach towel to cover their mat and made note of it.

I agreed with Donnie, that sweating it out would be a good idea. Plus, the hot yoga class was later, so I could enjoy my morning before I got my bendy on. Hot yoga it was!

Around 10:40 AM, I loaded up on Sudafed, grabbed my beach towel, water and yoga mat and headed to the studio. Without thinking, I tucked some tissue into my sports bra in case my nose got runny.

I was surprised to find a beginner class so packed. I arrived five minutes early and got the LAST spot in the room. I looked around and noted a couple other people using beach or bath towels on their mats. Whew!

I started to sweat the moment I stepped into the hot studio. It felt like a sauna day in that room. I took one last swig of water and prepared myself for my first hot yoga class.

Guess what? I LOVED IT!

I would say this was a more vinyasa-style class. We flowed from pose to pose, while the sweat rolled down my back. During my downward dogs I noticed the sweat dripping off my forehead. And by the time we entered Shavasana, I was pretty sure that my eyeballs were sweating. I looked as if I had just run 15-miles during the hottest part of a Florida summer day. I sweat pretty, alright!

On a side note, remember that tissue I stuffed into my sports bra in a moment of haste? Yeah, that soggy mess fell right onto my mat during one of my downward dogs. Ha!

Our instructor, who also owns the studio, was awesome and I stopped to thank her on my way out. I think I even got choked up doing so. Dang, my hot yoga was so awesome it made me emotional?? YES!!

I’ll definitely be hitting up some hot yoga classes again. However, it won’t be on any days that I’m not planning on washing my hair. I don’t think any amount of dry shampoo could salvage my hair after that class.

Speaking of dry shampoo, I already went through one container in just three weeks.

I can’t believe that this will be my final week of the challenge. Good luck to my friend Carolina from Peas in a Blog. Girl, this like is the final three miles of the marathon!

UPDATED AFTER POSTING:

I forgot to post about day 21… Hatha 1. I will include this in my next post!

Tags: 30-day yoga challenge, first hot yoga class, hot yoga, yoga, yoga challenge