How’s everyone’s summer going so far? I know, I know it has only been 2 days. I can’t help but feel that they have been a glorious 2 days though. The weather has been great – hot, breezy and not too much humidity. It is the weekend and I took a day off work on Friday (Summer Solstice) and headed to the Crossroads of the Worlds, better known as Times Square! Mr BAM was on Summer Friday so I signed us both up for a Bikram Yoga class smack in the middle of Times Square. It was phenomenal! I mean if you can find peace and focus in Times Square, then you can find it anywhere.
Back in 2005, I discovered Bikram Yoga at a Women’s Expo when I was living in Christchurch, New Zealand. The woman at the booth was offering a one week pass, come as many times as you wanted for one week for $12, normally that was the cost of one class. Somehow she convinced me with her talk of the medical benefits, weight loss and natural facial (I came to realize this last one was true – my face always glowed when I did Bikram!). My husband was going away on business that week, and I thought what the hey, I’d give it a try! I did 3 classes that week, slept like a baby each time, loss weight and was hooked.
My husband noticed the difference when he returned (yes, after one week!) and though it took a few months, he eventually came to classes with me. I ended up being a fantical Bikram yogi, turning several friends onto the practice and continuing to practice just shy of 2 months before Mr P’s due date of October 31, 2007. I did a few classes after his birth, but have never ben able to get back into the same groove. With classes lasting 90 minutes, plus final savasana “corpse pose” (final relaxation) of 5 or so minutes, plus showering time, that is 2 hours plus that I have had a hard time finding since kids.
I remember wanting to attend Athleta’s Mind Over Madness Summer Solstice yoga in Times Square last year, but I was breastfeeding, so not able to take the 90 minutes plus 45 minutes travel each way away from Little Miss to attend. And forget justifying a babysitter!
So this year when registration opened up, I encouraged Mr BAM to take a summer Friday, I took a vacation day from work and signed us up and I have no regrets. A big part of yoga is concentration, balance and focus. Imagine doing any or all of these things with flashing lights, tourists taking photos, and horns honking in the middle of Times Square. I did it, and felt as if I’d had one of the best practices ever. After well over 2 years, the 26 asanas (postures), the form and breathing for each came back to me like riding a bike.
I was floored at how much more flexible I was and how some poses I formerly found difficult, I was able to do with more ease. Poses like ‘Standing Head to Knee’, ‘Wind Removing’ and ‘Eagle’ that required me to wrap my arms around myself or bring my chest to my legs were much easier thanks in part to my smaller chest. I am now down a full cup size since starting Shaklee Shaklee 180™. So yay for weight loss and yay for having that experience of weight loss making something else even more enjoyable in my life.
Mr BAM and I had a fantastic time and we had our yoga glow on for the rest of the day 🙂 Life is too short to not seize the day and live in the moment. Remember, staying active now should save you present day stress and future health ailments.
I’m entering a photo from this awesome day into the Shaklee 180™ Break A Sweat photo contest on Facebook. You can enter your #BreakASweat photo now, or to read more about the contest, prizes and to see my entry read on here.
Happy Summer!
What’s on your agenda this summer?
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You guys are so cute! I do Bikram yoga but never in Time Square! How very cool!!
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Oh wow! This looks like a ton of fun! Would love to do something like that in Times Square!
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Good luck on the contest! And wow, yoga in Times Square, that’s so cool!
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Oh my, I love everything about this! I wish I would have known about this ahead of time; I would have taken the train into the city and joined in. I hope to get better at meditating and yoga this summer, especially since I can rise early and do both outside in the warm weather. Looks like you had a great time!
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Those pictures are madness! What a fun time. Good luck with the contest!
This looks like so much fun! I have a lot of friends who went, but sadly I was working. Will definitley send a vote your way. Keep up the great work (and the sweat!). You look fab!
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that must be a lot of fun doing yoga at central park..that’s cool,
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