Sweating Thank You's

Rest days are just as important to my marathon training as the long
runs. I have two rest days per week to reduce my chances of an
overuse injury and although I am very aware of how important these
rest days are, it is terribly hard for me to let my running sneaks
hide in my closet all day. For this reason, I have begun
incorporating a weekly hot yoga class into my schedule every Thursday
night. The class works out perfectly being that it’s a late night
class and gives me plenty of time to have dinner with my family, shoot
Spiderman webs from my wrists, play Mr. Bubbles in the tub, read
bedtime stories, see that Mr. Aaden is catching ZzZ’s in his sleep,
and all before I head out the door for class.

This will be week five of hot yoga and I’ve found it to be extremely
beneficial. Lucky for me, the amazing instructor knows that my
hamstrings and calves need extra attention and I’m usually feeling
much better by the time the session is over. Not only has this class
been helpful for stretching my tight leg muscles but it has also made
me mindfully aware of my breathing and thoughts. During the one hour
session, I’ve realized how often I tense my shoulders, clench my
tongue to the roof of my mouth, and have too many thoughts on my mind
at once. Yoga has reminded me to drop my shoulders(even when I run),
release the tension in my face muscles(my mother always reminded me
that I would be sorry for this when I have wrinkles to show) and stay
present.

At the end of each session, the instructor requests that we take a
moment to express gratitude to ourselves, the people in our life that
we love, and those we are thankful for. I always leave yoga class
feeling strong, happy, and thankful. I think that the universe wants
to give us things that bring us joy and happiness. I believe that if
we can live in a state of happy gratitude, we might get more of what
makes us happy!