I felt this needed to be written as my original Hot Yoga post came across as mostly negative (which is the truth). But I, in fairness, brought a lot of my anguish upon myself and I in no way blamed anybody for how I was feeling either during, or after attending hot yoga. I’m very careful never to direct my anger at people I know, which I explained in discussions after our morning of hot death.
So, I found out after hot yoga that what I thought was the class finishing fifteen minutes late was actually me not realizing that the class only starts fifteen minutes after I entered the room. That mistake was on me. So, while in hindsight, my frustration towards the instructor was unfair to her, I was more than polite when she wished me goodbye before I went home. No harm done.
Later, during brunch (because that’s what you do after yoga), the giggles I had witnessed the first time the guys came back from hot yoga had not set in. Based on how I was feeling during the class, I knew it wouldn’t happen for me. However, my bad mood infected our brunch and I robbed the guys of their usual post-yoga euphoria; of which I felt guilty for several days after. Thinking back, I still feel guilty, now having realized it was the last hot yoga the two would do together. My fault.
In credit to Kyle and Jeremy, they had both come back from their first session of hot yoga claiming it was the hardest thing they had ever done. When I pushed for more information both had difficulty describing how it was hard, since the physical aspect can be as difficult and as easy as you make it. I don’t take the phrase “hardest thing I’ve ever done” lightly, but with little evidence I was absolutely not mentally prepared for what I was about to face. My fault again.
It shouldn’t have gone without saying that some very good things came out of going to hot yoga that morning. I already knew my coping mechanisms for difficulties like that. I will always turn to the promise of an end when times are hard. Hot yoga cemented that theory good and well, so now I can try and find strategies for how to overcome a loss of hope.
Another theory I confirmed was that faking happiness can produce genuine happiness if you make the decision to push your negative feelings aside for a while to hang out with friends. Later that day, we had lunch with our friends, Shanon, Rebekah and Freddie. Not dwelling on what had happened that morning allowed me to enjoy their company fully and be thankful for a space I could relax in. At the time, I noted this down as something to practice and do more of in the future.
And lastly, I had faithfully fulfilled my unspoken promise to join my husband and Jeremy I hot yoga before Jeremy left for Melbourne. Something I know I would have regretted for months later, had I not done it.
So, I finish off this post by including one of my favourite photos of last year 😊
How the post-yoga euphoria should look:
