Embrace Your Destiny: Try Hot Yoga

Outside yoga on the beach

Hot yoga as a therapy for me was never a consideration for me. I only knew about it because daughter Liz started did some in college and I paid for it. I could see very positive benefits in her. 

Heat weakens me! All my limbs feel like jelly. Liz keep after me to try it and I was curious. She eased all my concerns so I decided to try it. Why not try? I trusted Liz. 

Me with walker at Hot Yoga Asheville

What is hot yoga? It sounds awful.

Bikram Hot Yoga isn’t just any hot yoga. The room is preheated to 104 degrees with 40% humidity. Infrared lights provide the heat and they have healing properties. Surprisingly, I was able to tolerate this heat and do the poses. I work up a good sweat which is good for the body. 

The sequence and order of the poses seems to be perfect for me. Each pose builds on the previous. Plus, the Bikram philosophy works for me. It says, “Just do your best. Give it 100% effort and that is good enough.”  There are twenty six postures and two breathing exercises It’s ninety minutes of moving, breathing, meditation.

Adi Westerman, owner and teacher 

I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand why this yoga rather than any of the others?

Repetition! Nothing changes day to day except the teacher. The same 26  postures done in the same order, for the same amount of time with the same dialogue. Also, the pace is slow enough for me to transition poses without falling or getting tangled up. 

For the balance poses, I hold onto something. (Hot Yoga Asheville even bought me a walker!) I noticed improvements in how I felt, and how I looked quickly. My skin looked brighter and I had a lingering calm feeling.

Hot Yoga Asheville

I started going three to four times a week. Gradually I increased to going daily. I had been tracking headaches, indigestion, constipation among other things. I’ve eliminated medications and the hateful carpel tunnel wrist sleeve I wore every night. Best of all, the chronic pain disappeared.

Sounds like you were addicted! How did it help with walking?

I was addicted to the point that we set up our own studio at home when Covid 19 shut everything down. Our hot room doesn’t get quite as hot all the time, but it’s still effective. YouTube videos with the dialogue do a good job. 

Yoga helped walking most by freeing the foot, ankle and knee joints. I started feeling my foot roll into a step. The right ankle joint had been almost frozen for a long time. After years of yoga and other therapies I’m beginning to feel a nice stride developing.

My home studio

The yoga community helped me find healing people and therapies. Gradually, I met other yogis who were practicing acupuncture, massage, and juicing. One by one, I experimented and added. 

Everything was better, but walking really improved when I got serious about my gym workout. Joining Gold’s Gym that embraces Silver Sneakers was the key. Using the savings from not paying for a gym membership I pay a trainer. I’ve been getting lessons weekly for several years.

I suppose you are going to enlighten us about your gym work and strength training next.

That’s right. I have lots to talk about there too. But first, check out this blog  post that captures my experience with hot yoga:

https://judymanagesms.blogspot.com/2019/11/embrace-journey-find-your-elixer.html

Of course the whole blog is available at judymanagesms.blogspot.com

 

Embrace the Journey: Take more Lessons

Caribbean Cruise - St. Kitts

Mind to Body 

Are you listening to me? You have compelled me to take drastic action. You are tentative, discombobulated and totally uncooperative on this walking thing. You know how encumbered I feel being tethered to Donnie. I hate it, but I had to on the ship so I wouldn’t fall and create a scene. Now, I’ve had enough! What do you have to say for yourselves?”

Body

We had lots of extenuating circumstances on the ship. We’ll start with the narrow track. It was a nice track with a smooth surface, but it was tacky. Feet were prone to catch on the toe-up motion. It was wide enough for two people, walking side by side, hand in hand on most of the track. It was the narrow, curvy places that really put us on edge. 

The biggest problem was all the people! Walkers and some runners, all going faster than we can go. We must complain too about the gale force winds that kicked up several mornings. There, that’s most of our issues that hindered performance.

Wide, straight stretch of track

Mind
Those were really bad issues, but I still don’t like it. You wouldn’t relax. Why can’t you relax and stay that way?. I tried to do my part keeping you focused using a mantra I thought you liked. You persisted in tripping me up. When we got home, I expected you to improve. You didn’t, so we are going back to the experts. This is a courtesy notice. We are going back to “walking school”.

Body

No, not walking school! We thought we were done with that years ago. 

Mind

Think of it as a refresher course. After just one lesson, you are already improving. We all want the same thing and we’ve come a long way since we started. We started this journey at least eight years ago. You surprised me a couple years ago when you began moving fluidly. That’s why I’m sure we can do better. 

Working out on the ship

Those falls we took several times in early 2023 created mind issues.  Fear got into our psyche. That’s the enemy. It makes us hesitant, cautious, and generally unstable. Also, we have  all gotten a bit lazy. Yes, it’s hard work but the alternative is unthinkable.

Body

Alright, we admit to getting distracted easily. We noticed your new pre-walk drills. We cooperate at the gym. We will do our part, but we need you to keep us focused. We’re all in. Just tell us what you want us to do.

Sunset and cocktails 

Mind
Your mechanics are good. Do you realize that walking requires connected movement of every bone and joint from the feet and ankle, up through the lower leg and knee to the hip and then up through the trunk and shoulders. Feet, you need arms to relax to swing and move the shoulders. That’s what causes toes to kick up. Think of a marionette stick figure with me pulling your strings to get the motion started. When it works, it flows easily. Right?

Body

That definitely sounds right. So your job is to get our motion started? 

Mind

Well, I’ve only had one lesson, but theoretically you are correct. Starting the motion seems to be the hardest part of my job. We need lots more lessons because everything still feels awkward. I can feel when you are moving in a relaxed fluid motion. I am easily distracted too and forget to concentrate. I am hoping we will all learn to walk without thinking.

Another thing, since I’m in charge, I’ve decided to ramp up massage and acupuncture treatments for several months. Let’s just see if these therapies do what I think they do. I don’t see a down side. We’ve got this! Right?

Relaxing time before dinner

Body
Right!

Another factor we have to consider is aging. My neurologist suggested that some decline may be attributed to the type of MS I have - Primary Progressive. She prescribed focusing Physical Therapy totally on balance and stability while walking. You’ve already noticed the drills he has me doing. I think they are working.

Regardless, we’ve come a long way. Keeping everything in perspective, since we are expected to be declining, we are doing well to hold steady. It all takes a long time and we work on it everyday. I’m confident his strategies will strengthen the mind, body connection.

  

Embrace the Journey: Reinvent Yourself

At the Peace Center 

Confession. I like being pampered, waited on and catered to. Why? I have more time to exercise my brain, read, do Duolingo or puzzles. I call it “Therapy”. I am unashamedly spoiled and I love it! To be honest, Donnie likes “spoiling” me. He told me recently that it suits him. We have a nice fit! He gives and I take!

He had to have knee replacement surgery this summer. The upheaval in roles challenged both of us. Stressful only begins to describe how we felt. It's tough doing things that are hard. He would do as much as possible then say, “I’m done. I’ve got to sit down and put ice on my knee.”

Since I’ve been working on being more independent, I can say, ”No worries, I’ve got this!” “This” could be any of the many tasks he typically does around the house from dishes to laundry or tending to Sootie the cat. Mowing the big yard had to wait.

Embrace Your Destiny: Find Your Mantra

Relaxing after a big walk

 “You’ve Got This!” I had picked up a small interesting looking book on the counter of Elements Spa in Brevard and it flipped open to this mantra. I was struck by its clear message. I thought, “Wonder if I was meant to see this? Why did it open at this page? Wonder what other mantras are in this little book? Maybe I’ll buy it.” I didn’t have time to peruse it further but noted the title was Mantras for Strong Women.

I tucked this mantra away in my mind as I melted into the pleasure of the warm massaging migun bed. The spa music and whimsical ceiling lights were relaxing and intoxicating. “You’ve got this,” kept coursing through my mind attaching to images and possibilities in this phrase. When Sarah started taking my pulses and talking, clarity struck me. The mish-mash of disconnected ideas had taken shape.  “I need to write about this experience.”

Embrace Your Destiny: Be Audacious

Doing yoga on a cruise

“Ms. Lucifer, we’ve been trying to get along for twenty years. You were the audacious one during the first half of our journey. You were bold. You ruled me completely. I’ll admit that you were ever present in my mind. I didn’t like you then. Now, I feel like I have come to terms with you in the second half of our acquaintance. Now, I am being audacious in dealing with you. Don't you like this cool word, "audacious" that I learned in Toastmasters? Toastmasters stimulates my audacity. I’m definitely keeping you at bay.”

Ms. Lucifer was quick to note some setbacks. She said, “As I I recall, being audacious has gotten you into trouble. Aren’t I right? 

Embrace Your Destiny: Frustration Happens

We made it to "take off"

Memoir group always gives me a challenge. Recently,  the challenge was to write on Frustration. I said, "Oh good! I can do that in spades." Sure enough, this one was easy. My group said my frustrations and my various strategies for dealing with them spoke volumes about me. Here is my essay:

“Five minutes till take off. Are you ready yet?” I hear this a lot and sometimes, I’m glad to get the time check. Other times it just adds stress, frustration and clumsiness. My biggest frustration for a long time has been my slowness. It seems like my brain kicks in a beat behind  everyone else. Here's what  I’ve learned about me and dealing with my slowness.