5:30 am Yoga Bootcamp? Yes, please!

I'm working the snack bar at a basketball camp all day today and knew I would go crazy sitting down all day if I didn't sneak in an early morning workout (I hate being still all day especially since I'm used to doing at least 2 hours of exercise a day). So, I rolled myself out of bed at 5am to get to a 5:30 vinyasa bootcamp class at Ignite. I'm interning at the studio, so I get free yoga classes (this is even better than getting paid in money for me...). I've definitely been utilizing my free classes this week; I've gone to 8 yoga classes since Monday at Ignite. The class this morning was a great way to start off the day. I was drenched in sweat by the end and it wasn't even heated! The class focused on strengthening, so we did a lot of chair poses, crescent lunges and chaturangas. I love how I feel after a really challenging class, especially when its early in the day.

It's amazing to me how strengthening yoga is. Most people don't believe that yoga is so challenging before they try it. My dad always used to tell me that I needed to do more than just yoga to get in shape - then he actually tried yoga and now he realizes just how great it is for getting in shape. I also recently convinced my boyfriend to do yoga with me after months of attempting to get him to go to a class. He came to the first donation based class I held as a teacher (though at that point he only agreed to it because he loves me). The next day, though, I got back from teacher training and he told me that he had googled yoga poses and practiced them while I was gone. I was so proud! We ended up going to a class at Bird Rock later that week and he enjoyed it and was pretty exhausted afterwards.

I love yoga because it not only provides a great workout for the body (it varies between styles but, if done properly, even the simplest looking poses can be strengthening), but it also is a great way to de-stress and focus the mind. Sometimes for me, the hardest part of a class is the relaxation portion. I'm the kind of person who is constantly busy (with work, class, yoga, time with friends and family, etc) so it is often difficult for me to "turn off" my plans and to do lists. Yoga is a great way for me to incorporate this much needed relaxation of the mind in a way that I can still feel like I am being productive and using my time well. My boyfriend and my mom have both referred to yoga as my "addiction" and I would be inclined to agree. I feel most confident, most content, and most energetic after practicing yoga. It's even worth waking up at 5am to get to a class for. I know I'll feel much more awake and energetic now that I practiced!