Back to Reality... sort of

Well friends, it's official -- teacher training is already over :(! Now I sit in unemployment (except for a few WW meetings) and try to prepare to go back to school and find part-time work to pay the rent. But the good news.... I'm a certified Moksha teacher! I've completed the first 300 hour segment of the course, and now have the remaining year-long portion to complete. This includes things like 150 practice hours, 50 feedback hours from a senior teacher, 25 workshop/continuing education hours, and 8 projects to do throughout the year.

But the most fun of all: TEACHING HOURS!!! I have classes scheduled in August that are open to anyone and everyone, for the low low price of FIVE DOLLARS! I'm teaching 60 minute and 90 minute classes, both heated and non-heated, so it's totally accessible to everyone!

Interested in coming to a class and/or thinking about going to hot yoga in your area? Read my FAQs below!

"Why hot yoga?" Practicing yoga in a heated room presents several benefits over practicing in a regular temperature room. The body detoxifies through breath and sweat - and you will sweat a LOT in hot yoga! In addition, the fascia and connective tissue of the body respond well to heat, allowing you to stretch more easily and more deeply than you would generally be able to in a regular temperature room. Warm muscles operate better than cold (which is why you should warm up before any exercise), but the flexibility and strength benefits will extend beyond the hot room into your everyday life!

"I'm not flexible enough to do yoga." That's crap. You become more flexible by coming to yoga! Heck, when I started I couldn't come within a couple of feet of touching my toes. I'm still not as flexible as many other students, but that's not the point of yoga. The point is to get in touch with your own body's needs and abilities. It's not a competition!

"I'm too out of shape to do yoga." Again, completely not true! Yoga is open to all shapes and sizes of people. In fact, hot yoga (and any other hatha yoga) counts as physical activity, which will help with weight loss and building lean muscle mass. It is believed that hot yoga adds more cardiovascular challenge for the body, and burns more calories than regular temperature yoga (though I don't have stats on that, and it depends on the type of regular temperature yoga - e.g. ashtanga will burn more calories than restorative or yin)

"I have injuries/conditions, so I can't do yoga." Pretty much anyone can do yoga. I've seen people in wheelchairs who have done yoga. You just need to understand your body's needs and what you're capable of. Every pose in Moksha can be modified to suit different injuries and sensitivities. I attended classes regularly after dislocating my elbow, despite being unable to straighten or bend my left arm, and unable to bear any weight on it. Most people find that their injuries and conditions improve greatly from practicing yoga, including those with arthritis, rotator cuff injuries, ACL tears, lower back pain, bulging/herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. There is even some research to suggest huge benefits for those with chronic conditions like MS and cancer.

"I'm a dude. Yoga's for chicks." It's true that in many studios, the ladies far outnumber the men. However yoga is open to any gender (yes, even transgender/transvestite). Yoga only became available to women fairly recently, having been a male-only practice for centuries. Many of the most "famous" yoga instructors and gurus worldwide are male. Besides, you'll be able to check out all the chicks in your class and probably have a better chance of scoring if you're one of the only dudes there :P

"I don't have a mat/clothing/other equipment." All you need to wear to hot yoga is something that you're willing to sweat in, ideally clothing that breathes (i.e. sweat wicking) rather than cotton. So really, anything that you wear to the gym/other activities that you do is appropriate. As for other equipment, all you need for hot yoga is a mat, towel for your mat, towel to shower afterward, and a bottle of water. If you don't have these things, they can be rented/borrowed from studios for a low price (usually $2 for mats/towels).

Come sweat with me!

My upcoming classes are all at Moksha Yoga Bloor West on the following dates/times:

• Sunday, August 15th at 1:30pm (1 hr class) Heated class
• Thursday, August 19th at 10am (1.5hr class) Non-heated
• Sunday, August 22 at 1:30pm (1.5hr class) Non-heated

In the meantime, I've also gotten most of my schedule for school already (everything except my elective, whatever it will be)!!!! I'm sooooooooo excited :D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe that I'll officially be a nutrition student in less than a month!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!