Guest Post: For the Love of Yoga

Friends, meet Krista, my guest blogger for today. Krista has worked with me at Invisible Children for the past year and a half, and we quickly adopted each other as sisters. She is one of the wittiest people I know, and shares a love for reading, cooking, writing, and yoga. Plus, she's a mom and an all-around badass. Enjoy & check out her blog at kristameetsworld.tumblr.com.

This isn't me. But it could be in 2 years time. Gotta have goals, people.

Namaste. Savasana. Pranayama. 

Gibberish, right? Yes. Unless you're a Yogi. Which I think I have become.

First things first, it's (apparently) a known fact that exercise positively contributes to your overall health and wellness. Well, I don't like to exercise. There was a time where I took up running, and there was also a time where I purchased a Jazzercise DVD and did it twice. I'll be honest and say I tend to not stick with things, and I would prefer the fat to just fall off my body while sitting on the couch. A bonus would be if I could just sweat out all my impurities while sitting in a lounge chair next to the pool instead of a hot yoga studio. 

Well dear reader, I am a changed woman. Because I now practice yoga. I bought a mat and everything.

Recommended by a friend (who has been at it for four months and has effectively transformed her body), I decided to try it. First class? I hated it. It was too hard, too hot, I thought I was dying, and I'm pretty sure I saw Jesus. Pick yourself up and try again, as my mother always says before I punch her in the face. So two days later I went back. Easier class (intro beginner amateur hour), little less hot, little more stamina. I started slow, and began trying all the different classes, sweating my way through my lovehandle reserve of beer, and carbs, and artificial sweetener. 

A co-worker of mine goes to Yoga for the purpose of centering herself, relaxing, and getting in touch with her heart & brain & feelings. While all of those are certainly valid reasons, that is not why I go to Yoga. I attend for the sole vain purpose of getting so in shape that people stop me on the street to ask me what the heck I've been doing to look so fantastic. That hasn't happened yet, but I really feel like it could happen soon (sidenote: I can usually be found walking near my work in Barrio Logan around noon M-F.)

Case in point: you should try Yoga. You never knew your legs could bend that way, or that you could sweat so much without passing out. You'll feel stronger, and more flexible, and you'll reduce your jiggles (you know the ones.) And just in case I haven't successfully swayed you to sign up for a free week, here is a shortened list of the benefits of Yoga:

Decreases: blood pressure, respiratory rate, and hostility.

Increases: energy levels, joint range of motion, and the chances your thin jeans will fit.

Improves: posture, concentration, and the chances your thin jeans will fit. 

   

My final push for you to do everything I do - Yoga is actually fun. After you leave the class and go outside and breath air that doesn't feel like it's coming out of a humidifier, you feel awesome. And thin. And liberated. 

Join me, won't you? I'll be the one grunting in the corner. 

Namaste,
Krista