It mostly sucks but there are definitely perks to being an injured runner – one of these perks is having the time to do other things that are not running. I love hot yoga but I had not had the chance to find a new studio after moving to San Francisco. Luckily, I found a studio offering a new student package that I decided to try – Ritual Hot Yoga. I definitely recommend giving them a try if you’re local – and psst, leave a comment if you are interested in a new student special!

Anyway, 10 days of hot yoga – what were my takeaways? Mind, body, and soul. Duh!

Mind

It is surreal for me to think about but in those 10 days, I lost my aunt, my friend and my dog. Talk about the worst 10 days ever, right? But honestly, yoga helped me through it. Each day, I set an intention for my practice and brought awareness into each moment and every thought. Finding that peace within myself allowed me to release a lot of the stress that I was holding in.

Body

I immediately felt the impact of hot yoga on my body. I was more flexible and I was even able to improve some poses throughout the 10 days. I was still going to the gym but the extra yoga session each day did not leave me feeling tired. In fact, I felt refreshed each day.

Soul

Are you familiar with the feeling of pure bliss or calmness? I left every yoga class feeling more “whole” and focused than when I started class. Though I wouldn’t consider myself to be a spiritual person, 10 days of hot yoga made me feel more connected to my mind, body and soul.

To summarize, hot yoga did not give me abs… but I am able to work on my headstands and forearm stands now. I also fell in love with the studio and signed up for a membership – come try it out with me!