Arg! Why am I always so stressed out?! I swear, by the time I'm 30 I'm going to have a heart attack... For some reason, I always seem to be the person who thinks about everything too much. I constantly weight the pros and cons of a situation, trying out every possibility in my head, and then worry about whether it's the right choice or not. I start my day with a mental list of what it is I have to do, and it's hard for me to relax until I have everything on that list completed.
At the moment, I'm trying to book flights for my next set of One Week Jobs, and I'm kind of getting annoyed with myself... Which flight times out the best? Can I find it cheaper somewhere else? Will I be able to get everything done in time before I leave? As I get older, my tendency to worry seems to increase. I can literally feel my heart rate speed up and my face begin to flush. I become short tempered and my head aches.
I'm 25! Are you kidding me?! I should be responsible, and determined, and comfortable enough with myself to be able to trust my own opinions!
However, something that I've found over the last couple years that helps me de-stress in a way I never imagined possible, is yoga.
I've only ever practice hot yoga, a series of poses done in a heated room - 37C or 98F. It's hot, it's humid, and you sweat more than you've ever sweat in your life...and I love it.
It clears my body of toxins and it forces my mind to focus on the present. There's no time to worry when you're balanced on one foot and crouched with one leg twisted over your other knee, both hands reaching towards the ceiling as you try to breathe...At times like that, the only thing you can really concentrate on is your breath!
That's why, this week, I'm working at a hot yoga studio - Moksha Yoga Calgary.
On my first day I was greeted by co-owner, studio director, and yoga teacher, Siobhan McGrenra, and treated to her yoga class. I perspired alongside 35 other students in Moksha's spacious studio, doing downwards dogs, eagle poses, and opening up my hip-flexers like no one's business!
I emerged feeling refreshed, and ready - in more ways than one - to start my OWJ Week #4.
Siobhan made me feel welcome right off the bat. She rattled off instructions on how to keep the studio clean, prepare for classes, and how to work the computer sign-in system. Her energy was bright as she greeted students like they were long-lost friends, and joked around with the regulars.
As I mopped the floor, did laundry, cleaned the changerooms, and greeted students, it wasn't long before I actually felt like one of the crew - and it was only the first day...
I'm looking forward to learning more about the practice of yoga. How it came to be, and why it's so important to keep our bodies and minds in-tune with each other.
And maybe...just maybe...I can start to unwind and de-stress...
-Amanda