Forty Days of Yoga – Day Four

It was a dark, cold walk to yoga this morning. Being up while it is still dark, let alone being out of the house, is something I usually avoid at all costs. The only reason I attempted to bend before my morning coffee was because I am going to the U2 concert tonight, so an evening class is out of the question.

I am supposed to be at work between 8:30am and 9:00. I would rather come in closer to nine and work through lunch than come in at 8:30. I do all my hair washing and lunch prepping the evening before so that I can roll out of bed at 7:45 and make the bus from McDonald Street in Kitsilano to Davie Street downtown. I’m lucky for my short commute, I know.

So last night I set out my yoga clothes, pre-packed a work outfit and a U2 outfit and set my alarm for 6:00am. This left me ten to fifteen minutes for morning snuggles and half an hour for staggering around the house.

It really helps to have a supportive partner or person in your life to encourage and push you to do those things you say you want to do, but might conveniently forget to do when no one is looking. My partner jokingly tells me he will kick my ass if don’t get out of bed for my intended morning class or if I show up at home after work when he knows I shouldn’t be home from yoga until after 7:00pm. Needless to say, I think he is genuinely surprised that I:

a)      Haven’t missed a day yet; and

b)      Haven’t bitten his head off…yet.

The 7:00am class today at Semperviva was taught by Ingrid; soft spoken, yet firm. Perfect for a morning stretch. She guided the class through a great series of stretches to wake the body up and get the blood flowing.

By the time I arrived at work (8:45) I was unusually awake and focused; albeit super hungry. Despite eating breakfast after class, my stomach was making all sorts of noise by the time lunch rolled around. I think I am going to have to start packing some healthy snacks to keep up with this new routine!

I don’t think I am ever going to be in love with mornings, unless they begin close to noon, but I just might be able to learn to enjoy them enough to start my days with yoga. The classes are more spacious and it frees up my evenings!