Moksha Yoga

Every few months I go through a phase where I start taking better care of myself. I choose to eat better, stop smoking, drink less alcohol and get active. It’s been almost 3 months since I started this latest stint of being healthier, and even though I may have partly failed at some of my goals, it seems that something is different this time around when compared to all the other times I’ve tried to be healthy. I’ve had one thing stick with me like nothing I’ve ever done or tried before; it’s called Moksha Yoga and holy christ, it is AWESOME! I think it’s been put here by the gods for all of us who get bored at the gym and have busy work schedules.

My experience with Yoga first began with my roommate’s ex-girlfriend who was a quasi Yoga instructor. When the 3 of us lived together they would always try to get me to go to Moksha Yoga classes with them but I always turned them down. Eventually we had a Yoga session on the roof of our downtown apartment that I took part in, yet whenever they wanted me to go to a class with them I would make up some excuse about “having too much work to do” or something equally as lame. I think I never went with them because I thought I’d look like a goof in class with 40 other people, me not knowing what I was doing, and it was probably because I was too damn lazy to just take the plunge and go for it though.

Now don’t get me wrong, at first it was a little weird going to a Yoga class, especially being a guy. At any given class the ratio is usually 10% Males, 90% Females. Yah, I’ve used the line “I’m surrounded by beautiful women” to argue with some of my guy friends when they say to me “Yoga’s gay and for girls, why are you going?”, but in reality, Yoga is an extremely personal experience where, even though you are doing it in a room surrounded by people, it’s still very much about being there for yourself. It’s nice practicing with others, but Yoga is more like going to a meditation class then hitting an aerobics class… and that’s why I think it’s stuck with me.

So I’ve been going pretty steady for the last few months, 3 – 4 days a week and it has been great. I even did every other day for a month straight. To be honest with you, I haven’t felt this good or full of this much energy in a long damn time. Maybe since high school. I didn’t really realize how unhealthy sitting in front of a computer screen 8 – 12 hours a day working is until I started being active again. At this point in my life going to Moksha seems like a vacation from the reality of the other parts of my day.

Well I’m not going to go on much longer about Moksha but I will say this: I am addicted. And it’s an addiction I hope sticks with me from now until the day I die. Thanks to those who inspired me to go and keep going.

Oh and for those who don’t know Moksha is Hot Yoga.

If you want to know all the awesome health benefits of it Google “Moksha Yoga,” what do I look like Wikipedia? 😛

Gotta go get ready for class.

– Shane Lamotte