#13 Benefit class

Last night was special for many reasons to me. There was a benefit class for Leela Yoga Studio destroyed by the Bothell fire in the Snohomish Spark Hot Yoga studio. I signed Maddie and I up for the Hatha class before the benefit class. Christiana had encouraged me to take a class from someone other than her to get a different perspective from another instructor. We were lucky and the owner of the Snohomish Hot Yoga Studio happen to be teaching our class. I met Janette and she is just as warm and kind as all other hot yoga students I have met. Everyone in the class was new to me as I was to them. I could tell they all knew each other from taking this class several times. As it has always been since the beginning they welcome me and made me feel very comfortable there. The new voice and philosophy that Janette had on Hatha was different but great. I felt a bit out of place being in a completely new environment and surrounding but quickly settled in. Having Maddie on the mat next to me really helped and soon forgot I was not in my normal class. As my first day of yoga, I was stepping out of my comfort zone again but felt so great that I did it. I truly believe since I have taken hot yoga my confidence level has risen. YOGA ROCKS!!!

After our class and lots of water and cooling down many people started showing up for the charity class. The class that was being taught was called Yoga Nidra. I had never heard of this before and had actually called and talked to Janette earlier in the day. This class was about finding your inner piece and learning how to go there if you need it during the day or right before bed. There were about twenty people or more in the class. It was truly an amazing class and really made me feel relaxed. The class was free and they were asking for donations. Once the total was added up before the class Janette announced Spark Hot Yoga Studio was going to match the money raised. They also raffled off three items just for donating. The owners of Leela Yoga Studio were there in the class and it became quite emotional. After the class there was even more love and kindness you could just feel. I want to thank Janette from the Snohomish Spark Hot Yoga Studio for putting this event on. If you have a desire to donate I am sure you can contact Janette and I am sure she or someone who works there how to donate.

On the way home I was a little sad because I had intended to take some pictures of everything but just got caught up in the moment and forget. Darn it. I wish everyone could have been there because it was a very special night for everyone involved. Maddie even told me she really enjoyed herself. I am so happy that she is really loving going to hot yoga with me and joining in on my adventure. Love the special time with her doing something I am so passionate about.

Continue to be awesome,positive. amazing and keep smiling

Darin

#12 PMA- Positive Mental Attitude

I have had a tough time doing Hatha the past couple of Sunday's and it really kinda bothered me. I have been having amazing Friday night Hatha classes and just could not figure out what was going on Sunday's? I remembered way back in my memory vault to a PE teacher (Mr Dunbar) I had in 7th grade who use to always preach PMA. Today I thought to myself going into class today I was going to think very positive and change this around. I took a little extra time stretching and loosening up before I really got into my core and balance positions. I rocked it today!!   I just kept telling myself I can do it and actually mentally did them before I even attempted them and did them successfully. Christiana always preaches being positive and doing your own thing to your abilities. I really took this all to heart today. 

Since I have started this hot yoga adventure I have felt more confident daily and just seem to be happier. My body feels better and I just am a better person in my opinion. I wish I would have started hot yoga years ago. If I had only known the result of doing this I probably would have started this while I use to play a lot of sports. Who knows what would have happened? NFL? MLS? I could have been a superstar? ha ha ha. Ok OK so I may be getting a bit carried away. I just can't stress enough how amazing this journey has made me feel and I am beyond exited to see where it takes me. If you have not tried hot yoga, please put down your Pokemon Go or your TV remote or whatever else you use an excuse and get out there and try it. I promise you that you will be a better person. No more excuses. I am going to do a post soon on all the excuses that I have discussed with other before or after class.

Today I had one fellow yoga person come up and introduce herself to me. Hi Carrie :) I love that people who read my blog are coming up and saying hi. It motivates me even more to do hot yoga and to continue to write these blogs. If I can inspire more people to do hot yoga then I have achieved part of my goal for writing these blogs. Everyone I have met in class has been so nice and positive. Random strangers in class help put my blocks away that we use sometimes without even asking. Everyone smiles and is so kind.  Thank you to everyone I have not had a chance to thank. I appreciate people saying hello and saying they love reading my blog. 

Keep smiling and stay positive

Namaste

Darin

#11 What a great night at hot yoga!!

Tonight was an amazing night at yoga for more than one reason. First of all I had the amazing opportunity to do Hatha with my oldest daughter Maddie. What a special treat it was to look over next to me and see her attempting all the poses. What an amazing bonding time to see her so excited to share in something I have come to love and make part of my life. Yoga is not just an act, but also an attitude and a way of life. Yoga brings me pleasure in making me feel better and just being a happier and better person. If can bring that to my daughter as well, I am truly blessed and could not be more proud of her. Christiana worked with her a bit before class to give her some pre-help so to speak. Being the amazing spirit she is of course she added a fun pose at the end of the help session. I know I keep preaching what an amazing light of hope and sunshine she is but she proves it day in and day out. Everyone that meets her will testify to what I keep saying.



Christiana also told me she took some photos of the two of us during our session and as soon as I get them from her I will post them on my next blog.

There is also a second reason I thought tonight was a great night to do hot yoga. Have you ever played a sport or done something that you knew you were just "ON"? Well tonight was that for me. I felt great and did really great on the things I have been working on and I was actually smiling from ear to ear because of it. I also did some new things tonight and I felt so good doing them. For example while balancing only on my left leg I was able to rotate my prosthetic leg out to the right almost 90 degrees while it was bent and my hands up over my head and hold it for about 15 seconds. This may seem easy for all of you with two legs but let me tell you with only one it's not such an easy task. I hope you can feel the excitement and enthusiasm through my words. In fact I am smiling and feeling so amazing just typing what I did. Ya me!!

I asked Maddie after class if she is still enjoying it and she said she is loving it. I am so darn happy for her. I really enjoyed watching her and actually not being able to do some of the poses because that means it is challenging her and gives her something to strive to complete. I think we all need this in our lives

Keep smiling, stay positive and have an amazing weekend.

Namaste

Darin

#10 Father and Daughter Yoga

My tenth blog. YAAA!!! I think I should give myself a prize of some sort right? HA HA  Well I have not given up on yoga in the slightest if that is what you were thinking why I have not blogged in about a week. It has just been a crazy week and I have not had time to just sit down and write something. I have been doing my four times a week routine and still loving it as much if not more than ever.

I have really been seeing some amazing improvements in my flexibility and balance. There is one particular stretch where that is called butterfly where you bend both knee's and put your feet together in front of you and you bend strait over them and try to put your head on the floor in front of you. Well I would do both feet if I had them both. haha. Christiana sometimes even jokes and says unless you only have one foot then just bend that. I love her attitude. Well I have put a block in front of me this whole time and just on Friday I was able to put my forehead on it. Woo hoo!!! It made me smile because I know each time I go I am improving.

This past Wednesday my daughter Maddie asked me if she could go. I was so excited, you have no idea. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to take her. I call the owner of Spark Hot Yoga and made sure it was ok for her to go. She said to just keep and eye on her and make sure her sweat glands have developed enough for her to sweat because after all it is hot yoga. ha ha She absolutely loved it and asked to go with me to another class. This first class was Yin and a great way to start out. I am going to take her tomorrow to Hatha and see what she can do in there. Of course she is a kid and we all know how flexible and balanced kids can be. I figure this will help her with her recovering from her injured should also.

There other bonus from this class was a big surprise. When Maddie and I were walking out of the studio Christiana mentioned she wasnted me to meet someone. Her mother and grandfather were in the front area and she introduced them to me. I thanked her mom for raising such an amazing person. Of course she gave me a very large smile, just like her daughter always has on her face.

I will update my blog after we take that class and let everyone know what she thinks of it. So has told me over and over how much fun she had. I am so excited that we can do something else together that we both enjoy.

Stay positive and keep smiling

Namatse


Darin

#9

Well it has been about five days since my last blog but it doesn't mean I havn't been doing yoga. I took a Hatha class last Sunday morning and I was still a bit sore from my amazing birthday yoga. I had actually slightly pulled a hip flexer on my birthday yoga class. I did not realize it till Saturday afternoon. When I went in on Sunday I told Christiana about it and she worked with me before and during class to make sure I worked it out. By that afternoon I had forgot I even had a problem with it. Have I mentioned just how much I love hot yoga? ha

I was suppose to take a Yin class on Monday night but for the first time since I have started hot yoga I missed a class. You ask what possibly could keep me from missing a class? Was I sick? Nope, Was I out of town? Nope. It was a date that actually kept me from taking my normal Monday class. For those of you that are single out there you get it. haha

Well today is Wednesday and there was no way I was missing another class. Today was a Yin class and it is just so relaxing and you get to relax more. I have been trying to thinking of a name today and I just couldn't think of it. Then in the middle of the session while I was concentrating on my breathing the name popped into my head. Woo hoo!! See hot yoga is not only great for your body but also your mind. Today was great because besides me there was just one other regular tonight. Christiana asked us what we wanted to work on since it was just the two of us. It was almost like having a one on one session or private lesson. haha. We really worked on stretching out the hips tonight and that felt great. It is truly amazing how stiff your hips get from sitting at a desk all day. I think I may have mentioned this before but not sure, I LOVE HOT YOGA!!!  LOL!!

Well I will keep this one short. I am hoping to update the format of the blog in the next couple of weeks to have my background story and possibly some other improvements to this blog. I am enjoying writing it and I hope you are enjoying taking my adventure with me. Let me know if you do.

Stay positive and have a great night.

Darin

#8 Birthday yoga

How fitting this is my eighth post and today also happens to be my birthday on the 8th of July. Ya I am a dork. Never said I wasn't. LOL  There was no way I was missing yoga on my birthday. Thanks to my mom who has a really bad back but she came over and watched the twins for me so I could make it. Yaaa for mom's!!

The second I walked in Spark Hot Yoga Christiana started singing me happy birthday. As always she made me feel very special. I asked her to take a picture of me in some of my new yoga clothing I bought myself for my birthday. Of course being the positive spark as always she added a flare to another photo. I should hire her as my photographer. Well just ask her to do it for me as she is very creative. Here is the normal and the "flare" photo.

Well today was a Hatha yoga class day. I was hoping for a much better day than I had on Wednesday. I was right!! Today was so amazing that I kept smiling in the middle of the session. I keep feeling better and better each time I go in there and almost never want to leave. This class really works on my core and balance which I love. Today I was able to hold my prosthetic leg out in front of me and slowly bend down on my good left leg, hold it for about ten seconds and come back up without the use of my prosthetic leg. I will admit that when I do it, I have the wall behind me just in case I need some support. I also do not use my crutches when doing this move. Ya me!! I keep feeling stronger and stronger each class. I can really feel my balance getting better, my core getting better, my flexibility getting better, and my mind getting better. How could someone not love all the positive things that come from hot yoga? After class she told me that I had a great session and saw me do something she has never seen me do before. I of course asked what and she could not remember and I laughed because I do not recollect either. She is constantly coming up with new ideas for me to strengthen different parts of my body or help me build balance or whatever it may be. She is a lot more wiser than her actual age. 

I would also like to add that nobody has ever judged me or made me feel different at all. In fact I have never felt so much support and positive people before I came to yoga in one place. Please please please get out and try it. I promise you that you will feel better as I do. 

Stay positive and have and amazing weekend. 

Darin 

#7 Two week anniversary.

Well today marks the two week anniversary since I stepped outside my comfort zone and took a plunge into the world of hot yoga. Today marks the eights class I have taken in two weeks.Here is a picture of me just before I went in that day.



Who knew that walking into Spark Hot Yoga would change me so much in such a short period of time. I even told Christiana that I felt like it has been forever since I have been in the yoga studio, it has actually only been three days. She old me she knows how I feel. I am currently taking classes four days a week and now I think I am going to add a fifth class but still only four days a week. There was a lady that took the Hatha class in front of my Yin class tonight and she decided to stay for the Yin class. She said it feels really good to take it afterwords. In two weeks I am going to take back to back classes. The only reason I do not start next week is because a dental appointment is going to get in my way. ha.  I spoke to Brooke yesterday and she is beyond happy for me that I am so invested in hot yoga. She said that it was a good thing she did not take Meth and get me addicted to that. ha ha ha. We both had a good laugh over that one.

Today's class was completely different than any of the other Yin classes she has taught. I am guessing over the entire hour there were maybe one or two things that were the same as the last time I took it. I love that she continues to mix it up and challenge me and the rest of the students. I was having a tough time about half way through the class and just had a lot of things on my mind. Usually hot yoga makes everything go away and I am just concentrate on my breathing and holding poses. Christiana noticed this and came over and told me to just lay back on my mat and relax. I love that you can do that at any time. I did this for about ten minutes and it really helped and I got back into the yoga groove. I am feeling some of the new poses and stretches already tonight, which I love because it's a great sore. Looking forward to my next Hatha class on Friday.

Stay positive and be the best person you can be.

Darin

PS. Yoga is amazing!!! What's your excuse?

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#6 with pictures!!

I stayed up a wee bit to late last night but I knew no matter what I was not going to miss my yoga class this morning. Today was a Hatha class with Christiana and I really like this class for it's own reason because it really builds on my core and strength. I was surprised just how full this class was today, which is awesome because that just means that many more people receiving the benefits of hot yoga.

I have been asked for pictures to be added to this blog so I took some pictures of Christiana and myself because I took the the class today. I know I keep saying how amazing of a yoga instructor she is, but I will never stop saying it because she truly is. 

WOO HOO!!! It worked!! I am sure you can tell what a wonderful spirit she has just by these pictures.

As always she mixed it up and add some more poses today. Some I could do, others I just have to modify or do my own things I need to work on while the rest of the class does them. Every now and then I will look around and just be in awe how amazing some people are holding those crazy poses. While doing your poses she reminds you to remember your breathing and trying to pull your belly button to your spine. I can tell from taking all these classes so far, that I can feel my improvement in balance and strength. I just feel so much better each and every time and I can't wait to get mack to my next class and improve even more. She worked with me on one particular move and I can tell it is really going to improve some flexibility.

On a side note I have lost just over five pounds since I have started yoga 11 days ago. Ya me!!

Super excited and looking forward to my next class.

Keep smiling and be awesome!!!

Darin

#5

Well even though I have my kids for the next week I am not going to let that stop me from making it to Spark Hot Yoga and take a class tonight. I took a Hatha class tonight which really works on my core and balance. I really need that as I still am figuring out how to balance with one leg. I love have Christiana mixes it up and adds new poses each class so it is not the exact same thing every time. Of course there is also some poses that are the same. This class the heat is cranked up to 105 degrees. People ask me how I could passably do yoga in that kind of heat when I am not even a fan of heat. Once I get in there I am concentrating on my poses, balance, and breathing. I truly do not even think about the heat till I walk back out into the lobby and think it is cold out here. ha ha ha. It's probably 70 degrees. LOL. My main focus tonight was to work on my core and balance and spent quite a bit of time standing on only my left foot, eyes closed and arm out in front of me. Of course I have a wall right behind me so I can lean back at any time. I spent the last twenty minutes of the class on the floor without my prosthetic leg on doing my own thing till the class came down to the mat for the last ten minutes or so and then I could do what they are doing. This class really works up a sweat for me and my shirt is very much evidence of this. I love it!!!  I am going to feel this one in the morning and I love it. Just means I did something tonight. Woo Hoo!!

I wanted to say Happy Birthday to Christiana today!! She truly is a great yoga instructor and has an amazing soul and such positive energy emitting from her.

I am going to attempt to add some pictures to my blog this weekend. I just need to do some more research. I want to document my adventure with pictures as well with words.

Stay positive and have an amazing day.

Darin