The Heat Is On!

Today, at my 9AM yoga class at Longfellow Fitness in Natick, MA, I brought the flow on. The room was heated to a delicious 85 degrees and I had a great group of yoginis joining me. I was greatly inspired last week by my "Align Your Flow" class with Natasha Rizopolous and using this inspiration as I led my flow class that had attention to alignment and focused on the breath and each and every person's edge. It was satisfying to explain the nuances in the feet positions, alignment of the shoulders, the lift in the upper back by dropping the rhomboids to the hips and lifting at the seratus...

In honor of Valentine's Day, I started today's class with a cross heart kriya from the Kundalini practice of yoga. This meditation allows you to work both sides of the brain and also to rid yourself of old baggage and open new pathways for success in your life.

I am seeking the yoga teacher I will become. She is in here and she is emerging.

Another great thing about teaching yoga at Longfellow is I have use of their weight room. I have not lifted for years (about 15) but the feeling is coming right back to me. I used to bench 135 pounds at The Gold's in Boston. I love the feeling you get from lifting; I had forgotten how much I love it. With my tunes blasting in my ears (Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, EPMD, yes I had a Rap and hip-hop sound track today), I couldn't help  but get a pump going on!

For the love of my life, Rob, I post my workout, because he is going to have to listen to my moans and groans when everything hurts tomorrow. I have to admit, I am still stumbling for the right weights to lift.The form is there, but I am unsure where I want to take this...

1. SQUAT: bar (too light) too many reps; +20lbs. 15 reps; +40lbs 10 reps
2. LUNGES: holding 12.5's about 20 on both sides
3. EXTENSIONS (back to back with curls) 40lbs 12 reps; 55lbs 10 reps; 70lbs. 8 reps
4. CURLS: 20lbs (too light) 15 or more reps; 30lbs. 15 reps; 40lbs. ?
5. BENCH (backed with incline bench): +10lbs. 15 reps; +20 lbs. 12 reps; +30lbs. 8 reps
6. INCLINE BENCH: +10lbs. 10 reps; +15lbs. 10 reps; +20lbs. 7 reps
7. BUTTERFLY: 45lbs. 12 reps; 60lbs. 7 reps; 65lbs. 7 reps
8. LAT PULL DOWNS: 60lbs. 12 reps; 75lbs. 8 reps; 90lbs. 6 reps
9. UNDER-GRIP LAT PULL DOWNS:45 lbs. 15 reps; 60lbs. 10 reps; 75lbs. 7 reps.
I did not get to do Rows, ran out of time. I had to head to Runkle School in Brookline to deliver 3-20 minute Yoga-Snacks! I love teaching yoga. I love yoga. Life is great!