Charleston Yogi

The alarm rings and I barely stir.  My muscles are sore, still tired and though the sun is starting to come out all I want to do is bury my head in the covers.  I am instantly faced with a choice and this decision will determine the course of everything. 
I have come to realize that choosing ‘comfort’ rarely leads to it, but only makes me more uncomfortable.  As I unroll my mat I start to wonder what the next hour and ½ will bring.  Will I be able to do it?  Will they ask me to do something difficult, or worse yet something that I don’t want to do?  And then I smile, knowing that choosing authentic development is a harsh mistress, indeed.  The things I fear will always be hurled right in my path and I know the answer is ‘yes’ to all of the above.  I will again be faced with a choice and this decision will determine the course of everything.  
We have been in warrior II for at least a minute.  My legs are starting to shake, I want to give up, and then he says ‘are you breathing?’….oh, right I forgot about that part.  The minute I inhale that sweet dose of oxygen, I feel everything release and I move into a place of ease.  He walks up behind me and puts his hands on my shoulders, moving them down a few inches.  My neck and shoulder blades begin to release and I wonder how I didn’t even realize how hard they were working?  Why is it that trying so hard is, well…so hard?  It was only four years ago in this very class that I began to discover that resistance is so much more difficult than surrender.  That trying to be perfect at every asana was so much more difficult than allowing myself to melt into it with ease.  Many of us consistently move through our day with absolute confidence that we are actually in charge.  We fool ourselves into thinking that we consciously know what ‘perfection’ is and that we can attain it whenever we want. 
This practice is based on the premise of cultivating awareness of where we are in relation to time, space, and the continuum of development.  I am always grateful to reach that perfect balance in class when I am pushed far enough to be uncomfortable, while simultaneously given enough time to be present inside of my head, alone with my thoughts even for just a few seconds.  In the middle of this struggle I am challenged to be still in the face of the internal chaos.  As I am confronted with the limits of my abilities, I am also given the opportunity to witness how interested I truly am in development.  When I focus on where I am and where I want to be, I know I have to ‘mind the gap’ between what I know and how I am living.  The practice isn’t over when I roll up my mat and walk out of the studio.  It is only just beginning.  I know that I will be given hundreds of opportunities to close the gap between what I know and how I am walking my talk, and the choice that I make in that moment will determine everything.

 
Amy Jo Gengler, LAc
Re-Soul Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine

843.566.2855

www.re-soul.com

I was walking out of a Boot Camp class that I teach when I overheard one of our members speaking to another saying they could never do “that kind of workout”.  It made me pause and ask why.  One woman was in her mid to late 30’s.  The other member was in her early to mid 50’s. They both seem to describe themselves the same.   “I eat pretty well and I exercise on a regular basis but I just don’t see the results.” Now, keep in mind that I manage a relatively small club and know most of my members/clients.  I can’t speak to these two ladies’ diets but I do see them workout.  Yes, they may be at the facility two to five times a week, but their intensity is a 4 or 5 out of 10.

 
In order to elicit a change in your body you must push your limits. Intensity can be defined as great energy, strength, concentration, violence, forcefulness, or passion, as an activity, thought, or feeling.  I often hear, “I walk my dog every day…” but how many people walk with any kind of purpose, passion, or intensity? Have you ever  performed an exercise half way through range of motion? Or “sorta”  completed a yoga pose?  And do you break a sweat?  Or get out of breath?   These are signs in which you are working hard. There are plenty of ways to increase your intensity–which will help you want to workout or improve your current regimen.  Here are just a few:

·         Try listening to music that gets you going

·         Take a group fitness class or workout with friends or a significant other

·         Set a specific goal that you want to work towards.  (i.e. Run your first 5K.  Fit into a certain size dress. Compete in a sporting event.)

·         Workout with Bo Knows Fitness owner, Bo Taylor! 

In order to get a “10” body, you need to put in a “10” effort to your workout and nutrition.  Take time to analyze your workout(s) or lack thereof, and ask yourself if you are working out intently.

 
Bo Taylor, M.Ed, is the Fitness & Aquatics Manager at the Daniel Island Club & owner of Bo Knows Fitness.

Bo can be reached at 843.478.8888, or check out www.boknowsfitness.com.

 Fueling up before you put your body through vigorous exercise is very important.  Many times trainers and instructors see their clients struggle through workouts because they don’t feel good.  “I feel sick” or “I just don’t have the energy today” is what they hear.  A good trainer/instructor will ask, “What did you eat today” or “When did you last have something to eat”.  Inevitably, the client says they have had very little or they haven’t had ANYTHING to eat!  Can you imagine trying to drive your car with no gasoline in it?!?  It doesn’t make sense!
 
Particularly for those A.M. workouts, it is important to get something on your stomach.  You only need 100 – 200 carbohydrate rich calories an hour before your workout to give you that needed energy.  Examples of this would be yogurt, fruit, or an energy bar.  Even a little peanut butter & jelly on light bread would be a good energy boost!
 
By doing this you will see a dramatic change in the energy you have for your workouts.  You will be able to increase your exercise intensity which will burn more of those unwanted calories!
 
 
Mr. Bo Taylor, M.Ed.
Bo Knows Fitness
www.boknowsfitness.com