by Christine Tumpson, Editor in Chief
———- In the past eighteen months, a regular yoga practice has transformed my life. By attempting a daily Vinyasa flow, I am learning how to live in a quieter, deeper way while getting amazing results through exercise.
My husband and I have built our lives on healthy lifestyle practices. He took me to the Highland Park Reservoir on our first date, and we later ran around it on Sundays with our first child in the stroller. Hitting the gym is a priority each day and we all make sure everyone in the family is eating well and staying moving.
So when he took up yoga several years ago, we took it in stride. He would gently suggest that I could benefit from the practice, but I resisted. Then, a friend took me to a newly opened studio offering heated vinyasa yoga taught in the discipline of Baron Baptiste. The class appealed to my love of movement and brought back a long ballet study. The heat was soothing, especially when the weather outside was cold. I also connected with the moments of quiet, the focus on the breath, and stress melting away.
And the sweat was amazing. Having not been able to move much after a disappointing foot surgery, I realized I had not sweat like that in more than a year. Out with it came toxins of every kind; physically, emotionally, spiritually. Clarity began to come into sight, and I tried to do the 40-day yoga challenge led by Baptiste.
I was not able to. And still have not been able to master that challenge. But I have made yoga a priority in my life and so has my family. A running joke is that they will rearrange their schedule to make sure I make it to class, and everyone knows the yoga schedule, including, we suspect, the family dogs.
—C.T.
Discover the yoga practice that’s right for you! Browse classes, pricing, and general information from Pittsburgh yoga studios in WHIRL’s 2013 Yoga Guide.
