Roxy Yoga

Embrace Your Sweaty Side July 25, 2008

Yoga has helped me embrace the sweaty side of life. I try to teach or practice yoga as much as I can and also ride my bike everywhere and since I have a full time day job, that often means that I don’t have time to go all the way home to shower and get pretty and clean again. I just realized that somehow, along the way of life, I forgot that it was ok to sweat a little. Remember when you were a kid and you just reveled in being outside running around all day? I don’t remember ever thinking, “Oh I can’t play tag guys, I don’t want to get sweaty for dinner later.” I just didn’t care. It was a beautiful thing! Yes, kids can be a little gross sometimes, but seriously, I wonder when I started thinking that working up a little sweat during my day was totally unacceptable and I must wait until my day is over to work up any type of sweat and then immediately run to the shower because I can’t possibly be dirty! On one hand if you practice enough yoga, and eat a decent diet, your sweat doesn’t really smell that bad anyway. And how sweaty do we really get when we ride our bikes up that hill rather than drive, or when we take a yoga class? Yes, in Power Yoga I might get so sweaty it drips into my eyeballs and I’m temporarily blinded. Yes, after I climb that hill on Broad street my eyeballs sweat again. But afterwards I feel so darn good I just don’t care about the sweaty factor. I go to the bathroom, rinse my face, put on clean clothes, and go after my day a much better version of myself, albeit a little sweaty or shiney. I am now thinking of it as a healthy yogi glow rather than a sweaty sheen. I think it’s kind of sad that it’s become normal to not work up a little sweat during our days. It’s so good for our bodies and therefore our minds.

Cheers to embracing your inner sweaty person, er, I mean shiny, healthy glow! Do it by riding your bike, climbing that hill, catching a quick yoga class, busting out a pose right now, or whatever fits your fancy!