I tried a new trail run last week and this was the start of my hour long adventure! I’m not a big fan of stairs so was a little surprised to see so many. Like all the trail running here in Ohope Beach, it was an ass kicker.
aka Baby Mama
I tried a new trail run last week and this was the start of my hour long adventure! I’m not a big fan of stairs so was a little surprised to see so many. Like all the trail running here in Ohope Beach, it was an ass kicker.
Part of travel is being uncomfortable. Sure, there are lots of exciting parts but sometimes I miss my yoga classes in Ohope New Zealand. Yes, I could do it alone at my apartment and yes I could do an online class by myself. For me, doing it at home alone isn’t the same as going to a yoga studio and sweating it out with 20+ other yogis. Here’s how it goes down at home for me: I’ll be in downward dog and think about tossing the clothes in the dryer real fast or write that one email before I forget about it. Suddenly, I’m piddling around the house cleaning up and my 5 minutes of yoga are over.
Our friend Luck practicing his downward dog while Kai gets into cobra pose
I know that part of being enlightened is self discipline and self practice but I haven’t gotten there yet. I’ve done a few 30 minute timed sessions by myself at home but miss the classes. Maybe, I’ll sign up for the online classes that I read about. Or maybe I’ll sign up for the yoga classes with Jane (the only yoga teacher I’ve heard about) in Whakatane. They start up again after the holidays in February.
Kai kickin it in his pj’s during our morning run and as happy as a clam
If you run often you’ll know what I mean. Back in the day when I began my love affair with running at Oregon State, a mere 18 years ago anytime was a good time to run. I would run in the early morning or late at night. I remember driving to Dixon Recreation Center at OSU and running on the treadmill at 10 or 11pm! I was game to run 6 miles around the track or the treadmill, it didn’t matter. After a good 10 years of running, and a few marathons, I became a little pickier about where and when I wanted to run. Here in Ohope, New Zealand I’m running 4-5 days a week which is a lot for this baby mama. The trail runs are epic and running is the no brainer for me. Maybe, tomorrow I’ll hop on my borrowed 10 speed bike for a few sprints.
Nearing the end of our run, Kai started meditating before he fell asleep. He squeezed in a 20 minute power nap while I finished our run and cranked out a few kettlebell squats at the gym. Good times.
Recently, a dear friend of mine emailed me to ask what it is I love about the Bikram yoga?
I’ve been traveling, sick and recovering so haven’t had a chance to respond. David, here is what I love about the Bikram yoga:
Dazed and confused immediately after a bikram yoga class (notice the steam coming off my head)
1. It’s 112 degrees so I’m nice and warm the whole time (I hate to be cold)
2. The combination of the heat and the 90 minute class allows my mind to slow down
3. I sweat like crazy and feel like I’ve had a killer workout every time
4. The intensity feels like the first time, even though the poses are familiar (same 26 poses in the same order every time) It’s a guaranted workout!
5. It feels like a huge accomplishment so if nothing else gets done that day, I’m okay because I did my bikram yoga
6. I talk slower, think slower and move slower after a bikram yoga class. I take my yoga buzz with me for the rest of the day and in the midst of chaotic schedules, I am calm…
Kai and I walking into the gym before I taught my spin class
I teach a 5pm spin class on Wednesday nights and have experimented with taking Kai with me. It’s worked out once at the gym daycare where they didn’t come upstairs to pull Sean out of class multiple times. Last night, Sean was out of town and Kai is almost 13 months old so I thought it was a good time to “try it alone.” There are two worst case scenarios where they come and get you out of class. One is pooping (because they won’t change diapers) and the other is crying for more than a few minutes. The crying has happened to us a number of times and I just crossed my fingers and toes last night as I waved goodbye and walked upstairs to teach my class. I was a little nervous after he had two silly little naps yesterday and seemed really cranky around 4pm. To make it even more exciting, babies take 3 spots so I needed to get there extra early.
Kai having one last feed 15 minutes before class starts
There were 4 spots left after we arrived at 4:15pm so we made the cut! I hung out with him until 4:45pm, fed him a jar of baby food and let him nurse up until the end. I singled out one of the three girls (a different one from the other times) and told her I was alone and would appreciate it if she could “try” and keep him until 6pm. Her name was Katie and she said “oh he’ll be fine for an hour.”
Sure enough, Katie was holding him when I went to pick him up. She said he did really good but likes to be held a lot. Who doesn’t? 
She also said that she thought he had just pooped because he coughed and it sounded and smelled like it. Wow, what timing. Turned out it was just a power fart, no poop. I gave Katie a little tip and told her I’d see her next week!
Before baby Kai, I was an avid bikram yoga goer. When I was pregnant, I stopped going to bikram yoga and took up power vinyasa instead. Surprisingly, my progressive Doctor said running and bikram yoga was fine while pregnant. I was cool with power yoga, running and spinning but I drew the line about bikram yoga. For me, 26 poses in 105 degrees for 90 minutes seemed a little much while pregnant. So, I took some time off from the bikram yoga. After Kai was born, I was so wrapped up in sleep deprivation and breastfeeding that bikram yoga wasn’t on my radar. At 10 months old, going to bikram yoga seemed doable.
The day I decided to go to Bikram yoga, I thought of really good reasons why I “shouldn’t” go. Clearly, I was concerned about dehydration. It really is a mental and physical workout so I didn’t want to hurt my milk supply. My husband said, you’ll be fine, just go-so I did. Wow, it was crazy hard and beyond hot but thinking about going all day was just as hard. Sometimes, I think the getting there can be worse than the workout. Especially when you know you’re going but you play these mental games about not going.
I drank a ton of water that day and paid a lot of attention to what I ate. I was a little shocked when I saw the thermometer which read 115 degrees and 12% humidity. That is a little high even for Bikram. It was hotter than heck but I did it. I had told myself that I didn’t have to do all the poses but ended up doing em all. I had the best buzz for 36 hours. It literally felt like a yoga hangover. Best kind of hangover, if you ask me!
Of course, when three days had passed I was eager to go again. I knew it was hard but I wanted my back to purr again. So, I hit it twice last weekend. Foolishly, I thought maybe it’d be a little better after a few classes. No, not so much. It was just as hot and terrible during all of the classes. And my third class might have been the worst. For some strange reason I was painfully nauseous. Maybe it was that orange I ate an hour before class? Or maybe it was just one of those days? That’s the thing I respect about bikram yoga, everything matters. What you eat, what you drink, and how much sleep you’ve had-it all comes out during that 90 min session. And with the bright lights, mirrors and high temperature it can get ugly.
If you haven’t been before but are considering it, don’t wear pants. Your littlest, tightest workout outfit will serve you best. I wore pants my first class because I like to workout in pants but I learned the hard way, it’s too hot to care what you look like so less is better.
As uncomfortable as a bikram yoga class is, there is no substitute for the way it makes my back feel. Amazing!
Drinking a ton of water and eating plenty was the ticket for me. After 3 bikram yoga classes, 2 runs and 1 spin class last week, my milk supply is just fine.
-Namaste
Tags: Bikram, breastfeeding, Yoga
Ahhh, I’ve had highs and lows with Leif. Mostly high but plenty of “low” moments. Like running 13 miles in the rain on a Wednesday morning when there aren’t a lot of others. Recently, I was thrilled to introduce baby Kai to Leif Erikson, my favorite running trail in Portland. The Leif Erikson running trail is part of Forest Park, one of the largest urban forests in the US. The morning that I took Kai for our baby 4 mile run, there seemed to be a lot of strollers. I’m not sure if that’s just what I notice now or if there has always been so many? It was a chilly 38 degrees but we had a great time. It was nice to visit my longtime lover, Leif who I haven’t seen in about 10 months. Kai took his nap on the way up and enjoyed the scenery on the way down. Stanley tried to pee on everything. But was pretty darn good for a dog running while tied to a stroller. Lots of positive comments about running with a baby AND a dog from other runners. I’m not sure who had more fun, me, Kai or Stanley? Must’ve been a three way tie.
