All week long I have promised myself I would get back to yoga class today. With the craziness that has been my life the past few weekends, I don’t think I’ve been to class in three or four weeks. Ouch.
One of the reasons why I love yoga so much is because it helps me recover from my runs, and it definitely decreases the chance of my getting injured. Case in point: when my IT band was flaring up a few weeks ago, I hadn’t been to yoga in a few weeks. Note to self: Never stop going to yoga again.
Not only does yoga help my body, but I always leave a class feeling centered and a little more calm than I walked in. Needless to say, when I waltzed into my favorite vinyasa flow class this morning, I was ready to get my butt kicked.
After running my 10 miles yesterday, My legs felt really tight this morning. One thing I have found during my long runs lately is that I’m not afraid to push myself. It might be uncomfortable for a short while, but there’s no other way to get better or faster. I remember after my first half marathon, my mom told me I didn’t look tired and I should have pushed myself more. I also remember getting mad at her for saying that, but it was true. I hadn’t pushed myself, but now I know what it feels like to push myself, and I’m going to continue – even if it does make my legs feel like they’re going to fall off in the moment.
This morning’s yoga class was packed. When I first got there (only five minutes early), there were only three others already waiting for class to begin. Somehow in the span of that five minutes, there were 10 or 11 people packed into quite a small space. I volunteered to be next to the heater, a decision that I cursed myself for about 30 minutes into class.
Yoga has never felt as good as it did this morning. Every single joint and muscle was beyond tight. In our first crescent lunge, my instructor Brenda told everyone to sort of melt into the pose – in that, I realized I was not going as deep as I could and needed to just let it go even if it hurt. Yowza. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But it hurt so good.
When I left class 75 minutes later, I was sweaty. I was tired. But I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated.
If there’s anything yoga does for me, it makes me crave a giant salad – and luckily, I had quite the ingredients to make one in my fridge.
I had leftover roasted vegetables and leftover tofu and vegetables from a stir fry. I basically took everything any leftovers I had in my fridge and dumped them into the huge bowl I used.
I topped it with nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, and a huge dollop of hummus and called it a day. On the side I had a (unpictured) chunk of Gluten Free Dakota Bread shmeared (technical term) with some Earth Balance.
It. Was. Perfect.
And I am totally okay with dedicating an entire post to how delicious this salad was.
Go enjoy your Saturday, friends!
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
to me, this post isn’t about the salad. this post is about how yoga made your body and mind feel! my facebook update of this morning read, “want an exbulimic day? i recommend starting with a sweaty 5:30am kitchen yoga session! exercise the mind and body before the sun rises! when do you practice yoga?”
happy saturday, coach yoga running clean-eating loving friend! xxx
next to adopting my dog, yoga is the smartest, most wonderful thing i’ve ever done in my life. thank you for sharing your next-to-the-heater experience. i am so moved! i now have a big smile on my face.
i tried to find your older article where i promised IT band stretches through my kitchen yoga video blogs, but i couldn’t find it! so i think this is the most appropriate blog for attaching my thanksgiving kitchen yoga video (featuring an IT band stretch as promised to you!). i hope that you can make time to try it! happy thanksgiving!
http://nicoleandgwendolyn.com/2011/11/24/thanksgiving-safety-6-kitchen-yoga-thanksgiving-special-edition/
You gotta celebrate salad victories!
Very true about yoga helping muscles after running! I’ve gotten so many more injuries since my groupon ran out on the yoga studio I was going to. I got a new one though and I’m going tomorrow! However, this is a bikram yoga studio… all 90 minute classes, all 1 level of ability. I’m scared.
HAha I did the exact same thing! I love yoga and it really helps my running too. I need to go more often, I always say this but never follow through!
Yoga has done wonders for my running. Glad it is helping your IT band!
The salad looks delish…I love leftover roasted veggies, the flavor is always spot on. Enjoy the beautiful day!
Yoga = amazing!
Yoga I love in between strength training days, its so good!
LOVE the salad, I say that salad deserves its own post ; )
Happy Saturday girl! xoxo
Yoga after a run- oh so painful yet oh so good!
Ahhhh, I LOVE good yoga classes like that!!! Especially when muscles have been tight!
Whoa I should try yoga!! I run track and getting injured could mean being out for the season so I have to avoid injury, plus yoga is so relaxing and fun! Your salad looks delicious. I love roasted vegetables.
I love what you said about yoga and how it helped you, the physical and the emotional and I would love to be next to the heater on a chilly fall/winter day….it can be a little intense but can be great. But I also love warm weather!
“I realized I was not going as deep as I could and needed to just let it go even if it hurt.” — Glad you let go and just surrendered into it…sometimes you have to get over that tiny little hill of hurt..to get to the hurt so good place
I’m guilty of frequently skipping yoga when things get too busy. But, every time I actually get my butt in there, I’m reminded of how much I love it and how important it is. When I’m doing yoga once (or twice, which is rare), my muscles always feel better and I seem to have more energy overall.
I’m glad you had such a great class this morning- what a way to kick off the weekend! And that’s awesome that you’re focusing on pushing yourself harder in your runs. I’ve been working to do the same because exercise isn’t supposed to be “comfortable” or “easy”. If it is, we’re not growing and improving!
I love yoga! It “hurts so good” during my practice and afterwards I feel like a new woman! It’s incredible how much of a workout you can get by just using your body weight!
Yoga and salad sounds like the perfect healthy, refreshing combo! Hope you have been having a great day too.
I remember feeling like I could have pushed harder after my first half marathon too, but I was so focused on just finishing I think. I haven’t run a 2nd one yet but I’m looking forward to pushing myself when I do!
I’m missing yoga SO much right now! My husband and I just moved to San Diego from Virginia last week so we’ve been too busy to fit it in. My priorities though: find an apartment, find a yoga studio
Man this post makes me wish I could get into yoga! Maybe it’s because I’ve never tried hot yoga before?
Roasted veggies and tofu is like my ideal salad. I definitely think it deserves its own post.
those salads are the BEST!!!
btw, I don´t think it is a huge dollop of hummus!
Everything “shmeared”with Earth Balance is good.
Roasted vegetables on a salad sounds so delicious in this cold weather!
i miss yoga, i have not been to a class since Feb!!! i just could not afford to go as often as i liked. but have been enjoying doing a little yoga at home when i can.
You’re salads always look so amazing… and this one was no exception… Yum!
so true about yoga! for some reason it’s always the workout that gets left behind so easily, but i never regret going back. and that salad looks delicious!!
I often end up next to the heater so I feel your heater-nearness pain! But good on you for going to yoga and sticking it through the painful stretches; it takes a lot of mental strength for us to go deep into those stretches. I do yin classes once or twice a week and although they are not calorie-burning at all (they involve holding stretches for 10 minutes or so, so there’s certainly no cardio!) they can be more challenging than ever when you’re in an excruciating stretch and you have to hold it for 10 minutes. But you get so much more open than ever before - give it a try if you ever get the opportunity! They also leave you feeling SUPER calm!