2.5
August 15, 2013

I am Happiest in a 102 Degree Room at 40 Percent Humidity. ~ Glena Suiter

I am happiest in a 102 degree room at 40 percent humidity.

I’m crazy. 

Yes, I said crazy.

It thrills me to no end to see sweat dripping from my face on to the towel on my mat.

It is exhilarating to be upside down breathing, concentrating only on holding the pose, and letting go of all the crap from the day.

Stress melts away with each drop of sweat that hits the floor or goes flying through the air.

Every breath moves energy in my body to where I need it; adrenaline courses through my veins and I’m empowered.

If I can do this, I can do anything. I know this.

Worries, stress, anxieties, doubts, insecurities all leave my body and drip down on to the floor. I look around the room and everybody and every body is beautiful.

I remember the first time I walked into this space and I felt so unsure—I felt insecure about my weight and my ability to do this. It was hard. It was excruciating at moments, but in the end it was soothing and cathartic.

I had released my troubles and left them in a pool on the floor as I walked out of that first class.

Sounds pretty awesome, huh? Well, that’s because it is.

But it isn’t always like that.

Some days my practice is mundane. Some days I spend more time in child’s pose than in the actual asanas for various reasons. Maybe I’m tired, stressed out, or just not feeling it. Even on days like that, there is still a release that comes after the Namaste has been said.

Sometimes, it’s an emotional release.

One day last summer I went to a student teacher’s final exam practical where she taught a 75 minute class. Afterwards, I felt almost euphoric. As I was putting my block and mat away, I told her she had done an amazing job and she gave me a big sweaty hug and we both started to cry. No reason that we could pinpoint. It was probably just a release of emotions we had both suppressed for however long, but as I left the studio that day, there was a weight off of my shoulders.

I guess my point is that we should all take a gentler view of life and the people we come into contact with every day. Everyone is going through something—the world can’t revolve around what is happening to you.

We need to be thoughtful about what is happening to someone else. And if we can’t help someone, we should at least do our best not to hurt them.

Appreciate the light, the love and the life inside of all people. It exists in everyone if you take the time to look for it.

We are all capable of being completely, absolutely, divinely, deliriously happy.

We just have to make the decision that we are going to try.

If we fail on some level, we have to decide that a failure does not define us.

What we do about that failure and how we move forward from it is what defines us.

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Assistant Ed: J. Andersson/Ed: Bryonie Wise

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Glena Suiter