Yoga: Reasons for My Obsession

I recently started going to a small yoga studio down the street after the urging of my good friend, Liz. My husband and I have been going together in tandem with our new diet based on this book. I originally started doing this mainly as a weight loss deal since I can't manage to make myself get to the gym, but now I'm seriously addicted to yoga. See below for the why!

Time:
I don't have a life brimming with free time, and I'm sure you don't either. Each class is an hour, so by the time I get there, take the class, get home, it's less that an hour and 15 minutes. I can do that!

Beginner:
It's really good for me, and perhaps all of us, to be a beginner at something. Always learning, always being humbled, it's just a good state. Was I reluctant at first? OF COURSE. I hate not being the best at something or looking stupid (I really don't like the instructor saying instructions to the whole class that I know are just for me to adjust my pose... or maybe I have such a complex I assume it's all directed at me... that's probably it).

Small Studio:
Y'all already know how obsessed I am with my neighborhood... so of course, a neighborhood yoga studio fits perfectly in my life. I have already made several new friends, I don't feel judged there, and it's just small, sweet, comfortable. Usually the classes have about 10-15 people in them, so it's just nice and chill (except that one time we had 30+ people in that small room.. that wasn't very chill. If I had my phone then, I would have a funny picture to share now.)

Relax:
If I have a word for this year, which my skeptical self hasn't fully decided if I will or not, it would be relax. I can tend to take on a lot of stress, wind myself up, and never really relax. I think if I were able to regularly relax that so many other things in my life would fall into place, and ultimately, I would be a better person.

Ok, back to yoga, I have NEVER felt as relaxed as I do at the end of a class, especially the Yoga for Healing class. I think the closest I have ever gotten is when I've had a super relaxing bath, but we don't have a bathtub in our current apartment, so it has been awhile.

I am aware now of how wound up I was. How much stress I was holding onto. I'm feeling like I'm not too sure how I functioned without yoga, I guess I wasn't too nice of a person, not emitting much peace.  See here.

I tend to take it all in. all the details , and I stress until every one is completed (which life has taught me rarely happens). But when I'm in the yoga class, it's totally different. I forget about my phone, the emails, the tasks... I don't even think that someone might be trying to get a hold of me. Most often, I get out of yoga, and the world has gone on just fine without me for one hour. Nothing has come crashing down, and there's a lesson for me in that - that's probably for another blog post!

My reason for practicing:
Sometimes at the end of a class, the instructor asks us, during Shavasana, to think about our reason for practicing. My answer has changed for that question each time it has been asked. But the last time he asked, I just about lost it, tears welling up. I felt so vulnerable - as if I had let go of control. Then it clicked. That's why I kept coming back to yoga... because it helps me release and let go of all the cares. I practice so I can let go, and that's why it's changed my life.*




*P.S. every other part of my life is marked by my constant photos... I have none for this post and I feel a little insecure about it. But then I feel happy because I even forget to take photos before/during/after yoga because I'm so lost in it. Phew - feel better with this disclaimer! ;-)

The Neighborhood Coffee Shop

Famous Chocolate Croissant from Rush Patisserie

I have a new favorite place to be. The kind of space that makes you just feel happy with life. You're glad when you arrive there and feel energized when you leave. Here's why:
A local coffee company, Oak Cliff Coffee, just recently open up a coffee shop here on Davis St. They've been around for awhile, rocking the wholesale coffee world. All of us Oak Cliff Coffee fans and followers have been anxiously waiting for the opening of their first (and most probably, only) coffee shop - Davis St. Espresso.

 So here's the deal. This isn't your average coffee shop. They're doing a few things differently...

1. No Wifi or plugs for computers. I couldn't believe this when I heard it! Reason? Go to their coffee shop to talk to other humans instead of being GLUED TO A SCREEN! Guilty, anyone? *raises hand*

2. No to-go cups - only for-here mugs (you can bring your own cup, though). When I heard this on the first day, I was thinking NO WAY! How will I ever survive?? What about when I need coffee in a hurry!?
They have chosen to do this for the same reason as #1- trying to get you to slow down and enjoy the coffee with others instead of always consuming in a hurry on your way to the next thing. (I've discovered that bringing your own thermos in emergency situations is, in fact, not that difficult.)

3. Only open 6am-11am Tuesday- Friday, 7am-2pm Sat. This one I'm not sold on- I want to go there 24/7. Probably for the best that their hours aren't more abundant- saves me money.

So, at about the 1 week mark of the shop being opened, I had already been there, ahem, approximately 8 times (mainly for work, you know, gotta have those meetings!). I can't stay away. Something about the place is contagious and addicting. I love #1 and #2 now. At first, it made me all kinds of uncomfortable because it was 'different' - interesting how quickly my mind was changed. The concept that they have, though totally counter-cultural, actually works! They wanted to create a place for people to come hang out with other people and enjoy an awesome cup of coffee, and that's what it has become.

Van Buren

I haven't even talked about the coffee yet, what is wrong with me! It's so amazing, so good, so delicious! They have a steam punk coffee maker where they brew your coffee to order. And then there's the espresso. :-D Best cappuccino around, I would say, definitely gives Oddfellows a run for it's money (I just felt blasphemous... Should I take it back? Okay, no more comparisons to Oddfellows!) But if you really want to get the whole coffee experience, order the Van Buren. It's a Cortado with a glass of mineral water and a little biscotti, all served on this cute brown tray. It's ascetically pleasing and a perfect mix of espresso and milk.

When I went to Davis St. Espresso on their Grand Opening day, I saw 5-10 people I knew from the neighborhood. The owner knew me by name and said hello. Then I overheard him chatting with another fellow about how he walked to pick-up the donuts that morning. Something stirred inside me. I've loved Oak Cliff since we moved here, but now, even more so. WALKED! I know I'm sounding like a crazy person, but I feel like I have moved to the coolest-urban-small-town-thing ever. I love that every single time I've gone back to the coffee shop, I've bumped into someone else I know, and that the baristas are the same two guys every time, and they know me too. There's something so right about that.

Davis St. Espresso. Check it out.

P.S. I blame this coffee shop for my recent high-consumption of caffeine. Sorry to all those inspired by my "I'm quitting coffee" campaign a little while back. How the mighty have fallen.