Kind of an awesome way of thinking about Bikram Yoga.

I just discovered an awesome writer, thanks for a friend's Facebook post. Isn't that how we discover everything these days?

Rachel Meyer, who is based in San Francisco, writes a blog about yoga and philosophy, to put it briefly. She's really good at capturing a lot of the feelings that arise when we practice, both on and off the mat.

She also wrote a great article for Recovering Yogi about her relationship with Bikram Yoga. After reading it, I could definitely see the point, and although I never really had any kind of regular Bikram practice (three classes, ever), I've shifted my perspective somewhat on the style.

But I'm never going to think of myself as a "Japanese Ham Sandwich." Sorry, Mr. Bikram.

bootay bootay camp

After changing up my routine and working out in a new way over the last several months, I wanted to start a boot camp for those who were interested. I've had friends hold similar informal group workouts, and since people expressed enthusiasm when I presented the idea about doing a regular one at my place in Carrboro, Sophia's BOOTY CAMP was born.

Why? Because boot-camp-style workouts are extremely effective, and it beats running 5 miles or hitting up the elliptical for 40 minutes, which is what I see a lot of my peers doing. Beth P. wrote a great article about it recently.

Don't get me wrong---it's great to run, and can be an amazing way to de-stress and get the hell outside. I used to find it amazingly empowering, especially when training for half-marathons and doing my weekly long runs. But if that's ALL you're doing, and you want to achieve anything fitness-wise beyond being able to run 5 or 10 or x-number of miles---it's not going to happen, friends. You have to incorporate strength training, high-intensity intervals, and keep your body guessing.

Thanks to the weekly sessions I do with LA, my trainer, I've caught on pretty fast to this style of working out. Since I clearly have no certifications whatsoever, this is simply about just getting together and working out hard, for less than an hour. It's also a way to meet people, as my friends come from many circles and not all of them know each other yet. It's about being active AND social simultaneously, since, as my friend Leslie put it, "we don't have the time to do both these days."

The way it works is, my friends come over (so far only girls at this point) and we go on a random patch of grass within the complex I live in with Max. I say "patch" but it's really a lot of space, and perfect for this type of activity.

Usually we start with a group warm-up, such as running laps around the complex (yes, we get weird looks). Then I set up circuits with three stations each, and we rotate through them in teams of two. It's mainly strength moves, plus plyometrics that I've learned from LA (although booty camp does not feature some of those evil ones, like motherf***ing agility ladder drills. SWEET JESUS).

For example, yesterday:

Jumping jacks, mountain climbers, plie squats: 1 minute each, 2 circuits
Tricep push-ups, weighted squats, lateral hops: 1 minute each, 3 circuits
Jump squats, sit-ups w/yoga block, lateral pulls with resistance band: 1 minute each, 2 circuits.
10 bicycles, 15 glute bridges, 10 crunches.

It only takes about 40 minutes, but everyone is wiped at the end. I've been told that it's the perfect level of difficulty + fun, manageable yet challenging. YAY!

It's also a great experience in leading fitness activities, in preparation for my future dream-career as a personal trainer/yoga instructor. Now, I'm not gonna yell at my friends boot camp-style, but I am SO tempted to holler the way Beth does during class at SYNCStudio.

"THIS IS HOW YOU BURN FAT. You eat pizza, this is what you have to do to BURN IT OFF!!!"

"This move targets that flap of skin under your arm. You know, the one that flaps when you're waving 'bye-bye.' You stop waving, but it KEEPS FLAPPING. Is that what you want?"

"If this is at all comfortable, if you're feelin' good..... YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG."

"We're getting at the thutt with this move. Yeah, the thutt---the area between the THIGH and the BUTT."

Anyways, if you're in the area and interested in joining us, let me know. The schedule changes a bit every week, but I aim for at least one morning and one evening session. Three people minimum. So far, it's been awesome. And, thanks to an awesome workout last night with the amazing Jill, Kumi, and Sarah, my legs are in PAIN today.

the virgin post

It would be so nice to actually maintain a blog, for once. I've tried; the last one consistent one sputtered away over a year ago, after turning into more of a kvetching board than anything else. I called it "That Teenage Feeling," after a Neko Case song. I want her hair.