Adventure 01// Hot Yoga!

This past week was the first week of the Summer C semester, which means my schedule has completely changed from the first six weeks of summer! As much as I love exploring and going on adventures, I thrive on having a fairly predictable and busy routine so totally flipping my schedule on its head can be tricky! After being on campus from 9-5 every day during the first half of summer, it was a major change this week to only have ONE class from 2-3:35!! So much more time for triathlon training, studying, and yes– ADVENTURES!

This week’s adventure was courtesy of my sweet friend, Jen. We were texting each other on Thursday and she mentioned she was going to a hot yoga class at Journeys in Yoga here in Tallahassee. I said sign me up! I have been to two or three yoga classes in the past, but they were all in a nice, air conditioned studio.

If you ever want to think 95 degrees and 100% humidity is refreshing…just go to hot yoga and then walk outside! The Florida heat is actually quite tame when compared to the furnace you’ve been in for an hour and a half! The class was an absolute blast. Our teacher (yogi?) was a young, fun, really personable gal who wasn’t afraid to add laughter to our practice. The tone of the class was so much lighter than the other yoga classes I had been to– I was intimidated coming in because I figured a “real, official” yoga studio would be even more focused and strict than the classes I’ve been to at the gym. Not at all! I felt freedom to laugh at myself when I lost my balance (or just plain fell over, haha!) and giggle when sweat rolled off my nose onto the pool of sweat on my mat (oh, yes, I could swim in my pool of sweat…TMI?).

I know very little about the history or religious purposes of yoga, but in my experience, it is as prayerful as you want it to be. It was an incredible experience to challenge my body and offer my heart in a fun, sweaty, and accepting environment. I will definitely be going back! Thanks, Jen!

Other Lessons I’m Learning: No matter how out of place I feel on this earth, I am always right where I belong with our loving Father.

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

Quote of the Day: “We are told that we can be anything. That does not mean we have to be everything.”

Have a beautiful Saturday!

Kaitlin

 

“Where did this year go?”

“How is it already Christmas again?”

“Where did this year go?”

“It feels like just yesterday…”

As I am growing older, I have noticed an incredibly discomforting thing…time seems to speed up as I get older! Semesters fly by, weeks and months go by before I even realize it, and it feels like birthdays roll around well before a year has passed between them.

The science behind our perception of time has been studied for centuries, and many conclusions are founded upon one seemingly simple fact:

Time seems to speed up as we age, because our experiences are no longer novel.

Think about it! As children, we encounter countless new experiences each day– learning to tie our shoes, working new math problems, creating new games and stories as our minds wander. Everything is new! But as we age, we embrace routine, accomplish similar tasks each day at work, and replace novelty with monotony.

This fall, I will be moving back to Ocala, my hometown of 18 years, to study for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. As eager as I am to be in the same city as my family and dear friends again, I cannot help but long for the adventure I experienced of moving to Colorado (someplace totally novel) last summer. But who is to say we cannot find novelty within the familiar? I am determined to keep my time in Ocala from flying by.

This blog will be a place for me to reflect on the lessons I learn during my adventures in slowing time. I am eager to meet new people, explore new places, experiment with new recipes, take an interesting art class, learn life lessons from my Yaya, step out of my comfort zone, and make the most of time I have!

My mantra is this: I only have a limited amount of time on this earth. Here’s to slowing it down, living it up, and embracing the novel. I hope you join me.

 

From my heart to yours,

Kaitlin