Sweaty Togetherness

Steve Young and Mona Olds, who are married, are familiar faces around the RHY studio.  Many of us have practiced with them for years, and they are a much loved part of our yoga family.

Seven years ago, Steve saw an ad in the newspaper for a Bikram yoga studio.  Although he had never done yoga before, the idea of hot yoga interested him.  With his first class, he was hooked and has had a regular practice since.

"I liked hot yoga right away and thought it was good for me.  As a full-time truck driver, I feel the need to take care of myself to maintain and ensure my physical health.  I've always enjoyed keeping fit.  My yoga practice has felt like the right thing to do towards that goal."

At 62, Steve continues to want to practice and feels that hot yoga helps him stay young.  Through yoga, he has learned to keep his back strong and address work-related back pain through non-medical means.

"I think one of the things I like the most about yoga is that I can be 'alone' in a room full of people," Steve said.

Within a few weeks of his first hot yoga class, Steve was able to convince Mona, who was a little apprehensive, to try it.  After realizing that she could make it through a whole class, she kept going as well.

At first, Mona found the heat mind blowing and would feel a little woozy during class, but after, she felt great and found that she slept better and her skin was healthier.

Surprisingly, the sweating is the part she both hates and loves the most. "It's hard to explain.  It's uncomfortable, but very cleansing at the same time."

During the seven years she has been practicing two or three times per week, Mona was treated for breast cancer.  She found that the deep breathing, stretching, and sweating helped her body cope with surgery and radiation.

Over the years, Mona has been able to find the right balance in poses more often and hold them longer.  Oddly enough, some of the poses she disliked the most in the beginning are now her favorites.

"The strangest thing for me has been realizing that I can hear a particular instruction dozens of times without really grasping it or giving it any importance.  Then all of a sudden one day, the same instruction will mean something completely new to me."

Steve and Mona saw a good thing in Rebecca's (Jordan) instruction and wanted to stay close to that.  So, they followed her to RHY.  "I like the teaching philosophy of Revolution Hot Yoga.  It's very hands-on and individualized even in a room full of people,"  said Mona.

Practicing yoga together provides a special activity they can share and gives them extra incentive to attend class.  "Our lives are pretty busy so we often go to class on separate days, but when we can go together, there's an additional dynamic that's very fulfilling.  On the ride home, we compare notes about what we discovered or accomplished and who we visited with before or after class.  Invariably we arrive home feeling a whole lot better than when we started out! "

This is Mona Olds' and Steve Young's yoga story.

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