The Path Of Practice - Part 2

Emily Rex is one of the most prominent members of the Revolution Hot Yoga (RHY) community.  She is the manager of our Work-Study program, a teacher for us in the summer, and our most consistent and regular member of class.  On November 3, she attended her 300th class at RHY, completing 300 classes in just 393 days.  Additionally, November marked the 15th anniversary of her yoga practice.  To celebrate both of these achievements, and to share some of her insights and experience with the community, Rebecca and Emily sat down and shared some questions and answers.

Part 2 of 2

Rebecca:

Describe your process of practice.  Most students in class can't see how methodical and precise you are -- they just see an incredible range of motion or a full expression of a posture.  But the teachers observe your process and we've watched your practice grow and develop over the years.  What is your mental focus, discipline, concentration, and how does that manifest in the asanas?

Emily:

Yoga is a path, so the practice is always changing and present in different ways. The most important thoughts I keep in mind are to (1) connect with my body and allow it to guide my practice, (2) accept my practice as it is at any particular moment, and (3) to balance effort with ease.

Connecting to my body and using it as a guide or teacher removes external influences from the practice. In the studio, this includes looking at one’s physical presence in the mirror. I certainly recognize the benefits of having a mirror in the studio: for beginners, looking in a mirror can help one understand the basic alignment of a posture. But as a practice continues, using the mirror too much can risk developing a superficial practice, and can even breed a sort of narcissism. Bringing the focus inward instead allows me to use the sensations in my body as my teacher. And focusing on particular parts of the body teaches me different things. For example, focusing on the pelvic floor or the feet helps me feel grounded, while focusing on the spine brings awareness to my alignment. Regardless of where the focus is, turning it inward has allowed me to guide my own practice.

Accepting my practice as it is at any particular moment has contributed to the longevity of my practice. It takes away the need for pursuing or working toward a particular goal. Instead, accepting my practice each day challenges me to acknowledge any physical, mental, or spiritual issue, including a tight hamstring, boredom, tiredness, or emotional pain. Although it’s easier in theory than in actual practice, I try my best to be completely open to these experiences and try to be nice to them. A regular sitting meditation practice has also helped with this.

Finding the right balance of effort and ease is another tricky one. We live in a culture of striving, and this is very true when it comes to exercise. Because yoga is a wonderful source of physical well being, it’s natural to want to “achieve” a particular expression of a posture. The trouble is that this type of striving is that it encourages bad habits, such as comparing oneself to others and risking injury by pushing the body to places that it’s not ready to go. I’ve learned that practice requires a balance of what Buddhists call “wise effort” but at the same time allowing the body to ease into where it is ready to go. For me, this balance manifests itself in a persistent focus on alignment with a willingness to “ease up” if my body tells me to.

Rebecca:

How is your practice evolving -- from the beginning through now?  Do you have any goals or next targets?

Emily:

Yoga has become part of my spiritual path. Yoga has helped me learn patience, humility, generosity, and love. Even though it’s been 15 years since I first stood on a yoga mat, I enjoy being a student of yoga and still feel like a beginner at heart. For me it hasn’t been about achievements or goals, but the opportunity to connect with my body, be present, and try to spread loving kindness through practice along the way.

Emily Rex in action.

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The Path Of Practice - Part 1

Emily Rex is one of the most prominent members of the Revolution Hot Yoga (RHY) community.  She is the manager of our Work-Study program, a teacher for us in the summer, and our most consistent and regular member of class.  On November 3, she attended her 300th class at RHY, completing 300 classes in just 393 days.  Additionally, November marked the 15th anniversary of her yoga practice.  To celebrate both of these achievements, and to share some of her insights and experience with the community, Rebecca and Emily sat down and shared some questions and answers.

Part 1 of 2

Rebecca:

How did you get started doing yoga? Did you start with the intention of creating such an extensive, lifelong practice?

Emily:

My mom introduced me to yoga in the fall of 1999 at what was then a tiny studio in metro Detroit, and we practiced there every Sunday morning. I enjoyed the mind-body connectedness I felt from practicing and was intrigued by the Buddhist spirituality and sitting meditations that my teacher incorporated into his classes. I knew that yoga would be a lifelong practice for me.

Although my practice is almost daily now, it wasn’t always this way. I began by practicing just once a week, and when I was in college, I only practiced during school breaks and over the summer. But I carried aspects of my practice with me through that time. As a music performance major, I learned how to use my breath effectively through the practice of yoga and meditation. I also practiced meditation and visualization exercises before concerts and auditions. I’ve had a more regular practice for the last few years, and I take class or practice on my own 5-7 times per week. Yoga hasn’t always had a structured presence in my life, but it’s always been there to some degree.

Rebecca:

What compels you to keep coming back?  Starting is easy -- anybody can do a first class or a first week or a first month or even a first year -- how do you maintain a consistent, almost daily practice for 15 years?

Emily:

I love the practice of yoga, and I do what I can. Right now, I feel incredibly fortunate to have the time to practice almost daily, but it hasn’t always been this way. I feel grateful for the ability to practice, my past and present teachers, and the community at RHY. Love and gratitude can go a long way.

Rebecca:

How do you manage the days when you don't want to practice?   What is your strategy for getting to yoga when you really don't want to, and once you're on your mat, does your practice reflect your mood?

Emily:

There are certainly days when I don’t want to practice. During the week, I practice in the evening, so reminding myself that I need a “release” after work is a good strategy. When I know I’m going to have a busy day, I put my yoga clothes and mat in the car so I don’t give myself the choice of going home and making an excuse. And sometimes I simply tell myself, “you’re going to class, and that’s that.” Sometimes my practice reflects that mood, but I’m almost always glad to have practiced.

Rebecca:

How do you motivate yourself?   Do you need a gold star or proof of your efforts?  Did you need different motivators 5, 10, 15 years ago?  How have your motivation needs and strategies changed over the years?

Emily:

I’ve had different motivations at different times. When I started yoga, I remember my mom dragging me out of bed to go to class with her. I’m glad she did. There have been times when my yoga practice has been mostly physical therapy, to heal an injury, for example. Other times, I’ve needed the practice for spiritual or emotional reasons. Overall, yoga has helped me become a better person for myself and for others, and reminding myself of that keeps me motivated. Yoga has taught me humility, so I wouldn’t say I need any gold stars. As a special education teacher, I’ll save all of those for my students!

Rebecca:

Do you get bored?   If yes, how do you handle the boredom?

Emily:

Of course, I get bored! I have spent plenty of classes fantasizing about what I’m going to eat for dinner when I get home or what I have to do at work the next day. I think the best way to handle boredom is to welcome it, bring the focus back inward, and keep practicing. It’s important not to judge yourself for being bored or “wasting” your practice. Sometimes I try to bring some humor to the situation: isn’t it funny that my body is on the mat, but my mind is not? That’s when I try to reel it back in and get centered again.

Emily Rex in action.

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The Pose You Like The Least Is The One You Need The Most

I practiced regular yoga consistently for two years but fell out of the habit about three years ago. The group of friends that I was practicing with stopped going and so did I. Earlier this year, a friend mentioned that she was going to a hot yoga class at Revolution Hot Yoga (RHY), and I decided to give it a try to see if it would re-energize me.

Never having done hot yoga before, in all honesty, the first class was really tough, and I left thinking, "Wow, I'll never do that again!" But something drew me back the next week and the next... The fourth class was the magic number, and I left that one feeling fabulous! I've been in love with hot yoga ever since. My goal is to practice twice a week.


For some reason, I find that hot yoga is different for me than regular yoga.  The practice makes me really concentrate on myself and the poses. I wasn't into watching myself in the mirror in the beginning, but now I get it. At some point, I began concentrating on the poses and lost sight of everyone else in the room.

Since starting a hot yoga practice, I can really tell a big difference in my core strength, and I never realized how beneficial that is. And an unexplainable but great benefit is that something about practicing yoga also makes me intuitively want to eat healthier.

I find the heat so cleansing. In the beginning, I would have to ask that the heater closest to me be turned down to level 3 but now, I do the whole class with heaters on 5, and love it! I find that I don't sweat as much as I did in the beginning. When I leave class,I feel refreshed, rejuvenated and exhausted all at the same time.

It's great to feel like I'm a real yogi. In the first few months, there were some poses that I thought that I would never be able to do. Remarkably now, those same poses are some of my favorites like standing bow pose. When I started, I had to place one hand on the wall and still could barely hold the pose. But now I've mastered it and love it. I'm still not fond of the warrior poses, for some reason, but I keep in mind what Jane and Rebecca always say, "The pose you like the least is the one you need the most."

The RHY instructors are phenomenal. Due to timing and coincidence, I usually take either Jane's (Cable) or Rebecca's (Jordan-Tuner) class which I find so encouraging and inspiring. I actually look forward to yoga class, and I have NEVER been able to say that about exercise of any kind before.   

This is Lisa Caldwell's yoga story.

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A Hallelujah For Hot Yoga!

I started doing Hatha and then Ashtanga yoga at least 20 years ago. (OMG, am I really that old?!) Through the practice of yoga, I've always found peace, as well as physical fitness.

In 1996, I had a mountain biking accident that left my T12 vertebra fractured and two of my lumbar discs bulging. The excruciating lower back pain I experienced after affected all of my daily activities and yoga. However by taking large amounts of ibuprofen for years, I managed to continue with life, yoga, and martial arts as normal. Eventually chiropractic care eased the pain somewhat for which I was very grateful. But I discovered that if I didn't get frequent enough adjustments, the pain was still omnipresent in my life.

Five years ago, I found hot yoga. AND WOW! With a regular hot yoga practice, my back pain completely resolved.  I haven't been to the chiropractor for 3 years since beginning hot yoga. 

Now folks, I’m known for my honesty and, shall I say, my bluntness. I came pretty close to detesting how hot...and gross...and suffocated I felt during the hot yoga classes at one studio where I had the fortune to meet Rebecca (Jordan-Turner).  However,  I continued to practice regularly because the relief from the back pain I got was worth 90 minutes of suffering in the heat.

It was a happy day for me when Rebecca left that studio and started teaching her own school of yoga, first at home then at Revolution Hot Yoga (RHY). I eagerly followed her and LOVE the classes at RHY. I enjoy the people, the variety of classes offered with their different sequences, and especially the adjustable heaters. 

Hallelujah! 

I take the regular hot yoga classes often to challenge myself, but the restorative classes are a little slice of heaven for me. I can destress and keep my back in good working order in the same restorative class. Win-Win! :)

I'm a true believer; I drank the Kool-Aid (a reference for those of you past the age of 40); and I'm here to testify. 

Can I get an “Amen”!

Rebecca and all the teachers at RHY have my thanks. 

Choir:  Can I get another “Amen”?!

This is Dr. Myra Dove's yoga story.

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