Shaz & Timothy

Recently Shaz and I were having breakfast and pondering on the two most important things we had done in our lives. Both of us immediately came up with the same answer: 1.) Getting married after relishing a seven-year friendship and 2.) Embarking on our hot yoga journey.

How did the latter start? Well, about thirteen years while visiting Shaz during our dating period, she asked me if I’d like to try a “Hot Yoga” session with her. I had heard of the yoga buzz quite a bit but did not really have much interest in doing it since I considered myself more of a cyclist, hiker, and/or runner, but not a “yogi”. Nonetheless, since I wanted to impress her, I joined her to the old studio in the Downtown Mall, and I was immediately hooked. Pretty quickly it became clear how inflexible and stiff I really was from all the biking and running I had done in the past. I soon realized that the yogic path would probably be far more sustainable and healthy for me in the long run or as a hot yoga teacher once stated: “A healthy spine is a healthy life.”

Admittedly when we first started the practice and for years to come, it was almost a purely physical experience and not a “moving meditation”, as is often emphasized in class. However, over the years, that has slowly and completely switched: each practice is really a mental exercise… truly a moving meditation that carries out into our daily lives and all of our interactions with others. Being able to remain calm and centered while those around you are getting riled up is now second nature for both of us, especially these days during the Covid 19 crisis. We are making the best of it and are able to maintain our trice weekly commitment because of the wonderful Utube videos offered by Lizzie. No words can express how grateful we are to Lizzie and all the amazing hot yoga teachers for offering this exceptional service to the Charlottesville community.

It truly has changed our lives…in gratitude…Shaz and Tim.