Release... Sweat & Power

I remember years ago a yoga teacher, her name long since forgotten, though it might've been Joy or Hope or some other happy-emotion-turned-baby-boomer/yoga teacher-name. Anyway, I recall Hopejoy saying something like, "Women need to sweat every day. It's a necessity." My nineteen year old brain went into analysis (a habitual thing women seem to do - the habit of which is one of the more sticky things to release though well worth it), and I looked at that sweaty concept from different perspectives, thinking, yeah, I guess do feel better on the days I sweat. I wonder why that is. Is it hormonal? Is it biological? Is it for the lymph? The skin? The sex-drive? The mood? Hmm, what exactly is it? I'm not certain. Hopejoy breaks through my mind's rant, and I'm coming into child's pose delayed slightly by my thoughts.

One thing is for certain, I have more dirty clothes and laundry to do than ever before. Though I'm also certain it's worth it.

Having a few years on that nineteen year old girl (boy I must've thought I was a woman, but such a girl I was, granting that I might've been more mature than many nineteen year olds, still, I was such a girl. I think all of us women have a girl in us for our whole lives, but especially until we're around...30), but these years have granted me many things I'm only half-aware of and some, thankfully, I'm more aware of so I can remember to be grateful and here's what I know as of today about women and sweating and, with some of the wisdom life experience provides, power.

Sweating, at it's most fundamental, is a release. And if your light-bulb hasn't illuminated yet, think of it this way...orgasm is a form of release. Girl-friend talking/venting/sharing is (usually) a form of release. Dancing, screaming, yelling, menstruation, laughing, crying, and tantrums are all forms of release. All should be celebrated in my opinion, but more on that later. Sweating is GOOD. One of my major life experiences happened almost 100% because I was in the middle of releasing which included tantrums, screaming, pounding my fists, releasing binds of old thoughts/judgments/beliefs and generally freeing myself...or releasing of things that had nothing to do with being present. Sweating can help you be more present. Increasing your heart rate can help you be more present. So the release leads to being more present, which any spirituality or religion will tell you is good. But if you don't already know it, take a deep breath and a moment, and check in with yourself and ask the question, "Is it healthy for me to be more present?" and you'll get your answer.

What else? Ah, yes. Power.

Besides sweating every day, my workouts of late have reminded me the importance of feeling powerful. For everyone, but since we're on the feminine this time, I'll stick with that. Feeling powerful (in a healthy, confident, vibrant, alive way) is always good. Doesn't mean you can't chill and relax and let others lead or take charge (in fact there's power in that). Feeling powerful is a fabulous feeling.

We are bombarded with images of women - athletes, celebrities, models, who have bodies that are not only surgically and/or digitally enhanced, but remember, these women make a living based on their body and/or appearance, so it's part of their JOB to have beautiful bodies. So forget about them for just a moment. If they're not surgically enhanced, they're digitally-enhanced (projection and self-image shifted dramatically with photoshop), and if they've opted out of the former, they at least have dedicated a decent portion of their day to work-outs with expert trainers not to mention stylists who help them with clothing, makeup and hair so they look, well, worthy of idolatry. Remember that as you strike them from your mind for a moment.

Instead of comparing yourself to any of them...

Think about you. Your body. How much it has been through. How it's still kicking and ticking through everything. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally. I separate these things with language, but they all blend together in our human experience. Even if you've had health or physical challenges, your body has been doing it's absolute best for you.

Exercise to honor your body. Exercise to release. Exercise to sweat. Exercise to feel powerful. Forget about weight-loss or waist-size or clothing-size. Yes, exercise can lead to a more fit and toned body, and it can also seem like a pain-in-the-butt when all you really want to do is eat a pint of hagen dazs and watch Sex & the City reruns, but think about how good it will feel to sweat and release your day. Think about how good an orgasm feels, because the release from exercising is a version of that, albeit more subtle, but still, we need these releases. Think about how good you feel when you feel confident and powerful. Let that be your motivation.

Release. Sweat. Power.

Let me know how it goes.