Yoga: My Hottest Experience Yet

I never thought I would be in a Hot-Yoga class for a couple of reasons. First, I was the only guy in the class, and second, I am a college football player. Never in my life did I think I’d ever be caught in a yoga class, but as my mom always said, “A girl can make a man do anything.”

So here I was, shaking my head as I walked into Yoga class with the girl I had a crush on. As soon as I walked into “Yoga By Degrees,” the studio that we went to, I was already feeling uncomfortable. Here I was with all these girls, and every time one of them looked at me, they knew that I was here because of the girl next to me. Well, at least that’s what I thought they were thinking.

The lady at the counter was really nice helping me sign in and get ready for the experience.

“Have you ever done Yoga before?” she asked.

“No,” I answered.

She laughed, and asked me why I was taking Hot Yoga–especially the 105 degree class that is extremely difficult.

Embarrassed, I told her it was because I’ve always wanted to try it. She giggled and gave me a towel.

“You’ll be needing this,” she said.

The girl I went with was waiting for me right outside the studio. As we both walked in, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time: heat so intense that as soon as you breathe in, it constricts your lungs so strongly your body freaks out for a little bit. It was 105 degrees in there–how in the world was I going to exercise when I could barely breathe?

We got there pretty early, so it was only us two and another girl in the room. I felt extremely awkward of how quiet it was in the room. I had no idea what to do, so I just followed everything the girls did before class started. Every stretch they did I would attempt to do, and realized early on they were much more flexible then any human being should be. As the room started to get more crowded, I realized that it was only girls walking in. More and more girls kept walking in, and I kept praying for just one guy to walk in. But none did.

Before I knew it, the instructor walked in and told us class was beginning. My heart was pounding, and I was already drenched in sweat. This isn’t starting off very well, I thought to myself.

The class started off with an awkwardly loud hum, during which I almost burst out laughing. Throughout the class we did stretches and poses called “Natarajasana,” “Downward Dog,” “Scorpion,” and a lot of breathing exercises. I caught myself looking around the class repeatedly after the instructor would name a pose so I could copy people the best I could. I failed miserably. During some poses I would even find myself giggling.

By the time class ended, I was exhausted and drenched in sweat. I was happy it was over. Hot yoga was extremely difficult–not just physically, but mentally. The instructor told us to lay down, which was relaxing, but not as refreshing as the minty cool towel she put on my face for relaxation.

By the time class was over, I had a lot of respect for yoga. Not only did it feel great when I was done, but it was challenging for my body–and I got the girl.

I would definitely do it again.

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.