When I woke up this morning, the only thing I wanted to do was take a yoga class. I went on long run with my friend Merri on Saturday and something about running for more than an hour makes my body crave a good stretch.
Though I stretched when we were done with our run on Saturday, my body wanted a solid hour of yoga poses, hip openers and sweaty stretching this morning, so after breakfast I headed over to Power Yoga Ocala to take their morning power hour class.
The class was incredibly hot and sweaty. At the end of the class, when the instructor opened the door to let the outside air in, we all felt a cool breeze which is just crazy since outside air in Florida in August is anything but cool. Clearly the room was H-O-T!
We did a lot of different poses and the class incorporated a lot of core work. My favorite pose occurred during the last 15 minutes of class when were holding the high lunge pose.
The instructor had us drop the knee closest to our chest out, changing the pose slightly to what she called, a “modified pigeon pose.” Since the pigeon pose is my all-time favorite pose, I loved every minute of this! It stretched my hips in the most glorious way.
My hips are always the first thing to give me problems during a run, so I really try my best to go through lots of hip stretches, but there’s something about the hip openers and hip stretches that I go through during a yoga class that are the absolute best!
After class, I walked to my new favorite local coffee shop to grab a cappuccino and set up camp to type up this blog post and catch up on some work on the computer.
Hooray for almond milk cappuccinos!
Check out that foam! The kind woman who made my coffee initially apologized for the excessive foam, but I assured her that the foam is always my favorite part of a cappuccino. Extra foam is always appreciated by this girl! Mmm!
I hope your Monday is off to a good start. I’ll see ya after lunch!
Question of the Morning
- If you are a fan of yoga, what is your all-time favorite yoga pose?
My favorite is the pigeon pose, but I also love plow. Sometimes I’ll stretch while Ryan and I are watching TV at night and go into the plow pose and Sadie just about loses her mind. Apparently the plow pose is way too exciting for her and she always ends up running over to me and wiggling her little face in so she can lick my nose.
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I haven’t been to a yoga class in ages! Something I need to get on, because I have trouble motivating myself to do it at home. Favourite pose is dancer, but pigeon pose is a close second – so good for my tight hips!
Pigeon is my favorite too…. But can shavasana count? Lol!
I agree the more foam the better! My favorite yoga pose is half moon. I love the ones that incorporate balance in it.
I love the pigeon pose too, it’s about the only move I can do in yoga without being bored. For some reason, I just haven’t been able to get into it.
I could get into those almond milk cappuccinos. Oh my gosh, they looks awesome! I always bring almond milk to Starbucks (because I’m super cool) and usually they’re pretty awesome about making a cappuccino for me with that.
Ive been craving all summer too.
THE ONLY BENEFIT 🙂 to school starting today and my having to release the child 🙂
I love pigeon and tree pose! Runner’s lunge is also awesome for me because my hip flexors are always so tight!
So fun!!! I remember taking a yoga class in college and loving the “chimichangas” as we called them…the move where you start out in downward dog, then go into a plank, then a push up and back up! HA whatever it’s called! Such a good workout!!
I also love pigeon’s pose – my hips seem to always be tight! I also love child’s pose – so relaxing!
I agree. Yoga and hip openers are the best. My hips are the number one issue with me and my running so I crave yoga like chocolate. It’s just so hard to find the motivation to do yoga at home. Something about the atmosphere of a studio and the instructors voice guiding me, makes me happier there. <3 Pigeon is one of my top 3 favorite poses.
I really enjoy my yoga classes. I carry a lot of my stress in my shoulders, and they always feel so relaxed afterwards.
I definitely need to be better about stretching more! I’ve done a few yoga classes in the past and love the lunge pose that you were describing. It loosens everything up!
I like yoga, but don’t do it nearly often enough. High lunge pose is definitely my favorite as well, it really helps stretch out and I’m pretty good about doing it after a hard workout or run
It actually sounds like you might be describing Lizard pose! It’s an awesome hip opener. My all-time fav is Eagle. I love the balance and winding up all your limbs into a big cozy self-hug. 🙂
Hip openers are always a favorite. I also enjoy warrior 3, or anything on one leg. I love how strong my calf muscles feel afterward! I’m also a fan of inversion poses, so bring on the shoulder stands, handstands, and headstands!
I just went to yoga for the first time in years! We have fiends visiting from Germany and they convinced me and the BF to go to hot yoga. It was 90 minutes, and boy did I sweat. I think I’d prefer the 60 minute class next time, but it was definitely refreshing 🙂 I don’t really have a favorite move, but if I do it more, maybe I will! The BF wants to go again this week!
Hey Julie,
I started yoga this year and I love it soooo much that I ordered a book after my 10-week class. I will try some poses at home and then try for the intermediate class. My muscles got really “stiff” after only doing HIIT workouts.
I also like to visit some youtube channels just as “Yoga with adriene” …
I always crave yoga after a week or two of long runs! The long, steady poses are a nice change from stomping concrete. I wish the coffee shops around me had almond milk! I usually only get to have soy which gets boring after awhile!
I don’t know the term, but my favorite pose usually comes up after the lunge. It’s when you put your bended knee under your chest and try to lie down as far as you can?
Julie, a few weeks ago I had the same craving for yoga except for the fact that yoga was all I wanted to do. I listened to my body and only did yoga for the last three weeks. After getting the yoga that I needed I am ready to get back into mixing things up again. My favorite pose is pigeon. I struggle with it because I am not flexible at all, but I love how loose it makes my legs and hips feel after.
I love when lattes have a heaping amount of foam on the top! It brings out the milk taste, in my opinion! Plus, I love the little tickle you get from it 😀
You just sparked a yoga craving for me! Wheel is my favorite pose, but I also love crow now that I can actually do it. Power hour is the best way to start the day!
My favorite is pigeon pose too, I still remember the first time I did it in a class about 9 years ago. It was and still is the most amazing stretch ever, I try to do it every night before bed or in the morning after my workout. I also love wheel mostly because I can’t believe I can do a backbend, it makes me proud of myself!
My favorite is warrior and it’s many variations. But when I’m trying to challenge myself, bird pose. It makes me feel so accomplished in my practice to nail bird pose!
I love simply relaxing in forward fold, I can stay there for hours!
I haven’t been to yoga in forever! I love the tree pose and warrior the best.
Modified pigeon is my favorite, actually! I get really tight hips and hamstrings from running, so I do it every day to loosen things right back up. I started doing the pose more frequently after a masseuse recommended it and it really does the trick!
I’m definitely due for yoga this week. I’ve been in run mode all weekend, and the muscles are achin’!
Another vote for modified pigeon here, I feel so at peace with myself. A frothy cappuccino has the same effect so you’re not alone!
Thats too funny about the plow pose and sadie…haha!
There must be something in the air– I have also been craving yoga and haven’t been in months! I think I’ll use this blog post as a sign to go ahead and use my last yoga session from the package I bought forever ago! 🙂
My favorite yoga post is definitely pigeon! I find it to be SO relaxing, plus my hips are always really sore so it helps a lot!
so jealous of your almond milk! I haven’t found many places I like here in Chicago that use almond milk
So glad to see I’m not the only one that loves pigeon! Looks from the comment feed like we aren’t the only ones! Woo hoo!
I’m a pilates girl more than yoga but we do crow poses too and I love it!
Have you ever used DoYogaWithMe.com? Lots of free yoga videos, an the post-run session is my absolute favorite. I experience hip issues too, and this short (about 20 minutes) routine helps so much!
I am sooo with ya on pigeon pose. Feels amazing! I really don’t like the balancing poses — I get so frustrated but I know they are good for me.
I love pigeon as well. No matter how many times I do it, I find it challenging, relaxing and motivating. I also really enjoy bow pose.
I need to get to a yoga class soon! Its been too long.
that cappuccino looks delicious! I am a huge fan of bikram/power vinyasa yoga…I haven’t had the time in the last few months to go but your talk of hour-long stretching is making me think I need to MAKE time 😉 my favorite pose is definitely dancer 🙂
That modified pigeon pose sounds amazing. I’m sitting here at work just craving those pose! Can’t wait to get home and indulge in it for a bit!
Julie- Did you see the Divergent movie trailer yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6HHCxLZftQ&feature=youtu.be
I love Yoga, but it’s been ages since I’ve gone to a class! It’s so relaxing and definitely is an awesome workout. Pigeon pose is my favorite too!
I crave yoga when I run too! Pigeon is one of my favorites but I also love wheel.
I love yoga after long runs! My favorite poses are hip openers: eye the needle and standing frog.
Love yoga! I’ve been getting back into a daily practice. My favs are tree and half moon, but I love pigeon on days when my hips are open enough to really sink into it (like today actually, yay!).
I cannot agree more! I actually have a class that I used to go to regularly (and should start going to more often again!) that is called a ‘hip opener class. For reals. It is the most intense feeling, but so satisfying! My fave is triangle pose 🙂
I love triangle and extended angle pose…oh they feel so good! 🙂
My favorite pose is the tree pose. There’s just something about it that makes me feels so graceful!
Pigeon and tree- for totally different reasons. My hips bother me too so pigeon truly stretches me out. Tree is just a nice centering pose. I miss yoga- haven’t done it in ages!
I def need to hit up a yoga class soon–or do some on my own. I LOVE pigeon pose too!!
I love pigeon and anything that opens up my shoulders!! Hot vinyasa is definitely my favorite!