Motion affects emotion.
This is something Tony Robbins often speaks to during his inspirational seminars all over the world.
Yoga was always something I had wanted to try, but you know how it goes: we all have this long list of things we’d like to do at least once for the experience, to dip a toe in a different pool, to switch up the usual flow of our day to day.. but oftentimes, we just never get around to doing them. I don’t recall how yoga piqued my interest, but it was one of those floating thoughts in the depths of my mind that would surface from time to time.
Back in 2012, I was 22 and going through a break up. This was my second significant relationship that had come to a close, and it hurt. Heartbreak is one of the worst feelings in the world.
If you’ve moved through a failed relationship, it’s very likely you’ve also experienced the immediate thrust into self-improvement. Having a committed relationship takes intention, time, energy and attention, to name just a few key elements to growing a lasting partnership.
When you become single, especially if it’s a swift and clean break, all of those aforementioned elements suddenly become available for you to apply solely to yourself. And so, I signed up for a 1-month unlimited trial at a local Bikram yoga studio, followed by a 12-month unlimited membership. My personal yoga journey had begun.
During that time, I did a 30-day challenge where I committed to going to one class per day; all of them were 90-minutes long, held in rooms that were heated to about 40 degrees Celsius and were insanely humid. Does that sound ridiculous to you? Probably. Did I thrive on that? I sure did.
I had to miss a couple days due to a crazy schedule, but I was dedicated to completing the challenge. To make up for them, I doubled up classes on other days, doing two classes in a single day instead of one (yes, that meant 3 hours of hot yoga).
By day 11 of the challenge, I had come down with the flu for the first time since I was a kid. It was brutal. I must have been borderline insane because I refused to break my challenge in spite of the congestion, nausea, body aches and incredible exhaustion I was experiencing. Being so close to the halfway mark, I couldn’t fathom starting all over again, and so I trudged on.
Here I was, doing back bends and inversions in sweltering heat for 90-minutes at a time; contrast that with me at home, lying on the couch, being so dehydrated and literally too fatigued to reach for the glass of water that was on the coffee table right beside me, easily within the length of my arm.
To this day, I am baffled by how I kept going.
My flu was gone just as fast as it came, after only 3 days. I am positive I detoxed the hell out of my body. By day 22 of my challenge, I was in Whistler participating in Tough Mudder. It was a physically demanding month, to say the least.
I was at the Bikram studio so often and had developed a pretty strong yoga practice that by my 10th month as a student, one of the instructors (who had recently started teaching there) asked me if I was also a yoga teacher. Though I was quick to say no, that definitely stroked my ego and I loosely considered “could I one day become a yoga teacher?” But that thought was brushed aside as I was in the throws of pursuing a career as an actor for about decade by that point. “Yoga teacher.. it’d be chill, but nah.”
After my 13 months of Bikram wrapped up, I felt I had “yoga’d” myself out and went on to try a bunch of other memberships at local gyms. I also regularly did outdoor activities such as hiking, rollerblading, running, snowboarding, and even became a women’s kickboxing instructor a couple years later.
Fast forward to 2015, I found my way back into yoga, this time at Oxygen Yoga & Fitness. This heat was far less overwhelming – about 38 degrees Celsius and dry. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go for my yoga teacher training (200-hr YTT) and become certified so I could also teach.
During this time, I had recently decided that I was ready to move on from the film industry as I was ready for something new after 12 years. I was moving through yet another substantial transition in my life, professionally as opposed to romantically. It was a full circle moment from that time I was asked if I was a yoga instructor by another teacher at the Bikram studio. Who would’ve thought this is where I’d end up just a few years later? Life is funny like that, isn’t it.
My story brings us to this very moment in 2018. I am now in my third year of teaching and continuing to evolve into the best version of myself each day. I’ve created a business around something that fulfills me, and it’s one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my life to date.
Becoming a wellness consultant and yogi has given me the platform that I’ve always hoped for in my acting career; a medium to share my story, to empower others to move through the challenges in their lives head on, and to inspire others to go for their dreams with all the gusto they’ve got.
There are a million reasons why any individual would decide to take up exercise. To tone their body, to lose weight, to clear their mind.. I know people who exercise because they are able-bodied and they simply can. There are endless physical and mental benefits to movement, and countless ways to sweat.
As I write this, interestingly enough, I am going through another break up. While it is a mutual decision between my partner and I, it doesn’t make it any less painful. The message I am sharing here is very timely, for both you the reader, and for me. It serves as a strong reminder.
If you are going through a turbulent time, remember: motion affects emotion. If you are sedentary for too long, it is far too easy to get sucked into the depths of sadness, frustration, anger and laziness. You must get your body moving, even if it just means walking around your neighbourhood for 10 minutes, then 20, then 30.
Don’t let the weight of your emotions overthrow your zest for life and your drive to achieve your goals. Of course it’s okay – and certainly necessary – to allow yourself to feel the pain of your circumstances; yes, let yourself sit in it and feel it all.
Keep in mind, though, that it’s a fine line before you cross over to a state that doesn’t do anything to serve you down the road. Don’t let yourself stay low for too long. Don’t become motionless.
We don’t exercise because it’s easy; in fact, we invite the challenge. We want to intentionally change our state. Be willing to surprise yourself with what you can accomplish physically and mentally, and watch yourself become a new person before your own eyes. Someone you love and are kind to when you look in the mirror. Someone you respect. Someone you are proud of.
Here’s to moving and healing. I’ll see you on the mat.
Kinga Gorski
Wellness Consultant, Yoga Instructor, Speaker
www.kingagorski.com
@kingagorski
Any individuals in sports and fitness who would like to share their voice, please submit to hank@hankfittraining.com