Inhale Effort, Exhale Surrender

I have been going to hot yoga more and more as we approach RAAM. I have been going for a number of reasons. It gives me a great strength training session. It works on my range of motion and flexibility. I also feel like movement in heat is helping my body prepare for a very long hot race this summer. Finally, I feel like I NEED the space to relax my mind, focus my energy, and put intention to my action.

Today, the yoga teacher was helping us work into a pose. She said, "inhale effort, exhale surrender." 

Now, I have had a few tough days. I haven't slept well, and I have had some moments of serious self-doubt.

This resonated with me. Not about yoga, but about RAAM. This has been my problem. I haven't been separating. I keep getting stuck on effort. Stuck on inhale. Too much. Getting over worked. Feeling overwhelmed. 

Now, I am ready to start separating it.

Inhale

Go out and ride. Power up the mountains. Knock out the hours.

Exhale

Go to bed. Get some rest. Relax my mind.

Inhale

Snap up when alarm goes off. Pack the right food. Track the food.

Exhale

Celebrate my success. Focus during yoga. Stretch.

 Inhale

Watch the power numbers. Pay attention to heart rate. Hit all of the intervals. 

Exhale

Accept praise. Take my vitamins. Drink plenty of water. 

 Inhale

Organize fundraisers. Plan and execute training. Communicate with crew and Dani.

 Exhale

Clean my bike. Accept weather forecasts. Accept fatigue and respond with grace.