Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, I'm one of those people who loves their birthday and today is mine.  I just love birthdays in general though, and celebrating them.  There could be some stranger in a restaurant, and while the wait staff sings their birthday song, I'll be singing and clapping right along with them. And then there's the cake.  Mmm...cake.

I just strongly believe that everyone should get very special treatment for their birthday and I love that there are companies out there who feel the same way. I figured I share some of the birthday deals I've received this month, so others can get the birthday props they deserve, too:

25% off at Amaryllis Jewelry

10% back in rewards at Office Depot

Double A+ rewards from Airtran

Saving on booking vacations at Delta Vacations

FREE gift from Sephora

FREE drink from Dunkin Donuts

FREE class from Bikram Yoga Baltimore

FREE class from Bikram Yoga Raleigh

10% off any products and services from Zina's Day Spa

There's also a much more comprehensive list of birthday deals here.  Evidently I could eat for free all day today by hitting up Denny's, Fuddruckers, Baskin Robbins, and Famous Dave's but I think I'll pass as I would like to be around to celebrate my next birthday, too.

Thoughts from the Torture Chamber...

After way too long of a holiday hiatus, I found myself back in the Bikram yoga hot room on a regular basis this past week.  If you're not familiar with this particular form of yoga, allow me to explain, it's a 90 minute class in a room that's about 110 degrees, with 30% humidity, affectionately known as the Torture Chamber. 

It isn't that beautiful, serene, in a field of grass yoga you may imagine like this:

No...it's a bit more like this:

You could say it's yoga for meatheads, i.e., perfect for me.  And it has done amazing things for me, my body, and my mind, I could go on forever.  But today it's just this one revelation I wanted to share.  Because I have taken so much time off from the yoga, I have experienced a bit of regression, in my flexibility and strength, and carrying a few extra lbs than I did before the holidays.  (Womp, womp).  It was easy for me to get discouraged, staring at myself in the mirror for 90 minutes (as you're required to do in this class), seeing my inability to get entirely into certain postures, wearing a tank top instead of just a sports bra.  However in last night's class I realized, I may not be as good as I was in a prior class, but being there didn't make me worse, it's what happened outside of the class that did.  No matter what I was going to walk out of that class better than when I came in, and that will always be the case.

When you go into the hot room, you leave better than when you came.

So I will be going back tonight.  Namaste.