"Let Your Purity Shine," or Why I Love Hot Yoga

Despite my complaints about living in Virginia, there are, in fact, many cool things about living in a large metro area like DC. Probably the coolest thing is the opportunities available in the city that I could not find in Vermont or Maine. Since I've been down here, I have been to so many interesting talks and conferences with notable scholars, tried all sorts of different ethnic cuisines previously unavailable to me (where I discovered my undying love for Korean food!), had the opportunity to study foreign language at the local embassies and cultural institutes (I started taking Korean at the Korean cultural center last summer and have taken class at the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC), and been able to generally try new things that I have never done before (one of my co-workers and I even joined a Bocce league this Spring!). Being in an area as big as DC is great especially in the age of social coupons like LivingSocial and Groupon because there are always so many deals available for so many different things. For example, last Fall, I bought a coupon for two for Maryland Small Arms Range, where Scott showed me how to shoot a gun for the first time (I was really nervous but it was actually pretty fun!).
The deal that I have gotten the most out of has been a deal for 10 classes at Hot Yoga USA in Tenleytown (near American University). I have always loved yoga since taking a class about 5 years ago. Nothing can rival the physical, mental, and emotional release, healing, and well-being of yoga in my experience. I don't know why I wanted to try hot yoga (which is not the same as Bikram, FYI), but I wanted to challenge myself and see what it was like, and a coupon with a small number of classes seemed like a good opportunity. I started using the coupon in March with very low expectations of myself as I had not formally taken yoga for some time, which was a good thing as it was brutal! I did not realize how much I could sweat! It's proven to be a good thing in this hot weather, as I'm thinking, 'I'm sweating, but this is nothing!' I'm about to take my last hot yoga class this coming week. I have come really far in terms of the poses that I am able to do, the amount of time I can hold them, and the longer that I can bear the heat without resting.
Lately, more than any physical benefit, my hot yoga classes have come on days when I am feeling very mentally and emotionally drained. Most of my stress these days, as for most people, comes from my job. The current job market is awful, especially for those of us with advanced degrees in the humanities that have incurred large amounts of student debt. Jobs in the field of international affairs are especially competitive, and pretty much everyone I know who has the same degree as myself is struggling to find something in our field (which is both comforting and depressing). So, I find myself in the position of taking a job that is not remotely in my field for the sake of getting a paycheck. My paycheck is not a lot, but it is something. For this reason, and for other reasons that will be discussed at a later date, my job is extremely draining on almost all aspects of my life. It has been great to go from work into hot yoga class, where I am able to physically push myself and work out my stress. All of the instructors that I have had there have been great, but Gopi's classes have been particularly great for me in a more spiritual sense. In the few classes I have had with her, she has said to the class things that have particularly resonated with me, things that I needed to hear. Something that she said in her last class was particularly poignant, and is something that I am trying to hold close to as I struggle with my job and my career path: "One time, someone gave me a box. It was filled with darkness. In time, I realized that even the darkness is a gift."

VA is For Lovers

DC Bucket List:

2. Buy a "Virginia is for Lovers" item.

I have lived in the DC Metro area for three years and have opted to live in Northern VA the whole time. I'm not sure what about VA is so appealing for us, more than DC or Maryland. While I don't agree with VA politics, I do like living in what I call the "North-South." There is definitely a Southern feel to Virginia, but it is different from other places in the South that I have been. Rural VA is beautiful as Scott and I discovered last year when we went camping near the Shenandoah Mountains. The "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan is VA's attempt to appeal to tourists. Truly, Virginia HAS been for lovers, as we have lived in VA for most of the time that we have been together. We also adopted our "baby" Studley, our boxer-bulldog mix, from a rescue, Friends of Homeless Animals, down here. As much as I miss New England and want to return, VA will always hold a special place in my heart.

The Beginning of the End?

My boyfriend Scott and I are seriously considering leaving the DC area in the near future for many reasons. We've been here for almost three years and we've accomplished our primary objective for living in DC- me completing my Master's. Since completing my MA last May, both of us find ourselves in jobs that are less than desirable, jobs that we feel we could find back home. I miss New England more than I ever thought I would, though that's not to say that I am homesick. Rather, I am coming to appreciate the virtues of what New England has to offer. That said, we will likely be leaving DC in the not-so-distant future, which could mean when our lease expires in September or renewing our lease for another year and moving next Fall.

The prospect of leaving DC has had me thinking of all of the things that I have wanted to do in this area but haven't gotten around to doing yet. I've created my own DC "Bucket List" (I don't particularly care for that term since such lists existed before that movie came out but now I can't even think of another name for them!). Since its creation, the list seems to be getting longer rather than shorter, but I have been crossing some items off the list and have decided to post them here as I complete them. Without further adieu, item #1:

1. Buy food from a food truck in DC.

Like many big cities in the US, DC has a fleet of food trucks offering various cuisines. Obviously, food trucks are not something that I have ever seen in Northern New England. These food trucks are typically located in the middle of the city, however, I lucked out last week as the DC Bocce League arranged for different food trucks to come as part of Bocce week to the different divisions/locations/nights. Ironically enough the truck that came to our night, Dupont Division, was the Red Hook Lobster Pound. Not only did they carry both Maine-style (with mayo) and CT-style (with butter) lobster rolls, but they also had Cape Cod Potato Chips (<3), whoopie pies (a New England dessert staple), and a soda fountain with all Maine Root sodas (I love the root beer and blueberry!). I was not disappointed! I would definitely recommend seeking out the Red Hook food truck for those seeking a good lobster roll in DC. Admittedly though, that made me a little homesick.