I just did a whole month of hot yoga.

Seriously, 29 classes in 31 days.

So. Much. Sweat. And my goodness, it was glorious.

One thing I really learned to appreciate about yoga in this concentrated month of consistent practice: the mind-body connection. I can hear your quiet scoffs. Hippy talk, right? Maybe, but I'm telling y'all, it's real. It's the heart of yoga and it's changed me.

A few lessons I learned from this month of yoga practice:

1. Our breath truly is our life source. If I ever forgot to focus on my breath, I'd feel the difference it made in my body; I'd feel the weakness come over me. Yoga's synchronization of one breath to one movement really helps you to focus on the power of your breath, and it helped make me more conscious of the power of a deep breath off my mat as well.
2. There is strength in softness. Yoga really teaches you the balance between powering through with strength and surrendering to your body with tenderness. We are often spit a lie that muscling through is the definition of power, but I've found so much more in the refined control of my yoga practice.
3. Sometimes the hardest task is to BE STILL. I can spend 55 minutes pushing my body and unfolding new levels of strength, and then I can struggle so hard to just lay in shavasana with stillness and clarity.

I've been a hot yoga fan for years, but my practice comes and goes (often with my schedule and cash flow). This month just reminded why I love this practice so much and why it will always remain a staple of my health journey.

Hence the pure joy on my face in this collection of post-yoga #sweatyselfies.

Have you tried hot yoga? What do you like about it? Give it a shot and show us your #sweatyselfie.

xoxo, mollie