In September I reached a four year goal of completing a full distance Ironman race. I was very happy. And very broken. I suffered a few injuries during the race and my body became very inflamed as a result.

I took a month to nurse my injuries and as I did, I watched my waistline increase due to the abrupt end of rigorous exercise. As triathlon is swim, bike run, being so burned out from training, I wanted nothing to do with cardio…nothing. I never loved any of the three disciplines and afterward, even a walk on the beach sounded taxing.

Always being an active person, I knew I couldn’t sit for much longer. Then I remembered how I once loved hot yoga. My soul whispered to me to return to the mat. So that’s what I did.

I was surprised at how much flexibility I had lost in the four years I had not been practicing. The stiffness in my hips, knees and my injured wrist were all very limiting on my mat.

My first hurdle was acceptance. I was “less than” I used to be at yoga. The younger me found yoga “easy,” almost effortless. This me was struggling. I thought “damn, is this what 50 feels like?”

I love the practice enough to keep returning even if I was no longer “the best one.” I was on my mat for a new reason-to sit with not being as good as I once was, yet still enjoying it and accepting all it had to give me. This was very freeing.

But an interesting thing happened over the course of the next two months. My hips started to free up. My knees reduced in size. My body started to heal. I was coming back to life.

I learned my inflamed condition wasn’t from getting older, it was from too much sodium! And when my injuries fully healed, my balance and flexibility on the mat slowly returned. I am grateful to this practice that gave me my body back.

I am confident to say hot yoga will be a part of my life for the rest of my days. I have proved the benefits to myself. I aspire to be the women I see in the studio who are very aged, very flexible and very joyful.