Flexibility has never been one of my strong points throughout my life.

I have never been able to touch my toes from a standing or sitting position despite being heavily involved with athletics since I was a kid. I will never forget how floored one of my football coaches at North Mason High School in Belfair in the 1990s was by my lack of flexibility while walking through stretch lines at practice. For the majority of my adulthood, my lack of flexibility didn’t improve one iota.

On Oct. 27, 2017, I suffered a lower back injury that just seemed to come out of nowhere. The next few days it was almost unbearable to walk due to the muscle strain. The pain was so intense I gave my two quite expensive tickets to the Seattle Seahawks/Houston Texans game on Oct. 29, 2017 away for free. I didn’t want to leave the couch. One of my friends Timmy Winslow, who owns Wins Fitness Solutions LLC in Mukilteo, suggested I try a hot yoga class once my back returned to full strength in order to prevent reoccurring problems due to my lack of flexibility.

In November of 2017 I visited Hot Yoga at the Edge in Puyallup for a 60-minute hatha session. I chose a spot in the far right back corner of the class and didn’t know what to expect. After 60 minutes of a wide array of stretching exercises, I left the facility drenched in sweat. The amount of sweat covering my shirt was the equivalent of playing 90 minutes of full-court basketball.

Shortly thereafter, I purchased a 10-visit punch card to Hot Yoga at the Edge. I didn’t use the card in 2018 until experiencing low back pain yet again in June. The past month, I have been visiting the facility 1-2 times per week. The results have been amazing. I haven’t woke up with that annoying lower back pain in the mornings. In my opinion, it is all due to the benefits of the hot yoga sessions.

Trying new things is difficult for many individuals and I’m no different. If you would had told me 15 years ago that I would enjoy hot yoga and golf, I would had never believed it but it is now a reality. While I admit my flexibility it still abysmal, it has improved quite a bit over the past month and has made a huge difference in how I feel. My plan is to stick with hot yoga for the long haul. I’m thankful to have discovered this new fitness activity!