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“In the cherry's blossoms' shade, there is no such thing as a stranger," says yoga teacher Peg Mulqueen over the loudspeaker. I join her voice to chant 'om' with over 1,000 brightly-clad yogis here to practice yoga during the peak of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC.

Peg leading over 1,000 people in yoga.

A whole bunch of warriors.

We are no more than fifteen minutes into the practice, and I have already violated pratyahara, or control of the senses, because I am definitely not keeping my cool. With the awe-inspiring National Monument, American flags, and a big, cloud-filled sky looming over a record-breaking crowd, I find it hard to focus on the practice.

The best way to spend your Saturday afternoon.

I cannot help but scan the energetic rows of down dogs and warriors surrounding me, and the rock star yogis from near and fear. On stage practicing are this month’s Yoga Journal cover model Faith Hunter, David Kyle, a world famous yogi from Puerto Rico, and Kaitlin Quistgaard, Yoga Journal’s Editor-in-Chief.

Faith doing lotus pose.

The event was organized by lululemon athletica Tyson’s Corner manager, Laura Mann, with the support of lululemon athletica educators from all over the DC region. Our region came together to maximize our word-of-mouth persuasion and online community, garnering 1,200 confirmed guests on Facebook alone in the days leading up to the event.

The amazing lululemon team!

We chant a final 'Namaste' just as the sun peaks out from behind the clouds. A warm breeze sends cherry blossom petals fluttering around us just as we bow our heads. Ah! Now this is yoga!

Namaste.

Let me start by saying that I'm quite partial to this topic. Hot yoga is my absolute favourite. I crave it, I (sometimes) dread it, but I always love it.

To say that hot yoga is good for you is an understatement. Though it may feel unbearable at times, hot yoga offers unique health benefits that get you absolutely hooked. Being in a hot room gets your muscles (and the connective tissue around those muscles) limber letting you go further into that stretch. The cardiovascular benefits along with the added toning and strengthening elements help make hot yoga one of the most well-balanced workouts I've ever come across. On its own, it can do wonders, but partnered with a running routine - it's the perfect compliment.

I used to get very confused as to what 'hot yoga' actually meant, and it wasn't until I took the time to go to different classes that I really learned what I was getting into. The two most prominent types of hot yoga are Bikram and Moksha. Though they have many similarities, they're very different in practice.

Both Moksha and Bikram are a series of Hatha poses held for 30-60 seconds. While Bikram repeats every posture twice, Moksha incorporates a handful of flows to get the heart rate up and helps deepen the breath. Bikram is also practiced in a room at a few degrees hotter than Moksha; this is always relative to how many people are in the class - the more people, the hotter it gets. I especially love Moksha because of the instructor's ability to take creative license with each class; this energy really resonates with me and I've learned that some of my most creative moments come after a class - after countless hip and heart openers. That's what has kept me all these years, and I'm certain it's what will keep me coming back for years to come.

So should you ever want to try hot yoga, whether it's Moksha or Bikram, grab your mat (studios have mats to rent as well), your water bottle, and a towel and get ready to sweat and feel zen all in the same breath. It's rather liberating to feel so completely calm during such an amazing workout! Give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Namaste.

Inhale.

Routines. They're what keep us sane and grounded. We fall into them relatively easily and find it difficult to break them. And often, they're an easy and mindless transition from our work selves to our personal selves - and this can be comforting after a long and hard day.

Exhale.

But every so often we're given the opportunity to challenge ourselves to break out of these routines helping us reflect. Sometimes we look past these challenges and decide to leave our routine in tact for that day; but other times we get that itch - that little voice that tells us this could be really, really interesting. And these are the moments when we should take the challenge, step out of our comfort zones, and scratch that itch.

Inhale.

My experience at Santa Monica Yoga was the first yoga adventure I'd been on outside of my comfort zone in almost a year. I like to sweat - Ashtanga, Hatha and Moksha therefore being my yoga practices of choice. But I was in for a pleasant and unexpected surprise. The studio was locked up when I got there. As I waited for the door to be unlocked I walked into a small room with a wall of yoga apparel, skidless towels, and other accessories. The people hanging around the studio were very pleasant; we chatted about what brought me to Santa Monica, and then they gave me a quick tour of the studio.

Santa Monica Yoga is unlike any studio I frequent; it's a very quaint yet spacious place - very little is over-embellished or exaggerated. There is a complete sense of simplicity - this same sense calms you as soon as you step inside escaping from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. The teacher, Catherine McDonough walked in. We had a brief conversation about my time in the LA area and she asked me how my body was feeling and really took the time to find out about my practice. She knew all the other students by first name and seemed to take a genuine interest in the relationships she had made with these people. Emotionally, I was touched. But mentally, I was prepared for a workout - to get my blood boiling and my temperature rising. Catherine, however, had something else in mind. She easily transitioned between Yin and Kundalini, amongst other forms of yoga; slowing the pace of the class and taking the time to focus on the details.

Exhale.

I left the class completely relaxed and in a state of Pacific Coast zen. I sat on the curb of Ocean Park and was reminded of why I began to practice yoga in the first place. It was never all about the benefits of toning or strengthening (though these are great additions), it was about the simple focus, that sense of calm, but most of all that inhale followed closely by that exhale.

Often times we go through our lives trapped by these monotonous routines, and we forget why or how we fell into them to begin with. We live life through a day-planner with schedule on top of schedules on top of to-do lists. So won't you take a moment in your day to challenge yourself, to step out of your comfort zone, to do one thing that scares you? Do yoga at a new studio, walk to work instead of drive, do yoga instead of spinning, do spinning instead of yoga, try bellydancing, or maybe just smile at a stranger! Regardless of what stepping out of your comfort zone means to you, whether they are big steps or little steps, get out there and live. Creativity is maximized when we're living in the moment.

Namaste.