"It will hurt. It will take time. It will require dedication. It will require willpower...It requires sacrifice...But I promise you, when you reach your goal, it will be worth it."
What's all the hullabaloo?
Hi, I'm Kristen! I'm a young twenty-something residing in Rochester, NY where I work as Director of Strategic Initiatives at an awesome literary center called Writers & Books. When I'm not working, I enjoy reading, cooking, writing, and fitness.
Recently, perhaps due to a quarter life crisis or a deeply buried masochism, I decided to embark on a new fitness journey - the 30 Day Bikram Yoga Challenge. What is Bikram Yoga you ask? Bikram is a very specific kind of hot yoga practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity. Each 90-minute session includes a series of 26 specific postures and 2 breathing exercises, which according to Rochester's Bikram Studio's website, are "designed for our cultural problems of stress, overeating, bad posture, and aggressive lifestyles."
So beginning Saturday, March 1st and going all the way through Sunday, March 30th, I am going to attend a Bikram class every single day. That means I will complete 45 hours, 1560 poses, and who knows how many loads of laundry in 30 days. Through literal sweat and probable tears, for better or for worse, I am going to stretch my body to it's limits and prove to myself that I can complete a yoga-thon.
But I'm not only doing this for myself.
In 2012, when I moved to Rochester and began working at Writers & Books, I quickly became fond and attached to one of my lovely co-workers, Sally Bittner Bonn. Over my first couple months at Writers & Books, I began to get to know Sally and later her husband, David, and her son, Oscar. The Merulla-Bonn family are three of the coolest people I know. They are poets, musicians, pirates. They are loving, warm, strong. And Oscar is by far the most erudite kindergartner I've ever met - full of curiosity, imagination, and giggles.
Oscar was born with type-II Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a genetic neuromuscular disease characterized by muscle atrophy and weakness. You can learn more about it on the Oscar-Go website or on the FSMA website. Before meeting him and his family, I had never heard of SMA. Before meeting Sally, David, and Oscar I had never heard of SMA - I want to do this challenge for them and raise awareness and money to donate to SMA research. Help me raise funds, complete this challenge, and give back to a beautiful, inspiring community.
Other Ways You Can Help!
Every contribution, even a dollar, helps family's like Oscars. But as a recent college grad and entry-level worker, I understand that financial donations are not always possible. Here are other ways you can help support 30 Days for SMA:
- Get the word out - both about this campaign and SMA! Post the link on twitter, facebook, tumblr, through email and any other social media site you frequent (the Indiegogo share tools are great for this!). And don't forget good old fashioned word of mouth! Talk it up to your family, friends, coworkers, strangers on the street!
And finally...
For those interested, I will be posting my progress throughout the challenge on this blog (I intend to do it everyday, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves, hmm?). And here are some other helpful and interesting links:
Oscar-Go
FSMA Website
SMA Research
Bikram Yoga
Bikram Rochester
With all my thanks and love,
KZK
