The Reluctant Yogi
HELLO HOT YOGIS!
Welcome to Hiatus 24, your newfound sanctuary devoted to nurturing your mind, body, and soul. We've crafted a space aimed at fostering community and genuine connections. I am so excited to embark on this new journey with all of you! Since we are now up and running, I can finally catch my breath. I'd like to properly introduce myself: I'm Patty, owner of Hiatus 24.
If you know me, then you’d think opening a yoga studio is pretty off-brand. I talk fast, I walk fast, I’m impatient and have no time for nonsense. I’m loud, tense, and always busy. (Doesn’t quite scream, yogi, I know!) I’ve never been particularly introspective. The only mantra I knew was “work hard, play hard.”
I had my out-of-control teen years era.
My career-driven producer by day, party girl by night era.
Stressed out new mom, launching TV shows era.
Drinking is now a problem era.
Sober, successful, and VERY stressed-out era.
BUSY was my superpower, and I wore it like a badge of honor. Not quite the resume for a new yoga studio owner.
I tried yoga on and off for years – but I found it to be rather inefficient. I felt Savasana was a real-time suck! I hated the pressure of “breathing on cue.” I hated the counting! I had too many other things to think about, and I was NOT adding special breathing into the mix!
When I started getting “fit,” I thought I’d give hot yoga a shot. My first class was a nightmare – a total disaster. It was SO hot I thought I’d died and gone straight to hell. I couldn’t breathe. Everyone in the class was a supermodel, and I was an uncoordinated, sweaty red tomato. I was firmly in the “I hate hot yoga” camp.
A year or so later, Urban Exhale opened by my house in Los Angeles. They advertised for Restorative Hot Yoga. Long deep stretches in heat?! “Yes, PLEASE! Now we are talking!” My body is and always has been TIGHT. VERY TIGHT. I went to my first HOT Restorative class, and it was HOT, but it was AMAZING. I got used to the heat and started taking the more advanced classes. My lord – now that was hard. I liked working out hard – so I thought this WAS efficient – a hard workout plus the heat was a bonus to stretch my perpetually tight muscles.
I still had zero intention of following along with the “breath,” and I was always the first one out of the room – the second Savasana was over. I didn’t “get it.” BUT I loved the heat, the sweat, the torture.
Then the studio closed for over a year because of the pandemic. I’ll never forget my first day back – in our new individual pods. The heat melted my muscles; my body finally felt relief! I was back in full rotation. Boxing and Hot Yoga and was in the best shape of my life.
In 2022, The Doctors ended after 14 seasons. I was planning on opening my own production company, but within 2 months I was diagnosed with breast cancer the same week my insurance ended. I was brought to my knees. I was losing everything; I was having panic attacks; I was facing financial ruin. All I could hear was “just breathe.”
And I did just that – I inhaled long, deeply, and with intention. I felt an immediate calm – like a Xanax! I couldn’t believe it – this breathing thing really worked! Who knew!? I went through 6 months of surgeries and recoveries opting for a bilateral mastectomy. I was SO thrilled when I finally got the OK from my doctors that I could go back to hot yoga.
I bounced into the studio – so happy and ready to go. As soon as we started moving, I began sobbing. I was so embarrassed – I had no idea what was happening – huge tears were pouring down my face. I emailed the teacher after class to apologize for crying. I imagined it must have been uncomfortable to have this grown woman sobbing in the corner of a yoga class. Apparently, this is common. My teacher explained that we hold all of our emotions in our hips, and when people go through trauma, it’s trapped in the muscles, and this class was a release of some of that trauma.
It was then I finally got it - the full power of the mind-body connection. I started taking my yoga more seriously, with intention and gratitude, and I felt a shift in my soul. As I recovered, I was creating and pitching new TV shows. If you know me – you know when I do something, I am ALL IN. BUT while I was pitching, it was weird; I felt different. I didn’t feel “ALL IN” with TV anymore. Too much had happened; it didn’t matter to me anymore. I didn’t care. (This shocked no one more than me!) I thought, I just want to drink bone broth and do yoga. And ya know what?! That was exactly what was going to happen! I WAS ALL IN! Next thing you know – our house was on the market, we moved cross-country, and HIATUS 24 was born! (Thankfully, my husband and daughter were ALL IN for this adventure, as well. LOVE YOU BOTH!)
Trust me, I am still very much a work in progress. I’m still impatient; I still talk fast, and I still tip over on balance poses. BUT the difference is I feel a sense of peace and joy within myself, that I don’t think I ever felt before. I am filled with gratitude for my entire journey – which led me to this exciting new chapter. We are all a work in progress, and I can’t wait to grow and learn with every one of you.
SO – let’s get STRONG, SWEAT, and Just BREATHE together! Namaste!
Xo,
Patty
