Yoga

I went to my very first yoga class at the Y yesterday. I was impressed, and feel certain I will go again. I have to admit, I've never done yoga before, but thought I should take a class to broaden my horizons. I thought I would be doing a lot of just sitting there while listening to music. However I was delightfully mistaken. The instructor had us do several interesting poses, and some of them I couldn't even do or hold for very long as it worked muscles I obviously haven't worked in a while.

I got there right at 5:15, when the class started, and the instructor had already begun. I wasn't sure whether or not to go in, because the lights were dimmed and I didn't want to interrupt. However, I was really looking forward to trying out yoga, so I sucked it up and went in, I'm glad I did. I wasn't sure what the proper protocol is for yoga, but I looked around and saw that everyone had their shoes and socks off. So, I took mine off as well. Luckily the teacher must have recognized I had no idea what to do, so she set up a station for me with a yoga mat, blankets, a pillow looking thing, a block, a belt, and another hanging belt strapped to a bolt in the wall. There was relaxing music playing, and the female instructor talked just how you would imagine a yoga instructor to. It was in a soft, breathy, overly-calm sounding tone. I found it amusing. She would tell the class what pose to do next, and I would have to look around to make sure I was doing it right. Some of my favorite poses where the Supported Shoulder Stand (which I did very well if I might say so myself!), the camel pose, the dolphin pose, Four Limb Staff Pose, Chair Pose, Cat Flow, and my most favorite pose was the Hanging Child Pose. I couldn't find a picture of the Hanging Child Pose, but I'll try to describe it. There were yoga belts hanging off the wall, and we were asked to take one of our blankets and use it as a apron across our hip area. Then we rested our hips in the belt, lifted our feet onto the wall, got into Child Pose, and hung upside down like that in the belts. It was interesting, different, and enjoyable. Where else am I going to get to hang upside down off a wall in my life? The only pose I couldn't do all that well was the Hero Pose and Reclining Hero Pose. It hurt my toes. I have weird feet, I think that's why.

At the end of the class we layed back with our hands extended "heart center" and relaxed. The teacher explained in that breathy voice of hers that these last few moments were ours. Then she came around and put eye pillows over our closed eyes. After we got back into sitting position we placed our hands together at the heart charka, closed our eyes, and bowed our heads and the instructor said "Namaste" to which everyone else responded back, "Namaste." I later learned that Namaste represents the belief that there is a divine spark within everyone and it is located in the heart chakra. One article I read said that "the gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another." Another interpretation of Namaste is "The God in me greets the God in you. The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you." I think that's beautiful. I also think that yoga will be added as a more relaxing part of my workout routine.

It was great!