We got our boys settled in the gym where they could play during the class. There was a Zoomba-esque class in the studio next door that had about two dozen women doing a cross between Middle Eastern dancing and aerobics. Many women had the belts adorned with coins that belly dancers wear. These would make jingle sounds as they moved. There was one man in the class. Boy, did he look like a fish out of water. At least he did not have a jingle belt on. More power to you sir!
I realize that “yoga” is a very broad term. It can encompass many styles and levels of fitness. I would refer to ours as “entry level”. Our Instructor, Allie, informed us that weights and the fitness balls would be incorporated into the routine. She also jokingly asked if I had “lost a bet”. I let her know my intentions were pure and that I had heard great things about yoga and wanted to give it a try.
An hour later, I was nearly asleep in a fetal position on the floor.
Throughout the class there was new-age music playing on a boom box. This is the same type of stuff you hear when you get a message somewhere. “Yanni on Yanni” is how I would describe it. For the first couple of minutes the Zoomba music was still rattling the walls making an interesting, if not distracting combination of styles.
I was concerned because my body was still sore from my track and field exploits from Saturday. My Hamstrings were especially tight. My goal was to make it through without falling over. I tried to set up in back to avoid being a distraction. The room had mirrors on three sides. There was no hiding. I was easily twice as big as most people in the room. My guess is there were a couple of ladies that were nearing a mere third of my size. Once again, I looked completely out of place. I resembled a bear that had wandered out of the woods and found his way to the “Y”.
“Yoga Bear” I thought to myself.
The class started by focusing on breathing, stretching, and posture. I focused on getting the voice of Yogi saying “Hey hey hey Boo Boo” out of my head. The things that go on inside my head…
Eventually the music, stretching, and breathing won over my brain.
I relaxed.
There were some moves that were awkward for me. I breathed through them. I got to where I was “in the moment” I had no concept of time or events outside the studio. Before I knew it we only had a few minutes left and it was, as Kimm refers to it, “Adult Nap Time”.
We did the “corpse” position on the floor. I rock at this. Even in my first class I nailed it. Nobody “corpses” like me! Allie gave us rectangular bags of rice to cover our eyes. Slowly we relaxed our bodies starting with our toes and moving up. Eventually we were instructed to turn to our left side.
If you threw a blanket on me, I would have slept all night.
Finally, class was over. Kimm explained to me that I had to get up…really…you can’t stay.
Yoga Bear would not be able to hibernate on the studio floor.
Upon getting up and moving around, I realized my hamstrings had released. My back and shoulders no longer felt the effects of heaving discs and shots. My voice was relaxed and speaking like I was in a library.
So, I’m a convert. I know that yoga is something I must incorporate into my exercise regimen in order to improve my flexibility, balance and strength. I also realized that while everyone could see the dancing bear in the corner doing yoga, I was just as good as everyone else. I will stay at this level for a bit and take some more challenging classes in the future but I am very pleased with the start.
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