Yoga

Along with the rest of America, I've been hearing good things about yoga for years. And I always sort of meant to try it without ever really getting around to doing so. I did go to one class about 5 years ago, but then I sprained my ankle pretty severely and never ended up going back. (Grande jetes and stilettos do not mix no matter what your drunk brain tells you.)

I decided to actually give it a go a week or so ago. I was taking a public speaking class at work and our final presentation was twenty minutes about something we had an emotional connection to. The talks were really interesting and ranged from adopting a dog to the art of pairing beer with meat when BBQing to rock climbing. One woman chose to talk about her experience becoming a yoga instructor and the various benefits she'd experienced.

This came right at the time that I was realizing I hadn't been to the gym for over a month and was trying to figure out how to get back in the habit of working out. I decided that signing up for a yoga class would keep me more accountable than just working out on my own. Not to mention that having someone else there to motivate you really helps with each individual workout. I'd noticed that with a personal trainer present I could easily lift 30 lbs above my head, but on my own 25 lbs was a struggle. External motivation is key.

I began by looking up some yoga studios near where I live. I was hoping for an evening or weekend class that didn't cost too much. But prices looked to be about $30 per class, which can add up really quickly when you're looking at 1-2 classes a week. I was juggling numbers and trying to figure out if just canceling my gym membership would be a good idea when it dawned on me that my gym offered yoga classes.

I went to the website, hoping that my membership entitled me to some discount, at least in comparison to the other studios. It turns out that the majority of yoga classes offered at my gym are free. Even better, there are three every week that fit into my schedule. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 and Saturdays at noon. Suddenly my $70/month gym membership seemed like an astoundingly good deal.

I missed the Saturday class, but made it to Tuesday's Vinyasa yoga. It ended up being a good class to start with, as the focus that week was more on continuous breathing than getting all the poses exactly right. The teacher was really nice, and I only fell over once. We moved through the poses a lot faster than I expected, but I think that's a hallmark of the Vinyasa style. I'm sure the other classes will focus more on holding poses and building strength and balance.

I ended up stretching muscles I'm not sure I've ever stretched before, including all of the muscles around my shoulder blades with one pose. I also feel like I got a pretty good thigh and arm workout, and I'm sure an ab workout will come as my skill level improves.

All in all I really enjoyed the class, and I'm looking forward to more. It was really relaxing and a good way to finish what had been an incredibly stressful day.