I went to my first yoga class.
Yes its another very common thing that I've managed for forty years to have nothing to do with. It's one of that list of things in our modern western culture like wearing pink and OK, Knitting, that men leave to women to do for no real good reason. It's a popular pastime with some of my friends. Female friends that is, the reaction from the blokes tends to makes it sound like a course of medieval torture and to be fair I think some of the poses the military would describe as 'stress positions'. But the girls report it giving one a 'sense of well being' and feeling 'a bit stressed' if they don't go regularly. So hoping that I can avoid the 'additive' part of the experience, I asked my good friend Suli if she would take me to the lesson she goes to.
So before we even started there was a decision to make: hot or cold. There is a version called Bikram which is done in a hot room so you get very sweaty and is a bit more hardcore. The word Bikram and the idea of heat gets mixed up in my head and the phrase Biryani Yoga has come out a few times.
We decided to start with the normal cool lesson at the local gym. Suli manage to get me a day pass for her local gym and we met up on a bright Sunday morning.
In the gym once I managed to work out how the locker works (some sort of magnetic card sensor thingy). I joined Suli in the dance studio where they were getting set up. The room was already full of people sitting on mats, spread out all over the room, about 25 or so people with the lady instructor at the front.
Suli had set up a mat for me (just like a camping carry mat) next to her, it was however right in the middle of the room so I did feel a little bit like everyone is looking at me. That hasn't helped when we all stood up and I discovered I as also 6 inches or so taller than those around me and Id quash flat anyone if I fell over.
The class progress with a set system of moves, so most people knew what to do and what was coming. I was copying those around me and trying not to laugh and giggle too much at the strangeness of it all as everyone was taking it quite serious. I caught Suli's eye a couple of times which nearly set me off and some of the balance poses must have quite comic as I was super wobbly.
But in general I think I was getting more or less in the same positions as the others and I kept up pretty well I think, managing to grab onto my feet with fairly straight legs despite some interference from my tummy getting in the way. I didn't fancy some of the more advance stuff they did like trying the headstand part or the one were you had to twist your knees which I also skipped. One move did a lot of was called the downward dog where you make a big arch with your body with your hands on the floor trying to get your feet flat on the floor. This was OK for a bit but my t shirt kept siding down and covering my face so I couldn't see what was going on. A small wardrobe malfunction.
We ended after about an hour with a relaxation section which made me think again of the floatation tank experience, Suli said afterwards that bit makes her very sleepy but I was very awake.
Afterwards I was bit sweaty and thirsty but not sore or tired. I returned our mats to the store while Suli asked the instructor about the finer points of doing head stands right.
Suli asked did I enjoy it and said I looked like I was doing OK but said I should try and remember to breath through my nose. I think I did enjoy it and it will have done me good.
We then got changed and went for a nice lunch. All part of the full experience.
Two days later as I write this the muscles are in a sore sore state and I can't currently easily pick some thing off the floor and I'm shuffling around like an old man. So yes it has done me some good, I just can't feel it yet.
Would I go again, yes I think so, although I'll wait until I can move normally again.
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