Yoga and Me
This week I started a yoga class. I had a few reasons for deciding to take the class. First of all, I haven't really been exercising much lately. Partly because I've gotten busier (though that's really just a lame cop-out), partly because I no longer belong to a gym, partly because I can't stay committed to working out. So I figured that if I signed myself up for a class (that I have to pay for), I'd be more likely to stick with something. So I started looking around for classes I could take. I narrowed down my options to either yoga or pilates because I thought it would be good for me to do something that would increase my flexibility (which is and always has been pretty much non exsistent) and strengthen my core area (especially my back which has been bothering me a lot lately), and I also wanted something that would be somewhat relaxing and give me an opportunity to release the stress of my week.
I looked for classes in the area (via google searches... which are really starting to drive me crazy) but eventually just ended up looking through a catalog for the leesburg rec center (Ida Lee) which offered a Hatha Yoga 1 class. I don't really know anything about all the different kinds of yogas, so I have no idea how hatha differs from anything else, but it was the only beginning class I could find at a time I could attend (and it was far cheaper than any of the private yoga classes).
So Thursday I headed over to Ida Lee, feeling a little nervous, but glad that I was finally doing something again. There aren't too many people in my class. This week there were 5 (including me) and apparently 2 others should have been there, but were out of town or something. Of course I was the only one who had never taken a yoga class before, so I was a little nervous when we got started. But I think I did pretty well. I was definitely the least flexible person in there, which didn't surprise me too much. We learned some basic elements and 3 different poses (though I haven't really done them enough to know how to recreate them). I was most proud of the fact that I didnt fall over while holding the poses, there were a few times that I almost did, but I was determined not to make myself look like a fool.
The best part of the class was that it was very relaxing. Which is what I wanted. We started off with this centering thing. I knew that yoga was kind of "out there" before signing up and and I wasn't really sure how I would react to that (because it typically makes me feel uncomfortable--which I often express in giggles), but this wasnt too bad. The instructor kept saying that we should only concentrate on what we were doing and on our breathing... which of course made me think of everything but that at first, but as the class went on I was able to forget other things. But that's probably because I had to completely concentrate on what I was doing so I wouldn't look like an idiot. Oh we also had to listen to Enya-ish music the whole hour, but after a while I was able to block that out.
Overall the whole thing hardly felt like a work out (as in I wasn't panting and out of breath by the end). The hardest thing was the stretching, which I definitely felt, but I didn't push myself beyond what I could handle. Other than that, it all felt pretty good. At the end of the class we just laid down and relaxed for a few minutes. Any workout that requires laying down and doing nothing works for me. And when the class was over, I felt pretty good.
Then this morning I woke up and my muscles had that you-worked-out-yesterday feel, which kinda surprised me since I didn't really feel too much strain yesterday. But as the day has gone on, I've been feeling it more and more. Nothing too intense, just enough to know that I actually did work out.
So I think this yoga thing could work out.
I looked for classes in the area (via google searches... which are really starting to drive me crazy) but eventually just ended up looking through a catalog for the leesburg rec center (Ida Lee) which offered a Hatha Yoga 1 class. I don't really know anything about all the different kinds of yogas, so I have no idea how hatha differs from anything else, but it was the only beginning class I could find at a time I could attend (and it was far cheaper than any of the private yoga classes).
So Thursday I headed over to Ida Lee, feeling a little nervous, but glad that I was finally doing something again. There aren't too many people in my class. This week there were 5 (including me) and apparently 2 others should have been there, but were out of town or something. Of course I was the only one who had never taken a yoga class before, so I was a little nervous when we got started. But I think I did pretty well. I was definitely the least flexible person in there, which didn't surprise me too much. We learned some basic elements and 3 different poses (though I haven't really done them enough to know how to recreate them). I was most proud of the fact that I didnt fall over while holding the poses, there were a few times that I almost did, but I was determined not to make myself look like a fool.
The best part of the class was that it was very relaxing. Which is what I wanted. We started off with this centering thing. I knew that yoga was kind of "out there" before signing up and and I wasn't really sure how I would react to that (because it typically makes me feel uncomfortable--which I often express in giggles), but this wasnt too bad. The instructor kept saying that we should only concentrate on what we were doing and on our breathing... which of course made me think of everything but that at first, but as the class went on I was able to forget other things. But that's probably because I had to completely concentrate on what I was doing so I wouldn't look like an idiot. Oh we also had to listen to Enya-ish music the whole hour, but after a while I was able to block that out.
Overall the whole thing hardly felt like a work out (as in I wasn't panting and out of breath by the end). The hardest thing was the stretching, which I definitely felt, but I didn't push myself beyond what I could handle. Other than that, it all felt pretty good. At the end of the class we just laid down and relaxed for a few minutes. Any workout that requires laying down and doing nothing works for me. And when the class was over, I felt pretty good.
Then this morning I woke up and my muscles had that you-worked-out-yesterday feel, which kinda surprised me since I didn't really feel too much strain yesterday. But as the day has gone on, I've been feeling it more and more. Nothing too intense, just enough to know that I actually did work out.
So I think this yoga thing could work out.
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