Monday, September 15, 2008

Yoga

I love yoga! I always thought yoga was weird - until I started taking it. I thought you meditated, sat all weirdly cross-legged with your hands up and repeating "om" over and over. So, when my friend Janet invited me to take a yoga class with her at a local church, I was hesitant (and didn't even accept the invitation for over a year!). Finally, I decided to give it a try. And I've been in love ever since! I try to go twice a week, some weeks I only make it once, but I love it every time. I have improved so much since I started taking it, and my back, which used to "go out" a few times a year has given me no trouble at all since I started. I even had wrist surgery and went to yoga right after, just modifying my poses until I was strong enough to use my wrists again (we spend a lot of time in "downward dog"!). And sometimes I work up a sweat - it's NOT easy and it's amazing how much strength you build up doing yoga poses. My instructor, Tracy, is amazing. She's totally into yoga, but she's also a regular mom. She inspires me! My favorite part of the class is "corpse pose" when we totally relax. The first few times I actually dozed off. But now I can relax completely and still be aware of what's going on around me - total stillness. It's not an easy thing to do. I feel like I have miles to go in this practice and will improve over time, but I still feel like it's my favorite part of the week. I wish I'd been doing yoga years before this, but I'm glad I started now. If I can be anything like 86-year-old Myrtis, who bends and twists like the best of them, then I think I'll be doing pretty good. Namaste!

3 comments:

Sydney said...

I took a Yoga class in college and I loved it from then on too! I started doing it again at home when I was pregnant and then once again after we got here. I don't have a mat here so I just do it on the rug in the living room (which is SO not the same, as I am sure you can imagine! haha). I am excited to get back to civilization where my mat can be freed from it's storage unit prison!

Anonymous said...

I just took my first yoga class with Amie a couple weeks ago...but here is the kicker...it was HOT Yoga! You are in a room full of mirrors and steam machines. They heat the room to about 115 degrees or so, with about 147% humidity (I'm sure Sydney could just do this on her roof), and you continue to do a 75 minute yoga routine....I've NEVER sweat so much in my life, BUT, it's the most cleansed I've ever felt. I'm going back soon, it's totally refreshing. Try that variation sometime if you get bored with the standard. Miss ya!

Mimi/Papa said...

yoga?? Isn't that some kind of chocolatly ice cream? I have never sweat eating ice cream...maybe I need a recipe, Sydney!! hahaha

Love, Mimi