So I got my first experience with Yoga the other night. We had a Yoga instructor come in for our Lupus support group. I was really looking forward to this because I thought it might be something I might enjoy in the future.
The instructor was a typical hot looking Yoga instructor. Slender , and looked like she could touch her toes with her elbows if she wanted, Yoga people always look like that....they also always have a wonderful smile like this woman did.
She explained a little about what yoga is about. And soon we found ourselves trying our first position...a sitting on our butt position with our legs spread out in front of us. "Back straight" she said...I sat up and tried my best to show my good posture. I know it sounds really easy and we haven't even begun to do anything yet.....were just sitting getting ready. How hard can that be right? Well... it seemed my back was just not having anything to do with this Yoga sitting up straight stuff...I don't think my Back has been straight since I turned 40. I guess you don't realize how far you are out of shape until you try to use muscles that aren't there anymore :) So yeah...I had to use the wall for support. No Big deal ...she said alot of beginners have that problem. That made me feel better (a little) I did the best I could with the stretching portion of it but when I reached for my toes like she said to...It dawned on me "This Hurts" ..."Alot" so I immediately changed the target from my toes to my knees...since that was as far as I could reach. "Modifying the pose" are the words the instructor used to describe what I was doing. Those are also the words I would live by for the next hour.
Really Ian? Is this where you are at in your life right now? I asked myself.There were similar poses and stretches after this but they were all about the same for me....Painful !!
The last one we did ...called the corpse position...was a fitting name since I felt dead at that moment. But I thought..."Yes, we were finally going to get to lay down". "Finally something that is not going to hurt"....much anyway. Oops ...spoke to soon....I layed down and at this point my back was killing me. As the instructor was using her soothing voice trying to get us to relax.....inside my head ,I was using my Angry voice saying "Hurry up ...this hurts" I stuck with it though and by the time we got down to the lower back...the pain had subsided and I was starting to feel what few muscles I do have, finally starting to relax, Ahhhhh now this is more like it. No pain, relaxed, a hot chick talking softly to me...does it get any better than this?
Yes it does...Perhaps next time we can get a Massage Therapist to come in, :)
On a serious note...I think I would have enjoyed it had it not hurt so much..I understand it is something that you have to practice at everyday (Just like anything you want to be good at) I Love the ideology that Yoga brings to the table...free your mind so you can think clearly. Maybe once I shake these ole bones into shape...I may just revisit this practice. Until then...I wonder whats for supper?
2 comments:
LOL-- I totally know what you mean about the sitting being painful thing! When I first started my class, I couldnt believe the simplest things like standing on one leg were ridiculously hard... and tiring! It's cool to stick with it though and track your progress. Doesn't take long before your body starts working with you, instead of against you :)
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