So, I did honestly think with all this exercising, I might lose some weight. Yes, I wanted to have fun and try out new things and hang out with more people. Yes, I am worried about my health and how my level of fitness could seriously damage the quality of my life. Yes, I absolutely had to do something about becoming trapped in an anti-sport mindset. But there was a little tiny bit of me that thought I might drop a pound or two (look at me,being all imperial and stuff.)
So far however, I have actually put on weight. I'd like to believe the old adage that I am probably gaining muscle which is heavier than fat. But we all know that I am constantly hungry at the best of times, and over the last few weeks I have been positively ravenous. So my guess is that I'm feeling the impact of Doughnuts rather than push-ups.
However, I am not worried about that. Because with all the stretching I've been doing, I think that - rather than losing weigh to fit my height - I'll just grow to fit my weight. Honestly, whatever height hasn't stretched into me hanging from the rings in the Gymnastics session will surely have zen'ed it's way into my spine tonight.
But tonight wasn't about weight or height, or any other appearance based issues. Tonight, I went to Yoga with Lisa, and I tried really hard to get into the spirit of things. I don't know about you, but think there is something seriously wrong with my mind. As soon as we were instructed to clear our minds and let any thoughts and worries of the day go, this is what happened inside my head:
- Are me feet smelly?
- I think the varnish is coming off my toe nails. Or is that just the light?
- Maybe it's the mat that is smelly?
- I hope I won't fart
- Do I look relaxed enough? My eyebrows feel tense. But I AM trying really hard to relax my eyebrows. Would she notice if I lifted my hands to check if my eyebrows are smooth and relaxed? (Peaks out of one eye. Hears instructor repeat "Keep your eyes closed". Darn - I might have to pretend that frowning is my natural relaxed face.
- I think it's my top that smells. Did I put on deodorant? Do I need to add deodorant to the shopping list? Should I start writing shopping lists? At what age do people start writing shopping lists?
- What, I can't believe the relaxing time is over, I've been soooo relaxed!
The other thing that is concerning is my absolute inability to follow respiratory instructions. As soon as someone tells me to breathe in, it's as if my body's natural anarchic tendencies come alive, and insist that I MUST breathe out. Throughout tonight's entire session, I was aware of only one instance where my breathing was in sync with everyone else - I got so excited, I had to steady myself to avoid toppling over.
Anyway, none of this is going to help you if you are reading this to find out if Yoga could be the sport for you, so let me give you a brief run down the programme.
We arrived at the studio at the back of a beauty salon to be greeted by other friendly participants. Soon, everybody had their mats laid out - I noticed that most people brought their own mats and foam bricks (to sit on and stuff.) I wasn't the only newbie on the night, and together we collected mats from the back of the room. My cunning plan was to set the mat out right there, as far back as possible, but Hazel (the instructor) mus have come across my types before...sneakily, she moved the mat a bit and a bit and a little more, and I found myself very near the front of the room.
The group consisted of men and women of all ages, and friendly banter reflected that some of them must have been working together for some time now. Soon the chatter calmed down as we were slowly progressing through a number of stretching exercises. Whilst from the outside, it didn't look like hard work, I felt relief each time Hazel instructed us to release from a pose. I have also been reassured numerous times that I would feel the pain in the morning. I shall keep you posted.
Whilst there wasn't an obvious "warm-up" session, there seemed to be a natural progression, and the poses and stretches became harder to keep as the seconds wore on. Hazel would repeatedly instruct us to close our eyes and to extend movements as far as we were comfortable with, sometimes giving suggestions on how a pose could be made more demanding for those who felt up to it. Despite my firmly closed eyes and the gentle music I could hear her walking around among us, instructing hips to be twisted further, toes to be tucked under and backs to be kept straighter. She clearly knew her usual clientele well, suggestion a different stretch for someone with a longer spine and commending someone for having developed more flexibility.
Having failed to find a clock on any of the white walls, I was surprised when Hazel announced that we would find our Shavasana (corps pose) to prepare for the end of the session - time really had flown by.
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Warrior princess Lisa |
So I would recommend taking up Yoga?
- It seems to be very popular, with most local gyms and community halls offering classes at various levels.
- You may want to invest in a Yoga mat and some bricks eventually, but if you are only dipping your toes in you'd get away with investing in a pair of comfortable, non-see through leggings or yoga pants.
- Whilst people were friendly and welcoming, it wasn't the type of session where there was much opportunity to chat. So if you haven't got a legendary Lisa who allows you to trudge along, I don't think you'd feel lonely or left out because it's very much an individual undertaking.
- For most of the session, the lights were on - but for most of the session, we had our eyes closed. If you are concerned that someone might see you not do very well or get it wrong, get that thought right out of your mind (worry about your shopping list - much more effective).
- Whilst I think the exercises are demanding on your muscles, I didn't get out of breath or dizzily hot. And most exercises were adaptable, by which I mean I could do as much or as little as I wanted without there being visible difference to the untrained eye.
- Personally I am not the type to make noises on command, and enjoyed that there was freedom for that. Hazel might say "release and relax", and some people might groan, some might exhale audibly, and others would stay silent. I never felt I had to join in or not, I could just be the way I am. Despite my worst fears, there was no united chanting or humming.
- Unlike Pilates, which was solely focused on the exercise, it was clear that Hazel really valued the spiritual aspects of Yoga. I also understand from her and other classes that this may be different, depending on the trainer. So if you go to a yoga class that doesn't feel comfortable, I believe that it might be worth looking around until you find one that hits the right tone for you.
- If you are looking to improve muscle strength, balance and flexibility, Yoga is definitely the way forward. I don't know how it compares to other sports in terms of improving cardio fitness and endurance.
- With my very limited experience, I think Yoga is what I would call a slow developer - you might need to go a few times until suddenly noticing that your flexibility has improved or that you can hold a pose for longer. I don't think it's the one for people looking for fast improvements and quick visible results. But if you are looking to improve your all-around well-being exercise, this sounds like great starting point.
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| Hazel modelling the necessity for good quality leggings |
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