21 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 1
Yoga
(c)MelanieParish, 2013
I have looked everything up on the internet. I am feeling nervous. Is my body too heavy, are my knees too weak? Will I wake up on time?
I get up at 5:45 and get there by 6:15 for a 6:30 class. I rent myself a mat and 2 towels for $5 and pay for my 21 day pass. I get a card that I can collect stamps for each time I come. I find out I can get prizes. That is fun. The teacher of the class is the one checking me in and she tells me, “Yoga should never hurt. Go at your own pace. If you feel too hot or you feel uncomfortable at any time, lie down on your back and your heart rate will return to normal.” This makes me feel better, knowing I can take care of myself.
I go into the room. It doesn’t feel as hot as I expected. It is warm. I lie on the floor. It feels kind of hard and uncomfortable. I lie down and start breathing. I experiment with my knees down and my knees up. I think about my low back and don’t want to injure it. As I have been training, I have had to pay some attention to my low back as I do weights so I avoid an injury. As I lie on the floor and breathe, the discomfort leaves my low back as I melt into the floor.
The class I have chosen says it is good for beginners. I feel awkward but I start to do some of it. And then I lie on the floor and then I do a little more of it. At one point the teacher brings me a strap. “Use this as an extension of your arms,” she says. Oh, that helps!
By the end, I am on the floor trying to stay cool most of the time. It feels really hot in my body and I am sweating. I never really sweat and I am moist all over. I am feeling peaceful and happy that I did it. I really did it!
As I leave, the teacher asks me how it went. I thank her for her help and I decide to buy a mat. I ask about the price of the towel that goes on top of the mat but decide to wait. “You can use a regular bath towel,” she says. But I am attracted to the short nap of the yoga towels. Seems like they would work better for not sliding around. Oh well, I think. Let’s try the mat for now.
As I leave I feel buoyant! I feel fresh and excited about my day and that I have started something new. I feel fantastic and can’t wait to do yoga tomorrow.
