Monday Night Yoga

My Monday night yoga class is my new obsession. I started going about 8 months ago. At first I was expecting this to be an hour of stretching and relaxing. Boy was I wrong!! While it is relaxing and lots of stretching it is hard work too. I mean, I sweat and get tired. There is about 20 minutes in the beginning of class that is quick transitions between poses in the same sequence. After that we do some balancing work - which I am pretty good at. We also so a lot of poses that are lunges or similar movements that really work your legs. There is always some stretching at the end of class but it is "active" stretching and fairly intense. The last 5 minutes is relaxations. We had a teacher who would come around and spray aromatherapy oils in the air above your head. It's hard for me to relax at the end of class without thinking of what I have to do when I get home, how my day was etc.

This class that I take is fairly challenging. I have taken some that are much more laid back and restful. I like the challenge. I like seeing the improvements in my body. One of the things that I have learned is to appreciate my body and it's abilities. I am become more flexible and I have more strength to hold poses. It's a different kind of strength from lifting weights - very graceful with slow movements. We also learn how to breathe with long inhales and slow exhales. That is one of the things that is the most challenging for me - the keep my breath even and steady when I'm tired and working hard.

A lot of people think that yoga is weird and religious. While there is some of that, its more about listening to your body, respecting yourself, knowing your limits and being able to safely push your limits. I'm not worshipping Buddha or anything like that....

So, if you are ever even slightly intersted in yoga, you should try at least one class. It isn't for everyone but I definitely love it.