Yoga for dummies

For fitness and in hopes of meeting some new friends, I joined the local gym in January. I'm proud to report that I've stuck with it and still go 3-5 times a week, although I've been disappointed to learn that everyone pretty much keeps to themselves. Now that I have my iPod Mini, I do the same thing. (thanks, Steph!)

A friend suggested I try some of the classes they offer at the gym. I haven't gone to those, mostly because I don't like to rush to make it to the gym at a specific time. It's difficult to make it there by 6 or even 7 some days with work and traffic. I'm also not the most coordinated person, so aerobics and bench aerobics are an extra challenge, with me usually going the opposite direction of the class. But I agreed that attending the classes would probably be more conducive to conversation and meeting others.

So, I picked out a yoga class to attend on Saturday. I showed up with my mat (which hasn't been used in probably 2 years) and sat down next to a guy who was also waiting for the previous class to finish. We started talking, and I realized he is the instructor Carlos. We waited for several minutes, but no one else showed up. "Looks like it's just you and me!" he said. (Uh oh, I thought.) "Instead of the class, do you want a personal lesson?" (What could I say except Ok?)

There are muscles on my body that have never before been put to the test. I know this because I am now sore in odd places, like diagonally from my ribs to my hipbone. I even got a good workout in my feet and hands.

Carlos is a purist and insists on proper positioning. He said, "if you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all." Although I was familiar with each of the poses he put me through, I learned how to do each a little better. I couldn't move very well yesterday, but no pain, no gain, right?