I'm in the middle of sampling all the varieties of yoga the gym has to offer. I really do love yoga (not so much while I'm unbearably uncomfortable, but more so when I say "Namaste" and I get to leave). I love it for the challenge, and I love it for the way I feel afterward. Today I tried Yin Yoga. Apparently, this type of yoga focuses on finding the feminine, or "yin", energies within us that are often missed. Instead of fluid motion, this practice works on opening up the back, hips, and legs by holding (very uncomfortable) positions for a loooooong time. Imagine your face crammed against your leg for six minutes. Without shifting to make yourself more comfortable. Six minutes suddenly becomes an eternity.
The instructor, one I had never met before, kept coming over to me to adjust my body position. I normally hate when they do this. Just leave me alone and let me Zen out, for God's sake! But actually, this instructor came over to ask me how flexible I was. I said, "I dunno" and shrugged my shoulders. He then told me that I was much more flexible than I thought, and kept coming over to me to challenge me into harder positions than the rest of the class. Although I didn't particularly like being singled out, I did appreciate the acknowledgement of my Gumby-ness.
At the end of class, he made an announcement that super flexible people probably didn't need this class, especially if they could sit cross-legged for long periods of time (I can do this). Then he looked at me and smiled.
I'm tempted to still go back to this class next week, because I enjoyed it. And also, I always run in the middle of the pack in yoga class, so it's kind of nice knowing I was better than everyone else today... (I know, lame!). But I think I'll try something else next Sunday. Either way, I'm grateful that he inadvertently kicked me out of his class.
Honorable Mention:
- Eating delicious, greasy Thai food leftovers... immediately after yoga class
- A hot bath with white sage
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