Try Something New

So I recently joined a new gym-- one that is much more expensive than my old gym.  To put things into perspective, the monthly dues at my new gym are the same amount as the yearly membership at my old gym.  There are, of course, tons of advantages to the new membership-- one of them being the fact that this gym has lots of classes that they offer that come with your membership.  Taking advantage of some of the classes would also be a means to justify the pricy dues.  After being very curious for a long time, tonight I decided that it was time for me to try yoga.

I had tried a yoga class once or twice in the past but honestly I was not in very good shape when I gave it a shot and was pretty frustrated with myself for not being able to do a lot of the poses.  So I gave up.

One of my favorite fitness websites features articles and posts about the myriad benefits of yoga quite often and I had been feeling left out.

I arrived a few minutes early and changed out of my shoes in the locker-room, grabbed a towel and my water bottle and set off to find the class.  There are a bunch of rooms where they do Spinning or Pilates or Squash and when I finally found the yoga studio I froze up.  There were a bunch of people in there and they were already stretching and there was music playing and for some reason I freaked.  I was looking for Yoga 101 and I thought these people all looked like they knew what they were doing and they were all going to be judgmental when I try to claim my floor space amongst them.

I turned to the guy at the info counter across the hall.  "Isn't there a Beginner Yoga class at 7:30?," I asked.  Apparently there was and that was it.  I gulped.  He was warm and encouraging and pointed out that I could grab a mat from the back of the room.  I confusedly pulled out two mats that were rolled together.  I didn't realize that.  I thought it was one EXTRA long mat and for some reason that was very overwhelming for me at the time...  The instructor was super sweet and saw that I was very confused and intimidated and told me that some people use two mats and that the big roll that I had in my hands was actually a double roll.  Two mats sounded like a great idea looking down at the hardwood floor so I grabbed them both.

I set up my double-decker mat next to the wall towards the front of the classroom.  I thought it was perfect because I had plenty of room!  I sat down on my mat and started mimicking the stretching of the rest of the class.  The guy next to me-- clearly the teacher's pet-- tells me that I should move closer to him and the center of the room so that I can see myself in the mirror.  The teacher reiterates this and I, terrified of having to look at my goofy self in the mirror, scootchy over so I can have a better view.

As we are getting ready to begin, teacher passes out straps and blocks.  I have no idea what they are for and as my imagination runs wild I got even more nervous.

"Ok, now you can use this block to make it easier for you to sit cross-legged on your 'sit-bone'."

I put the block under my butt and it HURTS.  It may have had something to do with my recent injury (I fell really hard on my left cheek) but at any rate she mercifully said that we didn't have to use it.  So we sat cross-legged and meditated our way into mindfulness of body and breath.  The instructors voice was soothing and she seemed kind.  My reservations started to pass and I tried to focus on what I was there for-- practicing yoga.

I'm not going to lie: Yoga 101 kicked. my. butt.  As I type I am very aware of the muscles that were flexed and stretched this evening.  I was very wobbly.  I got sweaty and my palms slid across the mat.  I fell over a few times.  There were poses I couldn't do.  Yet....

I think all-in-all this was a very positive experience.  I am interested to see how sore I am tomorrow but I am looking forward to practicing poses and going to my next class.

I also learned a lesson about my own vanity tonight.  Sometimes you just have to suck it up and deal with the fact that you might look like a total goof-ball loser while you are trying something new, but at least you are trying new things and hell, you might even like it...