I just find myself feeling mad every time I take a yoga class, literally. The poses are hard, sometimes they hold them for too long and go back to them too often. What the...? I enjoy loud music and jumping around! Cardio, strength, interval training. Walk, jog, run, jump, play...dance! But then...owww...my muscles sure are tight. Uuuugggghhh...what's up with my hamstrings? Could it be that I am so NOT flexible that it's annoying?
I must admit that lately I have found myself in yoga a bit more often or shall I say, I've traded in one of my "jump around" days for a not so relaxing day of yoga! I'm still not there yet. However, I realize it's good for me and I'm a fighter...at least I am when it comes to things that are important to me and what could be more important than YOUR OWN HEALTH???
I'm no glutton for punishment, so I have tried a variety of yoga classes in an attempt to find what is "right" for me. Hatha yoga...my first yoga class. Hated it! Left mad and frustrated! However, I tried it 3 times before declaring it off the list. Yin Yoga...4 minute poses. I must've been out of my mind! What was I thinking? Hot Yoga..YIKES...over 100 degrees in there. However, suprisingly, I like this one better than the others...perhaps because they don't hold the poses long and my muscles were so much warmer and a bit more flexible than in the other classes. But I'm still not in love.
Back to Hatha Yoga with a different instructor. I found myself getting mad, as soon as we began. Uuuuggggh. Now, I've got an attitude. Then the teacher has us do a swan dive and she says, "Now remember how flexible you are at this moment. We will return to this pose several times throughout the class. Try to go a bit further each time and notice if your flexibility increases." I hold on to this statement, as I go through more difficult poses. You see I need something to hold onto, to make me feel a bit better about this torture I am going through. Trying my best to pay attention to my breathing, trying to be focused, all while my mind wants to think of everything I have to do later on during the day. I keep a bit more focused than on prior "yoga" days and I hold on to the "swan dive." 55 minutes later and we are doing the swan dive for the 4th or 5th time and I feel calm, a bit more flexible and my muscles feel AWESOME! (Now don't ask, how I felt the next day!) Success! Still a little mad at the end of the class but feeling good that I progressed. Hmmmm...I liked this instructor...I think I'll go again!
Yoga has so many wonderful health benefits... builds strength, promotes flexibility and balance, encourages relaxation, promotes mental well-being etc. I realize that I truly NEED the flexibility work and as for being mad, several yoga instructors think that's good because yoga is as much about the body as it is about the mind and emotions. We'll see and perhaps I'm on my way from yoga hate to yoga LIKE! Love? Not quite yet.
Sounds like fun to me...NOT!!!! LOL.
ReplyDelete