Learn yoga

So I've always wanted to learn yoga for one sole reason: getting to touch my toes standing up. I'm the least flexible person so Yoga is like a big challenge.

I had looked for a good place to start some classes and I found a pretty new yoga studio close to where I live. The girl that owned the studio was so kind to tell me what kind of class I should follow. She recommended 'Ashtanga Yoga'. Ashanta what? Exactly. I had to look it up because I had no clue there even existed different types of yoga. Ashtanga yoga is a form of yoga that focusses on strength and mobility. Two things that I don't really have.

Although I knew that the class would be a challenge, I was looking forward to it. It was on a Friday evening so maybe it would be a good new way to unwind from the workweek. So I went to the place this Friday at 18h30, already full of stress, because I 'm just the kind of person that stresses when going to new places and meeting new people. Yeah. So the teacher was this nice young woman that was half French and Venezuelan.

She welcomed me and some other people into the studio and I immediately felt welcomed. I swear this woman had a voice that was soo calming, she should do audiobooks or something. The place was very cosy with candles and some Persian rugs. So she explained to me how the class worked. She would teach me some cluster of moves that I had to repeat a few times on my own rhythm. I liked that. I would just have to follow her example and then I would be able to do it individually. So we started with the first one. She threw some names at me and for a second I thought I was at a biology class. Downward dog, butterfly pose, pigeon pose.

It started pretty well. I even got the question. "Karen, have you done this before?". Uhum. I got a compliment on my downward dog, who would have thought that. So yeah I continued with a lot of confidence after that, but it went away pretty quick. The poses became more complicated and I was reminded that I have no balance whatsoever and that my legs are too long for my body (other way of saying I can't bend for sh*t). But I persevered and the teacher helped me where needed. After almost an hour of stretching every muscle in my body it was time to cool down. It was only at that moment that I started focussing on the breathing in the room. I was glad I had not noticed the heavy breaths sooner or I would have started laughing or get annoyed by it. Damn some people are heavy breathers.

Was I glad that I went to the class? Yes. I found it relaxing and I felt my body work. Although I still felt like a little noob compared to the other people there (I swear, the angles they could bent...). Will I go again? I think I will when my work schedule allows it. I really liked the women that gave the class and I felt comfortable and supported so that's a lot. And I felt relaxed and good after it so it is definably doing something. Oh, and I'm not giving up on the wish to touch my toes from standing up.