Last weekend, I attended my first public yoga class. Even when I taught dance at a yoga studio, I didn't make it to a class.
My wifey friend knows the owner of a brewery, and they have a fancy yoga class every other week, then reward everyone with a flight of adorably tiny beers. We decided to go as a way to kick off a new set of dance classes after going to a hafla together recently.
I've got to say, there was a lot of weird things about it, and not all of them were bad.
When we got there, we went up the stairs, and I saw a bunch of people around the room, and noticed there was a good mix of different body types, and a handful of guys in the class. Of course there were a good chunk of super super skinny girls all in designer yoga pants that probably cost more than all the clothing in my closet, and overpriced mats. I giggled to myself when the teacher asked who had done yoga before, and they all said it was their first time, as I am there in my loose thai fisherman pants that were as cheap as possible, and my old mat from a big box store.
At the beginning of class we were encouraged to make whatever modifications we felt we needed to feel right while moving, and I took advantage of that. I went into the full expressions of every pose, holding them with strong posture, or even doing things that I know make them a little harder, because I needed that to feel a challenge, and not just go through the motions. I noticed that even as one of the heavier people in the room, I had some of the best form and flexibility. I also made my friend lose balance at one point because I decided to move into a headstand and an arm balance in the middle of a pose and she started giggling.
It was a bit affirming in a way. That I'm making progress with what I do, even if I don't see it normally. Also that proof of how surprisingly strong and flexible I am compared to the average person. While I don't think it's something I need to do all the time, I think going to classes and having those reminders once in a while needs to happen in the future. Just as that little proof that you don't need to be a size 0 and have name brand gear to be proficient in something.
My wifey friend knows the owner of a brewery, and they have a fancy yoga class every other week, then reward everyone with a flight of adorably tiny beers. We decided to go as a way to kick off a new set of dance classes after going to a hafla together recently.
I've got to say, there was a lot of weird things about it, and not all of them were bad.
When we got there, we went up the stairs, and I saw a bunch of people around the room, and noticed there was a good mix of different body types, and a handful of guys in the class. Of course there were a good chunk of super super skinny girls all in designer yoga pants that probably cost more than all the clothing in my closet, and overpriced mats. I giggled to myself when the teacher asked who had done yoga before, and they all said it was their first time, as I am there in my loose thai fisherman pants that were as cheap as possible, and my old mat from a big box store.
At the beginning of class we were encouraged to make whatever modifications we felt we needed to feel right while moving, and I took advantage of that. I went into the full expressions of every pose, holding them with strong posture, or even doing things that I know make them a little harder, because I needed that to feel a challenge, and not just go through the motions. I noticed that even as one of the heavier people in the room, I had some of the best form and flexibility. I also made my friend lose balance at one point because I decided to move into a headstand and an arm balance in the middle of a pose and she started giggling.
It was a bit affirming in a way. That I'm making progress with what I do, even if I don't see it normally. Also that proof of how surprisingly strong and flexible I am compared to the average person. While I don't think it's something I need to do all the time, I think going to classes and having those reminders once in a while needs to happen in the future. Just as that little proof that you don't need to be a size 0 and have name brand gear to be proficient in something.
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