I am off to an excellent start today. I woke up, ate oatmeal for breakfast (mixed quick oats with a banana, raisins, ground flax and cinnamon), went to the gym and did upper body weights and 40 minutes on the Precor, then went to hatha yoga at Ultimate Fitness.
My friend Laura and I have done yogalates a few times (a mix of yoga and pilates). I didn’t anticipate hatha yoga being that much different, but it really was. The instructor for this class was a lot more instructive. Her directions for the poses were very descriptive and precise. It made me feel more comfortable that I was actually doing the pose correctly. She was really good at walking your mind through your body, too. She would say, “Feel the energy start at your toes, move through your arches, your ankles are relaxing, etc.” With each new instruction, I felt that part of my body do as it was told. It was so interesting, albeit a little spooky. This yoga definitely focused on the mind-body connection more than the yogalates. I like both types – this yoga helped me feel more centered and in tune with myself, but the yogalates worked my muscles (especially the abs) more.
I really enjoy doing yoga, but for some reason it’s super hard for me to actually get myself to the class. The only reason I made it there today was because I met Laura and another friend there. I am still mystified by how difficult it is to make myself do something that I really enjoy. I blame inertia – a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Laura and Melissa are going to be my outside force. We’re supposed to meet for class again next Saturday.
Two things about the class that I didn’t like, however, was 1. It was SUPER cold in the room. Granted, it’s only 8 degrees outside, but coldness goes with yoga like restraint with David Hasselhoff. 2. This guy walks into the class, and chuckles as he sees how crowded it is. “I love this time of year” he says with an air of disdainful superiority – New Years resolution wannabees was his attitude toward us. He obviously doesn’t understand the true spirit of yoga (do no harm) or he would have kept his loud mouth shut. I know this guy from my old job – he is an arrogant, obnoxious blowhard, so I shouldn’t have been surprised at his comment.
Anyway, despite the cold and the dash of obnoxiousness, I still really enjoyed the class. I’m already looking forward to going back next week.
