Yoga

Yesterday I woke up a little stiff in my upper body. In reality a massage would have been amazing, but that wasn't on the schedule so out of no where before I had enuf caffeine in my system to think logically, I sent a couple texts to my parter in crime T (she's REAL ez to peer pressure into stuff) to see if she would go to a yoga class with me at noon. After several more texts back and forth about the class and her thinking it might be too hard for a first time yoga, then back and forth with our little tri club/yogi friend Abby, we somehow had a plan to meet for the noon "heated" (not HOT) power yoga class…

Good lord what have I gotten myself into? I told Shane I was meeting Matt & T for yoga and I think he almost cried laughing at me….

As the clock got closer to noon I started thinking, "Why didn't I just go swim?" But, instead I went and found my most yoga looking clothes - capri tights and a longer tank top, IM branded of course :-), got in my car & headed to the gym.

I got to the gym 10mins early (WHAT? I'm always 5 mins late). I waited in the car for Matt & T & then headed inside with them. The check in was comical. First, I don't own anything Yoga. I was told I could use one of the yoga mats at the gym so I asked for one and they told me no. Huh what? After getting directions to the studio - yes, I'm that pathetic I've been a member of this gym for over a year and have no idea where anything besides the pool, steam room & showers are - we headed thru the spa and up to the the new heated yoga studio room.

Someone got me a mat and we headed into the studio. I just copied what everyone else did. Put my mat in the back (or at least I hoped it was) of the room and put towels on each end.

Again thinking…. What the F@$K have I gotten myself into???

The class started and the teacher (who I've been told makes or breaks the class) didn't annoy me at all, so we have a good start at least. She started telling us to "pray" (yes I know that's not what she said, but I don't know any of the yoga language and it looks like praying) and breathe and people were making these funny noises. I just couldn't bring myself to exhale and grunt. Isn't that for the end of the race when you sprint across the line or stand up climbing after your 10th hill repeat on the bike? Grunt, just cause you are taking a deep breath? I think not.

Hmm, Yoga is weird.

So the real posing starts and I have NO idea what anything except downward dog is so I just have to copy everyone around me. Some of the things I could actually do, some of them I thought I was doing, then I looked in the mirror and then looked over at Miss Gumby, Abby and laughed out loud at myself. I got a few cramps in some of the lunge-like positions (where's my damn E-21?) and after what seemed like an hour I looked up and it was only 11:20.

FORTY more minutes to go…. Crap. Maybe I should go swim?

After the first 20mins I started to relax a little. I was loving the feeling of sweating, it wasn't overwhelming at around 95degs, but enough to keep you warm and sweating like I love. I could already feel my hips a little achy from trying to do some of the stuff and eventually the class started to wind down.

This is where, in MY opinion, it all started to go wrong. And, this is why I will NEVER be a Yogi.

The praying time and NAP. I'm sorry people, but sitting in a dark room on a flat and stinky mat full of detoxing sweat with 20 other stinky people and their stinky sweat is just NOT relaxing to me. I ended the first :55mins actually somewhat happy I went, and thinking I could maybe do this every once in a while, but it was about the sweat & the stretching and the trying to undo all the damage I do to myself swim, bike running.

MY alone, quiet, ZEN time is when I'm snuggling on the couch with my dogs or under the covers before I get my butt out of bed. When I run by myself with my music so loud it actually shuts my mind off so that when the song changes I don't even know what the last song I listened to was. And lastly, when I'm doing a swim set where I have to check my watch after only 3 laps to see how many I've done because my mind shut down and I was just swimming.

Now I know that means I prolly just don't "get" the purpose of Yoga, but like most other people who just don't get "running" - to each their own right?

All that said, I probably will go back (def to a heated or hot one), it worked over some stuff for sure (very sore today), but I can't promise I won't be the ass-hole giggling during the "Nap."