Yoga… the Sneaky Exercise

Went for the third time to yoga last night.  If you’ve never tried this exercise, here are some key points to remember:

1. This is not a “come for the fun of it”, gregarious type of exercise.  If you participate in aerobics or other group exercise formats because you can laugh and cut up with those around you (”gee, I didn’t know my body could do that!” or “I haven’t been able to touch my toes in years hahaha”), this may not be the exercise group for you.  I’m almost sure that at one point or another K and I are going to be kicked out of the class for being a disruptive influence on our sun soluting peers.
2. Balance is a good thing.  If you have inner ear issues, you may want to stand next to the wall.  OR, stand close to that friend you keep disrupting class with and make sure she goes down with you.  Then, at least, maybe the teacher won’t be able to tell who caused the problem in the first place when everybody is staring at you lying in a laughter convulsing heap on the floor.
3. And lastly, and the point of the title, do not think that this innocent little calming “ahhhhhhuuuuummmmmm” form of exercise is merely going to leave you well stretched out… you will “become aware of what your body is telling you” (yeah, she says that) for days afterward.  Like, for instance… the joints between my legs and my torso are currently reminding me, loudly, that they were not nearly as flexible before last night as they are now.  I did not ever think that it was possible to feel that joint as keenly as I do now.  Kind of like how your abdominal muscles feel after a c-section.  Yeah, that “there’s a silver lining here if only I can find it” kind of muscle memory.
4. One more thing (yeah, I know I said #3 was the lastly, but you gotta know this)… if you go into this class not being able to breath through your nose, you will get to a point in the middle when you can.  Not only CAN you breath, but you will need a tissue or two to catch the post nasal drip.  You have been warned!