For the longest time I have un-anecdotally agreed that yoga is a great activity and is something that we should all do. Alas, I’ve never taken steps to actually incorporate it into my life. Earlier this week a friend suggested that I go to yoga with her and I committed to it. I committed so much in fact, that I signed up for one full month of unlimited yoga at this particular studio. Going to yoga once won’t give me a true understanding of how I can benefit from it, so I’m going to give it a shot for a month and see where it takes me.
Looking at my schedule, I’m going to try to go twice a week. I lift weights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I play soccer on Mondays and football on Tuesdays. Therefore, I believe I can fit in a session Tuesday nights before football and can make time to go on Sundays as well; Fridays will be left for rest.
My hope is that yoga with help me increase my balance, flexibility and joint mobility. My hamstrings have always been a problem spot, as have my shoulders. I’m not holding my breath- again, it is only a month- but if I see any sort of progress at all, this is definitely something that will become part of my regular routine. I am aware that yoga also offers many mental benefits, but I’m honestly not a very spiritual person, nor do I have much stress in my life, so I don’t anticipate getting much on this end. Time will tell.
My first session was 2 days ago (Thursday, February 7th), and here are some of my initial notes:
- First of all, I have never been to a yoga class, and we signed up for Vinyasa Flow (2/3). For those of you that are unfamiliar with yoga (much like I was prior to Thursday), this is an intermediate-advanced class with different holds (often times single-leg holds) that transition from one into another at a fairly quick pace. I should have started with a Level 1 class, but my friend was already registered for this session so I decided to dive in head-first; I could teach a class on Over-Confidence 101.
- As easy as the position should be, Downward Dog is the new bane of my existence. Zero shoulder flexibility + tight hamstrings = bad news bears. I can’t get comfortable in this position, especially when I need to hold it for longer than a few breaths, which is when my shoulders begin to choke me out and all the blood in my body rushes to my head. Super fun.
- I sweat a lot during this class, and I’m not a sweaty guy in general. I sweat significantly more than I do when I’m at the gym lifting hundreds of pounds of weight. I wonder how long it will take my body to adapt to this new stimulus.
- The class was most difficult for my quadriceps and deltoids. Both muscle groups were burning throughout the session. As I mentioned, there were lots of holds, and at times I had to take a few seconds to let my muscles recover. I wanted to be a hero, but this was not the time or place.
- I was informed that ideal yoga attire was a sleeveless shirt, as it permits the instructor to better see your “lines”. I obliged, and I still don’t feel right about it. But hey, at least I wasn’t the one guy in the class that decided to go topless (shocking, I know!).
You’re the man, cool guy.
- I was completely unprepared for the singing/chanting/moaning weirdness that occurred at the end of the class. Again, I am not a spiritual person, and this felt very religious and cult-like. I’m doing this for the physical benefits and enjoyed the peacefulness of the experience (especially nap time at the end), but this was a bit much.
- Yesterday was a rest day- my legs were a bit more tired than usual, but nothing crazy- and this morning (Saturday the 9th) I woke up with a very stiff lower back. I’m not sure if I can attribute this to the excessive amount of Downward Dog/Front Bend, or to the 8-hour drive I had yesterday. It could be a combination of both, but I drive a lot most days of the week, so I’m inclined to believe that it had at least something to do with Thursday night’s yoga class.
All-in-all it was a nice little workout, but it is far too early to tell if I will reap any benefits from regular yoga. I am away for work this week, so my next session will be on Sunday the 17th- a proper Level 1 class. I’m eager for this class and hopeful and open-minded that yoga will benefit me in the ways I listed above. I’ll be back with an update mid-March!
If you are a big believer in yoga and have any advice or feedback for me about your experiences, I’d love to hear from you! Don’t be a stranger!
Happy yogaing!
-DW
