Let's talk about stretch, baby. . . .

So, yoga.

In an effort to broaden my healthy activity horizons, I decided to try to incorporate some yoga into my workout routine this year.  Also, my gym now offers yoga, and I feel like I should take advantage of yoga classes that I don't have to pay extra for.  Because I am cheap.  That's how I roll.

So I have been to a few classes now.  I have discovered a couple of very important things:

1)  I don't believe I have a body built for yoga.
2)  Yoga is WAY more work than it looks.
3)  Yoga in a body not meant for yoga is not super relaxing,meditative, or all new age happy.
4)  Yoga pants are not for everyone.

Now many of my friends are yoga-devotees and have been singing its praises to me for years.  I think I like the IDEA of doing yoga more than actually DOING yoga.  Actually I am like that about a lot of things that turn out to be a lot of effort on my part.  I am basically lazy - we have had this discussion before, if you recall.

So, yoga.  I don't care how kind people are, and how accepting - there is just something unnerving about bending over with my my rather large *ss in front of some lovely skinny girl who looks like she is in one of those tampon commercials where you can do "anything".  Relax and breathe.  Yup - that is so not going to happen.  I can't shut off the talk in my brain about how uncomfortable this is, how long will I have to hold this pose, why are there so many freaking mirrors in this room?  And the inevitable, do these yoga pants make my butt look fat?  (The answer to that one is an unequivocal "YES"!)

Why can't I do this?  Well,  it suddenly occurs to me that I might need more than 5 sessions before  I can actually decide that I can't do it.  I know, a shocking realization that people devote their entire lives to the practice of yoga and I seem to think I will be super yogi in about 5 min.  Patience, grasshopper.

Hmmm - I feel another life lesson coming on.  Maybe it is about the process of quieting my mind and living into the discomfort.  Or about actually letting go of the voices that chatter on in my head about what I am not, and how I am not "right" for yoga, or anything else, for that matter.  Maybe I actually have to let go of my own ideas about who does yoga and who does not.  Maybe I need to suck it up and do the work - spiritually, emotionally, physically.  Sigh.

So, yoga.  I think I am going to keep up with it for a while longer, and see where it takes me.  I may not be a lulu girl just yet, but I have funny feeling it has something to teach me - even if it is just that giving up won't teach me anything.

Namaste.