Yoga the First!

One of the things I've spent far too long wondering about regarding my upcoming recommitment to yoga practice is how the first class will be. I imagine this is only natural--hey, firsts are hard! Fortunately, I have someone in my life who has allayed my concerns. And since firsts are so hard, it's only nice to share her words with others who may be delving likewise.

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My first experience with TL was as her student at my Alma Matter (I'm not sure how much detail she's comfortable having blabbed to the entire internet, so I'll leave it at that.). And let me tell you, this lady was meant to teach! So approachable, so competent, so inspiring. I emailed her recently to ask for helpful hints regarding silly little things that had been giving me pause. It's worth noting that every class is going to be a little different, depending on its instructor and specific purpose and the needs of the people in it, but...

"Most classes will begin with some 'centering' to turn the attention inward, some pranayama (breathwork), gentle warm up, sun salutations (really warm up), standing postures, supine and seated postures, and savasana (deep relaxation). Within that sequence, most teachers will strive to find a balance so that the whole body is challenged in both strength, flexibility, and balance. Many will include back bends and inversions toward the end."

I expressed concerns about the temperature as the majority of my classes will take place in the winter, and they're held in the basement multi-purpose room at a community college (there really aren't super fancy yoga studios in the area, and it's not like I could justify the expense if there were, ya know?). Potential for "brrr!" TL says, "...most places[where we live] are moderate to cool, usually catering to the weight-pumping crowed. My classes are pretty vigorous, so we work up a sweat even if the room temp is around 70 degrees. Some of my clients are very cold-natured, and they just wear a long-sleeved T-shirt or sweatshirt, peeling it off when too warm and putting it on again before final relaxation in savasana (corpse pose)."

Above all things, a familiar face is always helpful, n'est-ce pas? So, not that it's helpful to anyone else, the ultimately beneficial thing I did to prepare was to take a class with TL. It was my very own clean, well-lighted place in the face of a new experience...and it kicked my out-of-shape butt (in a good way) but left me feeling relaxed and like I can handle what gets thrown at me. Ah, baby steps... 


Bring it on, semester. I am ready!