It is hard to try new things. Coming up with reasons not to try something new is considerably easier. I don’t have time, we’re just too busy with baseball/soccer/hockey/basketball season, I won’t be good at it, I have bad knees, I’m too out of shape. Sometimes, the biggest excuse for not venturing out of our comfort zone is the hardest one to admit. We are SCARED.
Tonight I tried my first yoga class in 10 years. I went once 10 years ago and I hated it. Of course, I can’t remember specifically why I hated it, but I definitely remember something about not being flexible enough, not being able to stay balanced, and not knowing the moves. Now that I am older (and so much more mature) I realize that what I need most to reach my fitness goals are flexibility and core strength. Hence the big, bold idea to try yoga again!
I didn’t even know I was scared to try yoga again until about 2 hours before class. Suddenly it hit me, what am I doing? I don’t have a mat. Am I supposed to wear shoes? Just socks? Do I bring a water bottle? How early should I get there? I don’t want to be the first one. I don’t want to show up late and not get a spot either! Panic!
Of course, upon arrival, I learned lesson number one of the night: Tennis shoes aren’t for yoga. I walked in to a sea of flip flops and slipped off my Asics and socks. It all went pretty smoothly from there. Here are some of the other things I picked up on:
- Downward dog looks easy. It’s not.
- When the instructor says, “Gently welcome your heels to touch the floor” she is talking to me. And there is nothing “gentle” about it.
- “Quietly hop to the front of your mat” isn’t going to be happening for me.
- “Gently welcome the child’s pose” will become my favorite phrase and I will wait with baited breathe to hear those words.
- Waiting with baited breathe will summons a reminder to “welcome a deep breathe.”
- And finally, I will survive, and realize that it wasn’t even all that scary. And maybe, just maybe, everyone didn’t know I was a first timer. (But they probably did.)
