I don't know when or how I exactly became interested in yoga. I know I started with a bikram class in a heated room (think 95 F) where we mostly moved from one static pose to another, holding each for about a minute. I didn't get much out of that except a lot of sweat, so I started following along with the program on FitTV, called Namaste Yoga. I worked through the half-hour programs, found myself limbered up a bit, and discovered that it was relaxing and enjoyable.
Which was fine for a while. Yoga was light activity, a brief thing to energize or stretch myself, and a peaceful retreat at the end of the day. But I never was sure I was holding the poses correctly, making the proper movements, so I decided I needed to try another class. The hourlong introductory class pushed me well beyond what I was used to, into new poses I never thought I could do and feeling exhausted into the fibers of my muscles after class was over. That first time, I'll admit, I didn't have a lot of peaceful thoughts. But I decided to keep coming back, and in time I was not only keeping up with the others in the class, but the teacher recommended I try a more advanced one - vinyasa.
The year or so that I was in the vinyasa class was fantastic. Each day followed a similar routine, with a smooth flow from pose to pose. Forward-fold to plank to chaturanga to upward dog to downward-facing dog. Repeat. And as our instructor mercilessly held us in downward dog, hamstrings stretching and arms straining, I realized that through the discomfort I was truly enjoying myself, and found it far more peaceful than the gentle TV classes had been. Focusing intently on the pose, on the flowing motion from one pose to the next, and the interaction between mental effort and bodily movement freed my mind far beyond the now-dull TV motions. Pushing the mind and body, stretching and exercising simultaneously gave an hour free of distraction and diversion. It was great.
So why the past tense? Well, it's not terribly interesting, but the instructor changed, so the course changed a lot, and it became less enjoyable, less worth the expense, so I let it drop. I figured I could do routines at home, but the effect wasn't the same, and the motivation quickly lapsed. I kept saying I needed to try another school but I never followed through.
Then the other day I was at a routine progress exam at my chiropractor and my typically acceptable back scan showed significant stressors. As we puzzled over this, and as the chiropractor adjusted my tight middle back (which never had been a problem before but was increasingly), I decided that it was time. I can't say for sure that my back was better during the time I was taking yoga classes, but anecdotally, my stiffer mid-back and my dropping yoga class sure lined up well. And if it's something I wanted to do anyway, why put it off any longer?
So tonight I'm trying a new school, with a new yoga instructor. I don't know yet how I'll like this class, since I've had mixed results in Des Moines thus far, but I do know that unless I get out and try a class, I'll never get back to the peaceful enjoyment I had at the first school. I think it's time to give that a try.
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