Namaste

After almost 8 months of saying I wanted and was going to try Yoga, I finally did about 3 weeks ago.  Maggie, one of the 10th grade teachers, teaches a class after school on Thursdays, so I have had plenty of opportunities to join, and plenty of excuses for never actually going.  Back at the beginning of April I got the ok from my doctor to start running and trying Yoga after my knee/MCL debacle and decided I needed to go, for real, because I had a good feeling I would really like it.  Although I did attempt some Wii Yoga in college, that hardly counts as experience.  I think my biggest problem was my fear of feeling foolish as a first timer in a class of people who do Yoga almost weekly.  Luckily, I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming and open environment to attempt Yoga. 

My first class with Maggie went pretty well if you ask me; I was able to follow along pretty easily with some prior knowledge of movements and poses and never completely fell over which I count as a win.  I even surprised myself with some of the poses I was able to actually do and hold, albeit not all of them. I went back the following week and although I felt sore in most places the next day, it felt good.  It is relaxing yet requires focus on specific movements or places and awareness of the body.  And I can tell you from how I feel the day after, it is definitely a work out.  This week we didn't have class due to an after school activity for teacher's day and I found myself actually missing that 45 minutes.  So much so that I just went in search of free online yoga videos.  I found a 50 minute beginner's video, and while it was not as good as Maggie's class, it got the job done, even when my internet stopped working and I had to re-load the video about halfway through.  And now I find myself wondering what I will do while I am home this summer and next year when Maggie is gone.  Maybe Mandi will take over (if you read this, take it as another hint and a bit of pressure hehe) or maybe I will have to try out Yoga in Spanish; that would definitely be interesting.

As you may have noticed if you are an active reader, a lot of this year has been about trying new things (hence the experimenting) and I think that Yoga is just one more reminder that I can't be afraid to attempt something, no matter how uncomfortable or awkward it may make me feel.  Hopefully I can keep this in mind as I finish out my first year here in Colombia, and not lose the sense of wonderment as I move into my second year.  Namaste.