Well, today I tried yoga for the very first time. After months, maybe years, of convincing myself (and finding reasons not to) I finally got up this morning and headed down to a place called Sol Yoga in my city. It's a tiny little place with a few studios inside. When I walked in I thought the place smelled weird, but instead of making a beeline back to my car, I kept walking right up to the front desk and got myself a two-week unlimited trial membership for $25! That means I can go as many times as I want in the next two weeks. After my experience today, I know I'll definitely make good use out of that. The class I took today was originally $15. $12 for me with a student discount. So if I take just one more class like today, the trial pretty much pays for itself.
Anyway, today I tried 75 minute Flow Yoga, and it was just amazing. There were many times where I felt dizzy, like I couldn't do it, or I just wanted to throw in the towel, but the instructor's encouraging voice always pushed me to "try it one more time." Once I did, I felt amazing. Like I was pushing myself past my own limits. I've heard people say that yoga is an out-of-body experience. Maybe I'm just not experienced enough, but this here body felt EVERYTHING! The wonderful thing, though, is it really allowed me to quiet that "self-talk" that's constantly in my head, and focus on creating balance between my body and my mind. Oh, and don't sit here and act like you don't have a voice in your head that is CONSTANTLY talking. You know, that voice that goes crazy up there making sure you don't forget that you have to go shopping, go to work, go to the gym, and do homework, while at the same time nags you about some embarrassing moment from three years ago that you thought you were over already. Yeah, that voice.
While we cooled down, the instructor rubbed lavender oil on our wrists, and I'll tell you, lavender is something amazing. We sat up and she told us to hold our hands up to our face and breathe in and out deeply. I was scared the scent would be overwhelming - I have a very sensitive nose - but it wasn't at all. It only added to this total feeling of calm I had.
After my class was over, I noticed that Sol Yoga offers free tea. Today's tea was called Holy Detox, and had Basil, Spearmint, Rose Hips, Lemon, Linoen Blossoms, and Berry Flavoring. I don't know what a few of those things are, but the tea was lovely (even without sugar). I walked out of that place feeling great. If I could whistle I would have. But since I can't, I settled for smiling at every little thing that I saw. Even when I went to put air in my tires (something that usually irritates the living daylights out of me), I couldn't help but grin, and ended up checking all of my tires instead of the one that was low.
I can't be addicted after one class, can I? Well, I guess the only way to find out is to try it out again...and again...and again. My only regret is that I haven't done this sooner. I can't believe this little gem of a place has been hidden downtown for all of these years and it slipped under my radar.
-Until next time,
Shawnelle
