Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Yogalicious

I got my OM on tonight!  I saw a bulletin listing for a yoga class nearby and decided to take the plunge.  I've done yoga on and off for most of my entire life.  When I was a wee little lass, my mom did yoga.  I used to find it sooo hilarious that my mom would have to struggle to get the poses because it was so easy for me to contort my little body into the positions.  My favorite (very modified) yoga move was to run at a breakneck speed down the hall that ended in my parents' room and launch myself into a headstand on their bed.  I considered it gymnastic yoga, my special hybrid.

Over the years, I forgot about yoga.  I would return to it from time to time, but had never actually taken a class.  I had an old yoga book from the '70s and DVDs up until tonight.  I have to say I really liked taking the class.  It was a small class and everyone was older than me.  I could do some poses better than others and some worse.  The teacher wasn't too handsy, but did offer correction and detailed directions on how to do things correctly. 

The hour flew by and I felt strong and accomplished at the end.  I loved NOT being in control of what poses are done, not knowing what we're doing next, and not being sure if I'd ever tried the pose before or not.  I can be kind of a control freak and was very nervous walking in not knowing what to expect.  While I found a parking spot I told myself that I was just going to surrender to the experience.  If everyone was more advanced than me, if I had to get corrected on every pose, if they seemed unwelcoming, or anything else negative, that was ok.  I was there to let everything go and to learn.  It was oddly empowering to be out of control.  I definitely plan to go back!

Let's see, things have been pretty good lately.  I'm taking better care of myself and getting closer to the healthy amount of sleep each night.  I am on bottle #2 of toxin free castile soap for my hair.  That saga continues but I'm very optimistic that this shampoo gets along better with my hair.  I'm whittling down my real life to-do list.  I'm eating delicious vegetarian foods.

What have you been up to lately?  Are you taking good care of yourself?  What has been your best outcome from stepping out of your comfort zone?  Do you like challenging yourself like that or do you like staying in your safe cocoon?