Yoga in the Prairie

Monday night my mom and I went to a local yoga studio for what was our first ever yoga class. I'd done some yoga DVDs at home, but usually found myself getting confused or not sure if I was doing it correctly. Needless to say I was excited to have an instructor provide hands on help. My mom was really nervous and barely talked during the car ride over. When we pulled up the studio was dark so we thought that maybe they were closed or that the instructor wasn't there yet so we just waited in the car a bit. The sky was threatening to rain and anyone who knows me knows I love rain so I took that as a good sign.

Once we saw people coming out of the studio we gathered up our gear and headed on in. We were welcomed by the instructor who also happens to be a regular customer of mine at the coffee shop. She showed us the cubbies where we could put our things and where the mats and props were if we needed to use them.

We set up our mats and waited for the other yogis to arrive. Including my mom and I there were six of us. The atmosphere was really laid back and fun. We could shout out any questions we had about the poses and many of us almost tipped over at least once. One thing I wasn't prepared for was how physically tiring it was. I knew it wasn't easy, but I was starting to get out of breath and my hands were shaking from having to hold myself up for so long in downward dog! The class time was dedicated to twists, which the instructor said were neutralizing poses, so if we were feeling hyper or down, it'd bring us back to center.

The class ended with us relaxing on our backs and the instructor came around with lavender oil on her hands and just held them above our faces for a little bit so we could get some aromatherapy action. That part of class was so soothing! We said farewell to the instructor and the other students and walked out into the rain feeling a little more uplifted.

I really enjoyed myself and look forward to going back next Monday. The concept I like most about yoga is that one can always get better. Even if you're like me and struggle with each pose, it's nice knowing that if I keep up with it and practice someday those poses won't be such a struggle. That's an exciting thought :). Namaste!