If only I were literally flying. I have itchy feet. But not much chance of that at the moment, unless Spouse lands himself an overseas trip for work - better yet, an overseas posting. I can dream.
But while I'm wishing myself elsewhere, I'm also - and yes, it's entirely contradictory - trying to make the most of here and now.
Part of that is going back to yoga classes. I was supposed to have my first one last week, but it was also Kid 2's first day of high school and I'm glad I made that my priority. So my first yoga class in 6 months was this morning.
I was really, ridiculously, nervous. My temperamental lower back makes backbends rather awful for me. I hate being upside down. I cannot for the life of me balance in Half Moon pose. I have hypermobile joints that make me look like a freak in certain positions. I felt like I was going to be exposed for the dreadful, hopeless, uncoordinated creature that I am.
It was fine. Of course. I told the teacher it had taken me months of practice for me to kick up into a handstand and that I've probably regressed. She looked at me like I had rocks in my head. 'Some people never do it', she said. 'Just do what you can, when you want.'
My ex-yoga teacher used to tell me I wasn't trying hard enough. I thought I needed someone to bully me into doing scary things. Time will tell, I suppose ...
Either way, I'm SO happy to be back in yogaland.
The stark(ers) reality of older bodies
15 hours ago
4 comments:
The studio I go to occasionally is so accepting of various levels of experience and ability -- It's unlikely I would ever have gone back if I'd encountered a teacher like your ex on first try. All the teachers where I am now constantly emphasize adjustments that can be made to each pose to allow for different bodies.
Happy you got back to your happiness in yogaland!
I guess the difference was that because our classes were one-on-one, my ex-teacher knew what my body could manage and thought I needed pushing. But I think I may well enjoy a gentler environment ...
There's something to be said for someone who knows you well enough to guide you through challenges. . . but still, isn't it supposed to be your de-stressing space as well as your fitness work?
I've now had my second lesson - while there's something to be said for taking things at a gentler pace, I do miss the one-on-one attention and the pushing :) But Ive also been told by yoga experts that changing teachers and your practice is really important. I think of it as down-time even when I'm being tortured, so it's all good!
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