Top 10 reasons I profess my love of Yoga

1. Improved posture, flexibility, and balance

2. Getting Stronger

3. Internal organ & spinal massage (and anything that involves my sacrum). It beats a professional massage!

4. Liver cleanse (twisting those organs)

5. Meditation (a moment of gratitude, peace)

6. Get to relax the muscles in my face and jaw (even my tongue)

7. Watching amazing older classmates outdo the younger ones (It gives me something to look forward to.)

8. Inversions (get to feel like a kid again)

9. My Yoga instructor is not ashamed to show her imperfect belly (she doesn't have a flat stomach, or abs of steel like most aerobics instructors)

10. Today while doing a deep stretch someone let out a big fart (and no one laughed). A reminder not to take oneself too seriously.

Downward Dog is my friend

(Photo by You Can Call Me...)

So after a 5 year hiatus, I'm starting to do Yoga again.

Q: Who/What was the catalyst for this change?
A: Sting.

Seriously - I wrote about how great Sting looks here, in my post about the Police concert at Dodger Stadium last month. If Yoga can do wonders for Sting at age 55, then what am I waiting for?

U. and I planned on attending the relaxation Yoga class this morning (thinking we'd be doing some stretching and chanting and meditation to get us back in the groove), but it got canceled, so we ended up in the much more advanced Yoga class.

U. worked out beforehand at the gym. He ran for 45 minutes on the treadmill. When I say ran, I mean full on running. He's a former marathon runner and is really fast and has great stamina. He's amazing to watch on that treadmill. I wish I could run with him (believe me I've tried) but I'm just not a runner. It just ain't my thing. So we're doing Yoga, which is something we can both do together. (And in this case I have a bit of an edge because I'm more flexible.)

So anyway - my point to all this is - he worked out before thinking that the relaxation Yoga class wouldn't be a real workout. I remember asking him the night before if that was a good idea. He laughed and said something to the effect of this Yoga class would be a piece of cake. Oh how wrong he was. I looked over a few times and saw him sweating like crazy and struggling with the difficult positions.

A few times I had to laugh out loud seeing us both with our bodies twisted like pretzels in these awkward positions. Just when I thought I couldn't hold a position any longer, the instructor would tell us to go down into the downward dog position. The downward dog - oh how I love thee.

The stretching, balancing, and strengthening did my muscles and posture a lot of good. I carry all my stress in my back, between my shoulder blades, and after the extreme back stretching, I felt tension free (like a noodle). It felt even better than the massage I got last month! Now in the evening I'm sore, but it's a good sore.

U. pointed out there were some serious Yogis in that class. He got a great workout and wants to go back, as do I.

I only wish the Y had a mommy and me Yoga class. That should be a hoot with the baby.