Social Workout

My Yoga Diatribe.

Here, begins my diatribe about Yoga. I started doing Yoga about 9 years ago. I maintained doing it mostly once a week and would take breaks from it from time to time when I got more into doing other things like African Dance. Recently, I took about a year break from Yoga...let me tell you why. 1-Hare Krishna music. There was an instructor at my gym who played and chanted Hare Krishna music! 2-Touching. I come from a non-touching home. Personal space is respected. If I don't really know you, you shouldn't be touching me for more than 5 seconds. Many Yoga instructors love to adjust you and its not cool when they don't ask if its ok. Further more the more you touch me the more I lose focus. 3-zen-itudes. Sorry I am a hater but I don't really want to sit for 10 minutes listening to you read me a passage, or hear about your funny story of biking on the way to the gym in which you are 10 minutes late to teach this Yoga class! Overall, these 3 problems take away what I was going to Yoga for and instead of leaving feeling happy and rejuvenated, I would leave feeling angry and angsty. I do understand as well that I probably just fell into a bunch of Yoga teachers that were not my steez.

Well, my friend Carol who is a recent certified Yoga instructor started giving me private lessons and it has brought me back to liking Yoga. Thanks, Carol! And I've even gone back to taking classes although I am extremely selective about which classes I go to at my gym. And there is still the major problem of the touching. Its funny, the more you show up to a class consistently the more the instructor thinks they have license to touch and adjust you. Now, I do believe in verbal instruction and even being nudged into the right position, but I'll say it again, there is NO REASON someone should touch me for more than 5 seconds. BAD BAD BAD.

Moving on, I opted to spin this morning which I showed up late for, oops. But then I tried my first Hot Yoga class ever. People talk about Bikram and Hot Yoga like I'm supposed to come out of it feeling all eppiphanied. I think I missed something although I found it to be fun and different. Definitely liked it more than I though I would. Lots of balancing poses which I am terrible at. But even still, I will try it again!

Last night's Capoeira class was a little disappointing only because I was kind of tired from spinning earlier that day and also because we did not have a roda. I don't consider myself to have any moves down unless I can use them in the roda. Some things I am working on getting:
head stands
queda de rins
macaco
one handed au

Other than that it was still fun as always. Currently, enjoying my grapefruit-orange-strawberry juice with my green beans and kale. Have a lovely day!