Going with the Vinyasa Flow

I cannot be the only one...who knows how hard it is as a Mama to try something new.  The reasons I find expanding into new realms are boundless; no time, not in the budget, fear of failing, etc.. The list could go on and on, but that feeling that I could be doing more, or be more for myself, also goes on and on. Recently I had the opportunity to purchase a one month membership to one of our communities more pricey gyms at an extreme discount and I thought, "This will be fun, my friend and I could drop the kids off at the kids club and we could work out or take a class or two." Little did I know that that "class or two" I was envisioning would become a personal challenge in trying new things.

I workout, I have a routine, I have a schedule and I stick to it. For years I have woken up before the sun crest our roof top and tied on my Brooks running shoes to hit the pavement for a jog, followed by sit ups and push ups to round it all off.  I have never been one for workout classes, instead believing I was some kind of reveler in my solo fitness institution.  But this newly purchased gym membership included over a hundred group classes a week and I was feeling ready to dive into those classes and see what I was missing.

The very first class we took was Vinyasa Flow, described as dynamic yoga with continuous dance-like movements. As my friend and I stood outside the darkened studio we joked about how we hoped this class wasn't too difficult because we weren't really looking for an intense workout. What I did find in the yoga studio was a place of personal challenge, a reason to breathe deeply, and time to be self involved sans guilt (a rarity for any Mama).

Moments after entering the yoga studio I was quickly out of my comfort zone, taking to the mat and laying in Savasana (corpse pose), arms away from the body with your palms up and legs hip width apart is not the normal way I begin a workout.  Although, as many of you may know, that quiet moment of relaxation evolved quickly into my arms and legs shaking as they attempted to hold balance in a pose my body was not used to. I started to sweat, I had to make adjustments to where my feet or hands were on the mat often, and I had to check in with the instructor just to make sure I wasn't the only one still standing in warrior two. It was a busy hour for me on that bamboo wood floor breathing lavender scented air.


An hour later, as we emerged out of the studio, I commented to my friend from the side of my mouth, "That class sort of kicked my butt," and we agreed that it was an intense workout.

That Vinyasa Flow class ended up giving me more than what I had expected, not just in the physical sense because it was more than that, I connected with something within myself and I have been back to the mat more than just a few times since that afternoon that I thought I would try something new.