yo yo yoga!

Alright, I'm gonna be honest...I've never thought I'd be a huge fan of yoga. I've always been the "sweat and tears" kinda girl when it comes to workout; a hard run, tons of abs, and maybe i'll even throw a little bit (emphasis on "little") bit of weight around. But last week when I randomly decided to give the yoga fad a shot, I was pleasantly surprised with my experience.
Starting out, I had a few fears that were rattling around in my head. For one, I am NOT flexible at all. I can barely get past my knees when I lean over...and that's on a good day. Second, I am not a person that is easily relaxed. I'm in no way saying that I'm uptight, I just find it very difficult to sit still and stay quiet for an extended period of time. And by extended period of time, I mean over five minutes. Really, it's pathetic...I'm like a five year old with an IV of Mountain Dew permanently stuck in my arm. Alright, back to the point: pushing my uneasiness aside, I decided to give yoga a shot because I've been stressed out of my mind with school lately.
When I arrived at the session, I was automatically feeling out of place: everyone around me looked serene, ultra-relaxed, and flexible. I'm pretty sure at one point, the woman next to me put her foot behind her head...scary. I also had shown up without the crucial yoga materials: a flowery mat, trendy looking water bottles, and tight fitting black pants with a sporty little tank top. Oops. Fail. Feeling awkward and nervous, I sat down on an oversized mat-ball mat that took me back to my grade school days when I got in trouble for being too competitive playing kickball. The session began and I quickly found that this would be a challenge. How was I supposed to relax when I couldn't even complete any of the poses and stretches that everyone around me was molding themselves into with ease? But slowly but surely, I felt my muscles warming up and becoming more loose. Once I got the "yoga breathing" down, I could feel the relaxation start to take over. At the end of the 45 minute session, I felt like no time went by. The crummy mood that had followed me throughout the morning was gone, and I was ready to take on the rest of the day. I've continued my yoga sessions, but haven't abandoned my crazy workouts...they can coexist as far as I'm concerned!