My 30-Day Yoga Challenge Diary: Day 1 – What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Let me just begin by explaining that I am a total yoga dummy, so I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking when I signed myself up for a 30-day yoga challenge. Nonetheless, I trotted off to my very fist class at Camden’s Place’s Yoga Hub yesterday for day one of the challenge.

Here’s how I got on.

Day one:

In preparation for my class I decided to check out my flexibility; I did the usual stretches I used to do for dance class only to find out that I have become the least flexible person on the planet – I can’t even touch my toes…I can barely touch my shins! I contemplated canceling the class to avoid total humiliation but the stubborn half of me decided I had to go, now that I had committed to it.

So, off I went to my first yoga class. I arrived in the room and placed my mat at the back of the room (close to the door so if things got too tough/embarrassing I could make a swift and easy escape).

I looked around me and everyone was doing their own version of yoga before the class even started; I was really out of my depths here.

When the yoga instructor started the class I was extremely relieved that I could finally stop moving my arms and legs around trying to look like I knew what I was doing, cos I most certainly didn’t.

All of a sudden we were doing downward dog, plank and a whole load of other positions I didn’t know the name of.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the beginning of class. There were a series of relaxing exercises that made me feel like I was a natural yogi, but, just as I was beginning to think I’d got the hang of things, that’s when it started.

All of a sudden we were doing downward dog, plank and a whole load of other positions I didn’t know the name of. All I knew is that they were tiring and painful, and I felt clumsy and awkward.

Thankfully though, the instructor was really helpful and didn’t put me under any pressure to do anything I wasn’t able for, which made my first class a lot more bearable.

At the end of the class we finished with more relaxing exercises. It was nearly as if they did the exercises to make you forget the pain you had just endured.

Somehow though, despite the pain, the mild embarrassment and my inflexibility, I still left the class feeling peaceful and accomplished.

Dare I say I might actually be looking forward to tomorrows 7am class.

Tags:

• 30 Day Yoga Challenge
• wellness
• yoga
• Yoga Challenge