Tales of a Yoga Virgin

I have never done yoga before. I’ve done stretches, wushu, played sports, but I’ve never stepped foot inside a yoga studio, until 6 days ago. First impression: “Not bad.” Second impression: “Great.” Allow me to explain.

I was about a minute late because of traffic, and it was at night, so I had a little trouble spotting the studio. Once I got there, I had to fill out a slip of paper because it was my first time. The class was complimentary because it was my first time, by the way.

Once I got into the studio, I grabbed a communal yoga mat, and sat down in a corner of the classroom. Everyone else had already staked out a spot, so if you’re reading this as a future first timer, get there early!

As the class started, there was a dim level of lighting, and it got progressively dimmer. It was dark mind you, but the dim light and the music definitely set the tone for a relaxing session. I spent a lot of the class with my eyes closed anyways. We went through several basic poses like Cobra, Plank and Downward Facing Dog. The instructor was kind enough to correct me once as well. I felt that was enough attention to let me know that she knew I was there, but not so much attention as to say, “Hey, this is the new guy!”

As a side note, if you’re a guy going to a class, basketball shorts are probably not the ideal clothing choice, unless you have some spandex under them. When we turned to our backs with our legs in the air, they kept dropping down to my nether regions. Now, I had boxer shorts on, but it was still a little uncomfortable.

So again, my first impression was not bad. I ended the class feeling very stretched out and relaxed. However, it wasn’t until a little while after or even the next day that I felt really good about the class. My left shoulder had been feeling a little awkward since I jammed it a few months ago, but it felt much better the day after the class. This is not an unexplainable phenomenon, of course. I would attribute this to the focused breathing and slow stretching and rotation of that part of my body. Hence, my second impression, “Great!”

Let me finish by saying that I’m a single guy, and that women who do yoga are apparently pretty attractive. Clearly, as someone who’s never previously done yoga, this particular revelation was not something that was going to keep me from doing it again. There appears to be many benefits for taking yoga, and I’m just getting started.

[tags]first yoga class, benefits of yoga, yoga clothing, getting started yoga, impression on yoga[/tags]