My first and until last week, my only experience at yoga was at one of those big box gyms. You know, the kind you join for $30 or $40 a month? I wanted to de-stress, I wanted to be more flexible, and I had read that yoga helps with that. I went once. It was years ago. I remember thinking, when is this going to be over. I thought that for an hour. It was get to a pose, wait a couple of minutes, new pose. Every time we were holding a pose, the instructor was quiet, I was waiting to figure out what came next and all the stress came back from work, and by the end of class I had a list of 20+ things to do in my head.

Shara O’Burg Power, Yoga Instructor @ Rivercity Pilates

I told Carey that story one night, and the next day she invited me to a yoga class at Rivercity Pilates and asked me to blog about it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had seen Shara’s picture on the website, and I was totally intimidated. I put on some workout clothes and put a scrunchie on my wrist. I didn’t really think I would need a pony tail, because isn’t yoga about sitting in weird poses and stuff? Surely I wouldn’t sweat in my first class.

When I met Shara, she was positive and bubbly and easy to talk too, but still i wondered if I would be breaking my neck trying to stand on my head in class or feeling foolish because I would be the only one who couldn’t stand on my head.

We went into the class and I strategically took a place right by the door. You never know when you might need to make a quick exit. Shara put on some music, and I thought, this might be ok. It wasn’t country music that I prefer, but it wasn’t that chants snake dancing stuff either. Then more people came in. A yoga instructor, a Pilates instructor, and a physical therapist and two more folks I hadn’t met. Ok, I wanted to head out the door. But, I didn’t want to be called a quitter! Then she dimmed the lights and switched the music to “yoga music” or as I call it “snake charmer music”. I wasn’t very comfortable with the music. Why don’t they use some Luke Bryan?

We started standing, and Shara told us to close our eyes. Ok, I can do that.   That worked fine until she started giving instructions using words I didn’t know. I had to peek thru my eyelids to see what to do.  No one seemed to mind that I was peeking.   She said if we had an “intention” for the class to think about that. I made my yoga mantra. “Please let me make it thru the class without falling over in a pile”. That was pretty much the last non-yoga thought I had for one hour. After about 5 minutes, I was totally focused on trying to keep up with the movements, and even the snake charmer music was so much in the background, that it didn’t bother me.

Shara led us in a series of exercise that flowed from one to another. (No two minute hold the pose moments for my mind to wander). My quads began to scream at me. Shara was calm and encouraging, and her excitement was infectious as she talked us thorough the subtleties of the pose to ensure everyone had the best experience. You know when fitness instructors tell you that they are working large muscles first to get your heart pumping? My heart was definitely pumping and the sweat started to roll! This was a workout!  Who knew that yoga would make you sweat so much?

My neck was so hot, I wanted to put my hair in a pony tail, but my hands were always busy with the exercises. From downward dog to plank to half way up to standing, there was always something for my hands to do and there wasn’t a minute to get my hair in a pony tail! I had to listen so I knew what to do next. I figure I was a few seconds behind all the yoga regulars that practice yoga regularly, but it wasn’t as awkward (or embarrassing) as I had anticipated. The lights were dim, Shara was coaching and guiding as she worked along with us thru the exercises, and she was so terrific at describing body position (what to squeeze when) and so positive when she saw any student make a correction and get that extra oomph out of each move, that dare I say – I actually thought I might like this thing called yoga despite all the sweat.

Did I make it thru the whole hour?  Stay tuned for Part 2 of my first yoga class!

Becky Monroe
Rivercity Pilates Student