bendy nun

[sistawendy]

On Tuesday night (What's up with the delayed posts lately?) I went to my very first ever yoga class. People keep asking me which kind of yoga it is. I don't know the Sanskrit name; it's whatever the Sanskrit word for "n00b" is.

My goodness, that was a workout! I'm not crippled, but I'm feeling it, especially in my shoulders. Things learned:

• I need to get there early enough to get a spot near the front of the room so I can see the instructor.
• I have more flexibility in my shoulders than most people: if I reach over and back with one hand, I can get a solid grip on the other.
• My ankles are really weak. I can't do even a modified tree pose for more than a few seconds.
• My legs aren't as flexible as they used to be. Maybe they're better than average for XY people my age, but that's something else to work on.

Comments

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

For leg flexibility a good stretch is to put one leg forwards and the other back and then lean towards your toes, gently. This way you stretch a muscle while it's not actively pulling, and that seems to be easier on them. As a cyclist, that's the main place I need to stretch. Similarly, putting down a fairly thick book, doing the same stance, with the ball of your front foot on the book, helps with calf stretching.
There are scads of youtube videos for yoga moves. It does help. I wonder when the first kinect yoga tutor will come out? It'd be awesome and probably make a mint.

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

I'll archive this one.