247CM Fotografie | Diggy Lloyd
247CM Fotografie | Diggy Lloyd
Going to a yoga class has always sounded to me like going on a bad Tinder date — you know you aren't interested within the first 10 minutes, but you're already there, so you feel like you have to stick it out for at least an hour.
For years, I avoided taking what seems to be everyone's preferred fitness class. Whenever I chatted about workouts with friends, the conversation eventually led to favorite workouts , how tough they were, and if they were worth returning to. When yoga was brought up, most people were shocked that I had gone this long without ever taking a class.
The truth is, I never took a yoga class not because I was reluctant to try something new, but because I had always felt like I wouldn't like it. I've always loved high-energy workouts that keep me moving at a fast pace. You can usually catch me at the gym starting off with 45 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, elliptical, or stair climber, then, moving to weight machines and free weights for both my upper and lower body. Yoga seemed like the total opposite of exercise I would enjoy doing. Plus, I'm not exactly what you would call a calm person — I won the 'Most Talkative' superlative in the fifth grade for crying out loud.
After turning down invites to join my mom and my best friend for their weekly yoga class for over a year now (yes, they're friends), I was on a business trip and was offered the opportunity to take a yoga class. I took it, even though I wasn't thrilled about the idea. I was going to be among other fitness editors and writers my age and thought that, if anything, it would be a good bonding activity. I was also curious to see if what I thought would make me dislike yoga would happen to be true. For the record, I went into it with an open mind and was prepared to be zen AF, but it didn't go quite like that.
It was warm, comfortable morning at an outdoor venue with dozens of eager yogis and occasional class goers gathering for a 9 a.m. Vinyasa yoga session. I felt super official in my no-slip grip socks and excited to get my workout done first thing in the morning .
Ik probeerde me op mijn ademhaling te concentreren, mijn ogen dicht te houden en zelfs mijn geest schoon te vegen. Hoe meer ik het probeerde, hoe meer ik over alles begon na te denken, van werk tot boodschappen doen en dat ongemakkelijke ding dat ik ooit op de middelbare school zei.
We begonnen gemakkelijk met een berghouding om ons lichaam in beweging te krijgen. Uiteindelijk hebben we andere klassieke houdingen opgebouwd, zoals de naar beneden gerichte hond, de gedraaide driehoek en de zijplank. De training zelf heeft mijn spieren zeker uitgedaagd en me een beetje laten zweten, vooral omdat ik niet gewend ben aan plankoefeningen en het vervormen van mijn lichaam op de manier die yoga vereist. Het was indrukwekkend om te zien hoe moeiteloos sommige mannen en vrouwen het er uit lieten zien. Ik kon daarentegen niet de mentaliteit opbrengen om te ontspannen; trainen in dat langzame, aandachtige tempo verveelde me gewoon.
Ik ga graag naar de sportschool voor een zweetsessie, omdat het alles wegneemt waar ik die dag aan denk. Als er geen luide muziek is of constante bewegingen om mijn energie te kanaliseren, zoals tijdens yoga, blijf ik met mijn gedachten achter. Ik probeerde me op mijn ademhaling te concentreren, mijn ogen dicht te houden en zelfs mijn geest schoon te vegen. Hoe meer ik het probeerde, hoe meer ik over alles begon na te denken, van werk tot boodschappen doen en dat ongemakkelijke ding dat ik ooit op de middelbare school zei.
Yoga is harder than meets the eye — I was sore the next day — so I'm not bashing its physical aspect at all, but mentally I don't think I could ever truly relax and appreciate each and every muscle movement as other people in the class did. Hats off to them, but it's just not me. Regardless, I went through all the moves and tried to pull off the yogi persona as well as well as I possibly could. Honestly, the only thing getting me through the class was knowing I could grab breakfast afterwards. I was waiting to experience the relaxation that everyone talks about (and trust me, I tried), but instead I just found myself wishing that I was exuding more energy in my workout.
Sure, every yoga class is different and maybe another version, like a cardio-yoga hybrid class , zou beter bij mij passen, maar ik ben niet optimistisch. De algehele sfeer van yoga past gewoon niet bij mij, en dat is 100 procent oké. Ik blijf bij cardio en gewichten. . . en voortaan gewoon Namaste weg van yoga.
