Downward facing dog.
It's one of those terms that tends to make its way into our collective subconscious. A threesome of words whose combined meaning you seem to know even without any actual knowledge of the discipline they are such an interacle part of. As innocent and maybe even as silly as this unassuming combination of letters may sound, it is in my opinion quite a difficult posture. Well, at least for this somewhat wide and not so bendy woman.
I've always wanted to try yoga, going back as far as I can remember really. It was one of those odd hippy things that I was always drawn to. But, just like almost everything else I've been interested in, I was always too afraid to try. Until now anyway.
Just over six weeks ago I attended my very first yoga class.
Back in late May/early June I by chance learned that a former co-worker owned a yoga studio and was the instructor for the intro to yoga course. That little piece of information tempered one of the fears I have about trying anything different. I knew the instructor. I knew the person in charge. It made me feel less vulnerable about being in a new situation. It was an opportunity for me to step outside of my self imposed box safely. Within the week I had registered myself and a coworker for the class and then stared the four or five week waiting game until the classes began.
At first I thought it was going to take an eternity for the start date of the course to arrive. I was anxious to start the classes, to start moving forward with something new. Of course I was aware that it was only one class, one day a week for six weeks. Nothing to expect miracles from. I just felt that this small step forward would help move me in the direction of making my life more like the life I wanted. So, I waited.
Finally the night of the first class arrived. I was both nervous and excited. We arrived at the studio early in hopes of finding ourselves a spot in the back. No luck. So, upfront we went. We were a bit weary of being in the front row of the class. After all, who isn't somewhat paralysed but the prospect of inadvertently drawing everyone's attention by doing something silly/stupid/humiliating. Being in the front increases those odds. As it turned out we actually enjoyed being in the front and made it our permanent spot for the following 5 weeks.
During those six classes I definitely learned a lot. I learned I was significantly bendier ten years ago. I learned that my balance needs a lot of work. I learned that the dread I feel leading up to doing something new is a lot worse than the actual process of doing something new.
I have found the classes to be quite challenging. Something I think I needed at this point in my life. I feel as though I have started to accomplish something. I'm learning something new, something I've wanted to learn for a very long time. Something I hope to continue for a long time to come. After all, my downward facing dog still needs some work.
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