Here is my report on my first class of beginner Iyengar yoga.
I loved it. It’s basically an hour of learning and holding a series of poses/stretches, followed by a brief relaxation/meditation/hypnotherapy phase. I got a bit of a glow on, but I doubt it does much in the way of cardiovascular fitness, which is (one reason) why my husband sneers at it – doesn’t burn enough calories. But even so, you can feel the endorphins flowing, giving a lovely sense of wellbeing, and you feel terrifically relaxed by the end.
The other thing about it I love is that it’s not competitive at all, unlike when I used to play indoor netball. That really got my heart rate up and improved my fitness greatly, but since I was so useless at it, my feelings of failure at letting the team down all the time meant that I never really looked forward to it. Luckily I got injured – broken finger, then broken nose – so I was able to retire gracefully. Yoga shouldn’t lead to injuries either, so if I keep enjoying it, there’s no reason I can’t continue at it into old age, or until death claims me anyway.
There were about fifteen in the class, with a slight preponderance of men, which surprised me. There were all ages, too, although no children. There was quite a bit of equipment involved, which I didn’t expect. In addition to the yoga mat, there were two cork bricks, a bolster (like a sausage shaped pillow), a neatly folded blanket, and a large elasticated belt. There was a bit of an animal theme going, too. There was a cat pose, which I can’t remember the name of, the famous downward dog, and another one where you get trussed up like a chicken using the elasticated belt. It’s got an Indian name, but I think of it as the Cervical Smear pose (“just relax, and let your knees flop outwards…”)
My mind struggled a little to empty during the final wind down, but only because I was thinking about the Australia v India cricket test that was going right down to the wire just as our class began*. Barring important international sporting fixtures, I think I’d easily be able to let my mind go during future sessions.
At the end of class, everyone puts their gear away in an orderly fashion and then slips away without too much chit chat which suits me perfectly. Winner winner chicken dinner! Many thanks to my sister in law who introduced me to the world of yoga, with those zoom classes over the festive season.
*Congratulations to India, what a come back after being bowled out for 36 just a few weeks ago! What an awesome series!