Day 8 - Double Pigeon Pose or Bust

Anyone out there who has taken yoga before will have heard some of the crazy names for yoga postures. And not the actual Sanskrit names, but the rather interesting descriptive English names for them such as "Reverse Triangle", "Downward Facing Dog", and "Reclining Big Toe". (Okay, so the last one I've never done but I did read about it on Wikipedia). They may sound silly, and sometimes when you look at pictures it looks a little silly. But believe me, when those poses are done in a constant flow of movement it's really intense. (My teacher would be so proud that I just said constant flow of movement).

In all seriousness, I know a lot of people don't consider yoga to be an aerobic activity. And while a lot of people say it's good at building strength and increasing flexibility, which it is, it is also a great workout. For the second week in a row I was sweating and breathing heavy, but I felt really rejuvenated at the end of the workout. Is it because the teacher is telling us to "be true to our bodies" and "listen to our breath"? I actually think so.

I'm not a religious person - I haven't been to church in 20 years. But I do consider myself a spiritual person, and it's something that I consider a very important and personal part of my life. So maybe that's why I connect with yoga. When the teacher started our ending meditation in double pigeon pose (a new pose I learned where you sit, cross your right leg over your left, lean over, and stretch, then repeat with left leg over right) it hurt, but at the same time was completely calming. Like all the stress I had earlier that day - not being able to find my keys, 3 hours worth of meetings, etc - didn't matter. More than that, like it didn't even happen.

And no, I'm not just drinking the kool-aid. And I'm not going to go out and devote my life to yoga and leave civilization behind. But it is a nice feeling when you can put your body through a tough workout, and your mind feels just as strong after. Call me crazy, but I feel more complete after yoga.

But the question remains, will I feel this complete after (SPOILER ALERT!) ballroom dance tomorrow?? Dun Dun DUN! Til tomorrow!

~Catie

Minutes spent working out this week: 75