Day 14

My body is beginning to feel the fatigue as I am almost halfway through with my Hot Yoga experiment.


I suppose it is only natural for the yoga instructor to get bored and begin to make up new poses. Today she decided to try it out on us. Former teachers have stressed that you "practice" yoga so that whatever level you are at or whatever your body is feeling each pose is for you to decide. But I felt a great deal of pressure to try out this new pose. If you want to give it a try I will walk you through it:

From table top come to down dog;
Arms to forearms;
Walk feet forward;
Straighten left arm only;
Bend left leg;
Lift left leg up;
Keep right arm on forearm;
Bend right leg;
Straighten right leg;
Hold and then straighten right leg.

I made it to step number three and paused. I looked up. No one in the room, even the advanced yogis, were making it into the pose. I looked down and kept my feet on the floor thinking, "If all these advanced yogis can't do it, I don't have a chance." I began to hear the sound of pounding feet and grunts as people attempted and failed to come into the pose. Then I heard something I had never heard before: the sound of falling. Crash.

I couldn't help but look up. A man was on his back and the yoga instructor was over him asking if he was okay. "You rolled out of that nicely," she said.

I leaned back into child's pose and then guilt got me through step three again. I even straightened my left arm when- BAM!

I looked up and saw the same man was on his back. This time the yoga instructor was calming everyone down by announcing that the sound was "just his water bottle" which she popped open and offered to him. He was in pain but did not appear to be permanently damaged.

Again the yoga instructor walked us through the pose. Then I heard something else I hadn't heard before: applause. I looked up expecting to see the man steadying himself in the pose. Instead an average yogi had made it in the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" pose.

It gave me hope that one day I too can be the Leaning Tower of Pisa- or at least lift my leg off the floor.

Three cheers for the average yogi!

Challenge Counter:
Number of Hot Yoga Classes: 8