Asana Practice Reflection Week One

Day One!

The first day of class and my first day back doing yoga practice in over a year! I would be lying if I said it was not difficult for me. I could not believe how inflexible I was nor how weak my back was. After a few seconds in the "upward hands" pose, I felt like I was the Tin Man with no oil. My joints were creaky! I never realized how little I actually fully stretch out my body. I thought since I am an avid runner, I would not be so inflexible and weak but I was wrong. Even though it felt a little strange, I felt better after doing it. Sitting down on the mat, I also noticed how hard it was for me to sit up straight. It should not be that hard to sit on the ground, but I have a very weak back. When I sit up straight, I feel the pressure of every back bone on top of each other. I hope that after a semester of practice, I will build up the muscles to make sitting easier and to relieve that pressure. Honestly, the best part of the practice was the pose where we laid down on the mat to do the supported corpse pose. I don’t often bend my back backward so it felt amazing to bend it another way and to relieve the pressure.

Overall, while I am embarrassed to say that some of the practice today was difficult, I am excited to keep practicing and to improve my flexibility and strength. I also think once I can feel more comfortable in the poses and not strained, I will be able to focus and relax more. Right now, I am a little distracted by how inflexible I am!