This is not the start of a bad joke; this is actually my life, and the start of my post-9 to 5 evening. My intention was NOT to jump ahead of myself and play with the big kids. I know where I’m at physically and mentally when it comes to yoga and a level 2 class is nowhere near where I’d peg myself on a yoga map. The arrow would clearly point to, “You are NOT here”. But, I found myself here tonight because I wanted to get home before 9 o’clock and it was either Mindful Vinyasa 2 or Vinyasa 2-3. Oh, what a price to pay for convenience…
I knew it would be challenging, but beyond that I really had no other expectations. I thought back to the time I took my first spin class. I was afraid to take the class because I would see people afterwards with soaked shirts, dripping with sweat. They looked like they all finished running a marathon! I was intimidated, but I was also intrigued. I wanted to know if I could do it and survive. I finally got up enough courage to take a class – I went early on a Sunday morning when it’s less crowded - and it was EXTREMELY challenging but not unbearable. I lived to tell about it and had a sweaty shirt as proof of my conquest. However, that was my first and LAST time taking a spin class! I think I decided I don’t want to really work that hard when I go to the gym to workout. Nevertheless, the spin victory reminded me that I do have a little power within me to endure challenges. No matter what, I told myself that I would do my best and stay until the end. I got inside the studio about 15 minutes before class started and I could tell immediately that Vinyasa 2 is not like the intro classes I’ve been going to. As people came in, they started stretching and going through their own warm-up sequences. I followed suit and did a few rounds of cat/dog and Chakravakrasana. One woman was warming up with handstands. I didn’t have anything in my three-week old trainee toolkit comparable to that, so at that point I just sat on my bolster and waited patiently for class to start. I got a tad bit nervous when Angelique walked in because she assists us on Sundays in training class. She’s definitely more advanced, so we probably shouldn’t be in the same class. I guess I could have pretended I had an emergency phone call and had to leave suddenly, but I already committed. I remembered my intention: Stay and do my best. “Come into downward dog.” Oh. Okay. So thiiiiis is how class starts when you’re level 2. No small talk or demos; just jump right in. Thankfully, I know what downward dog is, so I didn’t have the deer in headlights look. The flow of class followed this pattern. The Sanskrit names of poses were used and the teacher gave more verbal cues than physical demonstrations. It wasn’t about looking at the front of the room to see what she was doing. I really had to listen and focus within myself to do what I was being told to do. We did each pose two or three times before going on to the next pose and I thought this sequencing was really helpful. If I couldn’t get it quite right the first time, I could make adjustments for the next time around. Many of the poses were things that we’ve gone over in training, but it was a different experience doing them as a flow and attempting to do them more precisely like the “real” level 2-ers. And it was extremely hot! I felt the sweat rolling down my back and had a spin class flashback. I could feel myself becoming more fatigued around the top of the hour, but I knew I was in the homestretch. I just had to hold on a little while longer. Pigeon pose and bridge were probably my biggest challenges of the night, but I that just means I need to practice them more. The class ended with some very relaxing twists and Savasana. Surprisingly, I left with my self-esteem intact. It was definitely a challenge for me, but I actually would like to go back. It will probably be more beneficial to wait until I’m a little more advanced in my training and practice, maybe have at least a few level 1 classes under my mat, but I’m glad I didn’t scare myself away from the level 2 class before even trying. Now I have a better understanding of what’s expected of me in a level 2 class.
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