I own about 25 pairs of yoga pants. I sleep in them, eat in them, bake in them, and occasionally when they are new- attempt to pass them off as real pants at work. Except for my pandemic induced attempt at Couch to 5K, I have never exercised in them, let alone taken them to actual yoga.
Okay we need to detour for a second. Picture me running down Freedom Lane with my yoga pants SAFETY PINNED to my sports bra because they kept rolling down when I ran (skinny people, does this happen to you too?). In between moments of sweating profusely and gasping for breath, I felt a searing pain in my armpit. Not wanting to embarrass myself even more than I already had in front of my jogging partner, I decided to continue with the entire run. Silver lining- my pants did not roll down that day; evidentially being tethered to a chunk of flesh is quite effective. That being said, I abandoned my 5K dreams and me and my trusty yoga pants returned to my couch for the remainder of the summer.
Okay back to the reason for the post. A few weeks ago, I shared with everyone my Wellness Resolution and my decision to try new things. In order to ease myself into this new venture, I decided to start with yoga. I am not sure why I went with this first. Even though my ex-husband practiced yoga 5 times a week, I have never been to a class myself because in my mind- it was always an exclusive space. Do you remember that table in the High School Cafeteria? The one that was packed with the popular, fashionable, pretty kids? That is how I have always pictured yoga classes. To me, yoga is for slim, attractive, upper middle-class white women. It isn’t for me.
Most people at this point in the story would start with their first class, but I can’t because the truth is that I psyched myself out for days and I was dreading it. What would I wear? Would I be the fattest person in there? Would it matter that I am horribly uncoordinated and lack flexibility?
What if I fart?
The latter question consumed me. T.M.I? I already told you about my safety pinned pants, we have crossed that line. Pretty sure someone told me once that sometimes people do that in certain poses, so of course I fixated on that because it is essentially the worst-case scenario. Worried I would stick out like a gassy sore thumb, I asked a friend to join me and planned to arrive early to pick a good spot at the back of the class. Well…I woke up late, hit a parked car on my way out, and rolled into yoga class in my pajama yoga pants. Let my journey to Zendom begin!
For a small City, Havre de Grace offers a surprising number of yoga classes but I chose to attend the one with an instructor that I had already met and really liked. Situated in the marina on Water Street, Yoga Studio 723 offers a variety of classes for both beginners and advanced yogis. It is steps from the water and on an early Saturday morning, I found it quite peaceful. The studio itself is housed in a converted 1900’s ice house and manages to be both intimate and relaxing. After browsing their classes, I selected All Levels Yoga with Theresa.
All Levels Yoga is exactly that, it means that the instructor teaches the beginner pose and then offers intermediate versions for students with more experience. Despite racing in disheveled, without a minute to spare, I was able to get settled in really quickly. Lying on my back, setting my intentions for the class, and slowly stretching- I thought to myself that I could fall asleep and maybe I was going to be really good at this yoga thing after all. Well- thirty minutes later my muscles were screaming in pain as we shifted through all three Warrior poses. Don’t even get me started on the Sun Salutations we did in my second class. If you think pushups are hard, try adding six extra steps to them and doing them over and over. It is no surprise that Corpse Pose is my favorite.
Even though the moves are deliberately slow and don’t offer much cardio, maintaining form engages a surprising amount of muscles and forces you to work your core. I felt like I got a good work out at the end of it and it was probably the best stretch of my life. I also noticed that I had significantly less back pain throughout the week.
The other thing that struck me about yoga was the inability to attain perfection and the lack of competition. As an obsessive Type A person, I have always made it my mission to work my hardest to be the best in anything that I try, and I am acutely aware when I am not. Even in a regular gym, I am always worried that I am not going as fast as the person on the treadmill next to me or lifting as much. With yoga I didn’t feel that at all. This was partially due to concentrating hard to try and not fall over, but mainly because the workout feels deeply personal and the only thing you pay attention to is your body and how you feel in that moment. I mention that it is impossible to ever achieve “perfection” in yoga because I think I could do the exact same yoga pose every day for a year, and each time I would get something different out of it or do it in a slightly different way.
I am also happy to report that my fears of walking into the high school cafeteria couldn’t have been further from the truth. While everyone in the class was in much better shape than me and possessed significantly more balance and flexibility, I never once felt self-conscious or out of place. The classes of self-absorbed trophy wives and condescending instructors that my ex-husband had described from studios he attended in Atlanta and Philadelphia would not have had a place here. I imagine that is largely due to the teaching style of Mulqueen herself. Throughout the class, she stressed listening to your body and celebrating your own achievements. If you can’t get all the way into a bend, that’s okay she repeated. Celebrate the fact that your body can bend at all and know that you probably are doing it a little bit better every single time you try. It wasn’t all just verbal affirmations, she also offered physical adjustments for those of us whose bodies do not bend like pretzels yet or whose knees scream when press them on a hard floor for thirty minutes. A simple shift of an arm or a direction of a gaze can make a pose so much more attainable for newbies like myself.
Review: Taren’s Cheat Sheet
So, what is the final verdict on yoga? Going forward I have devised a little rating scale for all of the new things that I try and things that are important to me when trying something new:
Price: How much does it cost to participate.
Equipment: Do I have to buy specialized equipment or gear to participate.
Comfort Level: How did I feel in the establishment.
Availability: I work a lot, therefore classes on nights and weekends are important.
Difficulty: Is it feasible for someone with a lower fitness level or skillset to accomplish.
Return: How likely am I to return or continue with this program.
As you can see, for me yoga is a resounding yes. If you would like to check out Yoga Studio 723, I highly recommend it! You can visit their website below for a complete list of classes and upcoming schedule.
https://yogastudio723.com
There are also some additional yoga options in town and you can find them below:
https://beachbeeyoga.com
https://thefitnesscenterofhdg.com