@$$-tangle Yoga

So I went to my first Ashtanga Yoga class today. I can honestly say that my body, even in the throes of my wildest sex experiences, has never been in many of those positions before. If you have taken a class, then you know what I mean, but in case you haven't, here is the description of the Eka Pada Parivrtta Upavisthasana from a yoga website. Yoga posture - Eka Pada Parivrtta Upavisthasana Translation: One Leg Revolving Seated Pose From a seated position with the legs straight out, bend one knee towards the chest. Then rotate the upper body and use one arm to support the body and the other arm to aid in the twist. Point the toes or push though the heel. The arm can be straightened or bent. Both ways will help the body rotate more. Extend up through the top of the head to lengthen the spine when twisting. (For a visual, Google Eka Pada Parivrtta Upavisthasana) Yeah... I did that. And I had trouble untwisting myself out of it. At various points during the class I audibly grunted, which I'm sure simultaneously announced my status as a novice and ruined any chances at inner peace for the rest of the class. I'm not so much worried about how sore my back is going to be, which, as I sit here feeling the tingle in the long muscles running up and down my back, I can tell you is going to be substantial tomorrow, I am more concerned for my sanity because I think I'm going to go back. I find the thought of being able to fold myself into a human pretzle strangely intriguing. There's also the VERY fit guy in the front row... eye-candy never hurts. Overall it was an excellent experience... I did something that challenged me to overcome a fear, the fear of embarrassment, of course, but also the fear that Yoga is not a true path to enlightenment and therefore a waste of time. During the breathing exercises at the end of class the teacher suggested that we focus on something that we'd like to improve in our lives and I meditated on how to get less frustrated with my children and on keeping disdain and arrogance out of my voice when I speak to them. I feel that I am a step closer to enlightenment for it and so I have found that yoga will definitely be beneficial for my dharma. But I think they should rename the class "holy-shit" yoga because every time the teacher led us into a new position, that was my mantra.