I am not described as calm. My personality screams passionate, enthusiastic and energetic. I move too fast, I talk way too much and I am always
going; it's who I am. But I have been realizing that
while my fun, bubbly energy keeps my spirits high I need moments of decompression and peace. It's important that I find calm and quiet even though I am not a calm, mellow person.
The other night, my friend Lindsey convinced
me to attend an Inner Fire yoga class. For those who don't know Inner Fire,
it's a yoga studio in downtown Madison that offers a variety of yoga
classes ranging from hard to easy and slow to fast.
I walked into the class apprehensive and feared that I would feel everything but relaxed. I had been
to one other yoga class in my life at the student gym last semester and it was
awful. I disliked the class so much that I laughed the entire time and
left early. During my first yoga experience, I found myself less focused than I was doing math
homework, moving around the whole time, falling off my matt and completely
unrelaxed. Maybe it was me and not the class but Sadie and yoga just
did not mix well. But it being sophomore year and me wanting to try
to new things, I -- unhappily -- agreed to try Inner Fire.
Naturally, I started off with the
easiest of the classes, the Candlelight Yin. This yoga style focuses
on deep tissue and restoring flexibility. The challenge of yin is
that you hold each each position for approximately 3 to 5 minutes. To my
surprise the class was great and I enjoyed (almost) the full hour.
Yes it was slow and yes I was thinking about what I would be eating
after but my brain was only at full speed for a short period of time.
Something about the smell of the room, the tone of the instructors
voice and the rhythm of my breath helped me find balance and peace
with myself and my body. I was in another universe for an hour and I
wanted nothing more than to stay there.
I can proudly say, "I am signed up for another class." I am hoping to regain that experience of calm while feeling accomplishment for trying something new. It amazes me but excites me that I found peace and serenity in something I hated four months ago. For those of you who haven’t tried yoga I recommend
it especially at Inner Fire. If you're anything like me, you could
definitely benefit from a class... or two.
