Class: Yoga

Date: September 15th, 2010

Time & Location: 7pm at Lakeside Lodge

I had a pretty disappointing morning, consisting of a quiz that I wasn't really ready for and an ultimate frisbee practice that ended up being called off. In the back of my mind I hoped that my first yoga session would bring me the epic relaxation that I craved so badly on this particular day. My friend Dave volunteered to accompany me. I know, It surprised me too. We showed up to Lakeside about five minutes before the lesson was supposed to start. After entering I immediately noticed the abundance of yoga mats, quickly reminding me of what I was lacking. Luckily, my complex director Lugenia was there and got some for me and a few of the other students.

I can honestly say that I didn't have too many preconceived notions because I didn't know what to expect. I didn't think It was gonna be too difficult or challenging, and I'm always at lakeside so the setting wasn't new to me either, but then... she turned off the lights. Soon after some very soothing music began to play in the background. That's when I knew this wasn't gonna be quite like I expected. There were about thirteen women and two men in the class, all varying in sizes.

The teacher sat up front on a blanket close to the stage, and the rest of us staggered closer to the middle and rear of the room. She was a petite Caucasian woman in her late 20's. She was soft spoken and came across as knowledgeable. The whole lesson was basically a lot of stretching and breathing techniques. We started off standing, reaching to touch our toes. We then sat Indian style and and did some stretching that way. She kept emphasizing the importance of breathing and relaxing our muscles. All in all, it was more of a physical reward than a mental one. I found it extremely stress relieving and It was a nice way for me to get away from the demands of my day, but It really did a lot for my body. My goal for the rest of my weekly yoga sessions is to really get something out of this, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

-Claire.