Yoga in a Toga

Well, okay. Not in a toga. But I do love a toga and really wish they’d come back into fashion so I wouldn’t look like such a weirdo when I wear one!

Actually, this post is about my newest favorite thing in the UNIVERSE, which is yoga. I started taking classes this week at the YMCA. The YMCA is awesome because, if, like me, your family is on a reduced income, you can join for a reduced rate, and still get the same benefits as full-price-paying members. (Child care is also included in the membership. I don’t have kids, but I think that’s great!)

I started off with a pilates class, which was really hard, but also really good. And then I took a yoga class, more on a whim than anything. See, for a long time (years), I’ve thought I would like yoga, that it was even something I needed. But I never did anything about it because money was always an issue. Well, and initiave, too (as long as we’re being honest). I did try  some yoga videos I downloaded off the internet, but just wasn’t that inspired by them.

The yoga classes, however, are A-MA-ZING. I like it so much I told my brother I was probably going to turn into one of those people that goes around saying “Namaste” to everyone they meet. If that happens, I guess I’ll officially be beyond caring what anyone thinks about me. I’ll probably be wearing a toga, too.

This morning I went to a class that was mostly filled with seniors, and holey moley, some of those old ladies are flexible! I thought I was flexible, but some of those women are practically contortionists! I was impressed, and inspired! That’s how I want to be when I’m old.

Another reason I like the YMCA is that there’s a more diverse group of people there than you will typically find at your average $100-a-month fitness clubs. No meat heads slavering over the weight machines, no ladies working out with a full face of make-up and checking out their own taut behinds in the mirror. At the YMCA, it’s young people and old people mixed together, hippies and yuppies, the fit and the not-so. It’s my kind of scene, really. No one seems like they’re trying to impress anyone else, and while people are friendly, no one is actively scoping out anyone else, scorning their lower settings on the treadmill or their not-so-downward dog.

I haven’t checked out the water aerobics yet, but I plan to soon and will post about it here. In short, I highly recommend joining the YMCA! There seems to be something there for everyone!

♥Emerald