The 'Yoga' experiment

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Eric, an old friend and tremendous runner I had the pleasure of coaching during his high school years, had been talking about experiencing new things. He was encouraging me to try a yoga class, which I’ve never done, and I was looking forward to the opportunity. I mean…I’m not too old to learn new things.

We met at Nirvana Yoga in Richfield for the 5:15 p.m. class for people with no coordination or shame. Right…designed with me in mind. Eric had prepped me somewhat…I knew he was worried I’d embarrass him or get him banned or something, so I had decided to actually be on good behavior…and maybe not speak. I was going to wear my ‘Jane Fonda’ leg warmers, but couldn’t find them so I settled for a t-shirt and running shorts.

The practice of yoga began in India over 6,000 years ago and means ‘union’. It works to connect the mind and the body through breathing and moving. Our daily lives are filled with events that cause the body to tense and stay that way, something that can manifest itself in physical ailments and diseases – at least that’s the tag line. Me? I was in it to get an awareness of what it was all about.

We started by gathering the tools of the session - a yoga matt, two foam blocks, a horse blanket, and a long strap. There was soft music playing – sounded like a mandolin, the lights were low, there was some air movement from the overhead fans, and a candle was lit on the table behind Melissa, our instructor and owner of the business. There was just one other guy doing the class with me and Eric, so not too many people in front of whom I could demonstrate my total ineptness in fitness class situations.

We began on the floor and in a cross-legged pose (they’re called asana) and began doing some breathing exercises while becoming aware of the stresses and tensions present throughout our bodies. I’ve done some mental relaxation with runners over the years and had familiarity with the technique. I’d forgotten how powerful and beneficial they can be. When I took stock of the aches and tightness I was feeling in my shoulders, for instance, I was acutely aware of how bad they were. As soon as Melissa suggested concentrating on another part of the body, the tension and pain fell away from the shoulders. It was there, but I could control it with my mind and breathing. Pretty cool.

Things started to heat up from there. I found myself getting into poses that were not that difficult to initiate, but a bitch to hold. First, there was stretching…or the lack thereof…which kind of hurt and felt good simultaneously. The problem for me was balance. Though I do workouts that require a good deal of it, the transfer was coming slowly and I was toppling over pretty regularly at first. Once I got it going though, I was okay. I could feel the core muscles struggling to hold the poses and was aware of the sweat forming all over. I was working muscles long dormant and they were pushing back, displeased with my efforts.

I won’t try to describe the entire class. You just have to do one. What I can say is that I’ve never felt so limber and relaxed at the conclusion of a workout. I particularly liked the last 5 minutes of final relaxation (savasana) when I could really concentrate on my breathing and the feeling of letting go of the stresses throughout my body. Breathing throughout the session is key, but something I had screwed up mostly because I was too busy trying to figure out whether I was in the correct position or not. I think it would take two or three sessions – if you’re not a slow learner – to get good enough to handle the poses without checking.

I didn’t skip the regular workout, though. I headed for the park to put in my 5th running day in a row. The cooler weather made it a breeze and I found myself wanting to run further and faster. If dark wasn’t closing in, I likely would have. Tomorrow I’m going for 6 in a row and feeling like the calf will be no problem. I’m feeling loose and limber as I write this and attributing that feeling to the yoga session. Make it part of the regular routine? I suppose I would find it too inconvenient to do regularly and I hate to pay for workouts, but I could see the value.

Run duration: 32 minutes. Yoga session: 60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 75-90 during yoga.

Calories burned during workout: 550 running. 400 for yoga.