Going Gaga for Yoga

(Has Lady Gaga ruined the use of that term for anyone else? Well, I'm using it regardless!)

Yesterday I clued into a great secret that I thought some of you might want to know about. It's a mind and body workout called yoga.

Apparently, it's been around for a few thousand years, but you know me: I'm always a little slow to adopt the trends. (Today I completed my fourth and fifth texts ever on the hand-me-down cell phone I started using last year. I even figured out how to use punctuation!)

My friend, Mindy, loaned me a yoga video, and since I slept through my early morning workout on Friday, I decided that #5 and I would give it a try. I loved how the more intense poses kind of sneaked up on me and I found myself glistening (the ladies' term for perspiring) and my muscles feeling a little shaky without feeling like it was strenuous. I had thought I had good flexibility, but now I see I have a long way to go. Twice I had to rest in embryo pose, but I focused constantly on my oujaii breathing and never felt out of breath. Then suddenly an hour had passed and I was laying on the floor just feeling open and relaxed. The sunlight streaming through the window added to the peaceful energy I felt. I loved it! I felt like I was walking on air for the next two hours, and each breath continued to bring me energy during that time. I've learned to meditate in the past year, and I think that helped me enjoy this yoga exercise because I could quiet my mind while I went through the movements. At least, that worked most of the time.

Admittedly, the little four-year-old mimicking the dog pose right underneath my dog pose did get a little distracting. About 20 minutes into the routine, he started his "break dancing" around the floor. He did keep mostly quiet, though, and I was only vaguely aware that he would leave and come back and busy himself with other things. For the last few minutes of the video, he sat quietly and just watched me and the TV. When I turned off the set and asked if he liked yoga, he replied, "No, it's dumb. But I have my own list of exercises now." He trotted away and returned with this paper:

Clearly he prefers my regular weight-lifting workout. He's drawn exercising with a barbell, dumbbells, running, and jumping. (Though I'm not sure if he's running with a dog or through a fire, I'm impressed that he knew what a hurdle is!) I guess he was mapping out his workout while I was doing mine. We put his pictorial list on the VCR so he can refer to it next time we work out together. Maybe if we're consistent, those stick figures will put on some muscle!