Yo!Ga!

The greatest thing about practicing yoga is the attitude changes. It's the only form of exercise besides dancing that doesn't feel like work to me. I know I must be building muscles and endurance and confidence because how else can you possibly explain the changes that have happened to my practice? (Yes, "split personality" or "flightiness" would explain them. But I'm pretty sure yogi's don't believe in those things. They are too zen.)

-When my teacher said, "So, yeah, just push the earth away with your hands, kick your legs for a while and pretty soon: handstand!"* I thought, "No. I will do your scissor kicks with my hands on the floor. That is all." Today, anticipating my yoga class tonight, I keep thinking, "I hope we do some sort of inversion, preferably a handstand. I could so go for an L-shaped handstand tonight, with a side of pendulum kicks and maybe I'll get both feet off the floor!"

-Pigeon pose. Oh how I hated you. How long I hated you. You made my feet fall asleep and you made me crabby and I would try to breathe and not chant, "Enough, enough, enough, enough *$#&*^ pigeon pose, enough..." Last week, I requested you. Hips? Still not that open, but my attitude is adjusted enough to make me actually want to do the poses I need. I need me some Pigeon pose.

-I read a yoga magazine a few months ago with an article all about Wild Thing and thought, "Wow, someday, years from now, maybe I will try Wild Thing and not break my back or fall on the floor. Two weeks ago, I totally did Wild Thing SEVERAL TIMES. My back remains intact and that did not make me fall on the floor. I almost fell out of Dancer's Pose, but that was because of cockiness. Which is very un-yoga.

See?! Yoga is so good for a positive attitude! And for muscles and every other thing! I love it.

Note: Do not be an idiot and try these yoga poses at home without proper instruction or help (like this one "friend" I have, who is TOTALLY not me, who thought it would be a super great idea to try Half Moon at home with nothing but my- I mean her box set of Indiana Jones DVDs as a block and a coffee table to "catch" me- I mean her. It ended in tears.)

*My yoga teacher does not talk like that. She is awesome.