Boot Camp Yoga

Happily, I arrived at Boot Camp this morning knowing that the second half of the session would be an activity I rather enjoy: yoga.

The first 30 minutes incorporated the usual mix-up of gruelling drills. Sprint, squat, lunge, lift. With a shorter session that usual, Sergeant Shredder was determined to pack in as the same amount of pain and strain into her allocated time than the usual 60 minute session. “Intense” just barely covers it.

As the first rays of the sun start to peek over the horizon, it’s time for yoga. Hoorah.

I rip off my shoes and tip-toe through the very wet, dewey grass and secure my location at the back of the group… and off we collapse in to “Child’s Pose”.

A few moments later, there’s a tap on my shoulder. It’s Groschaan. His usual “model” is absent and asks me to step up to the challenge. Thankfully my cheeks were already red from the previous gruelling session with Shredder & co, and my embarrassment was well hidden. As a generally reserved individual, being on display as “the model” doesn’t come very naturally to me. However, it did apply the added to pressure to get the poses dead right, 100% of the time, meaning a more intense workout was on the cards.

Moving from pose to pose, the session did remind me of why I used to do yoga – and once Boot Camp (and Two Oceans) is over, I’ll definately add classes to my weekly exercise schedule.

I was also interested in the reaction to yoga from my fellow boot-campers. A number of them have never tried yoga before and were genuinely suprised at how tough it can be. “I thought yoga was relaxing!” was the cry from someone in the Eagle Pose (a pose that requires contorting your body into a position that strongly resembles a koeksister).

I firmly believe that yoga should be incorporated into every one’s training schedule. Yes: it has the potential to be a calm, relaxing session – but pick a power yoga or Bikram yoga class and you’ll certainly feel it the next day!