Yoga For Sissies

So yoga is for sissies, right? Wrong. It’s about as sissy as a ‘tjop ‘n dop’ on a Saturday afternoon and I discovered the other night that I’m about as flexible as uncooked spaghetti.

My introduction to proper yoga came courtesy of former Runner’s World cover model, Darden Lotz, who recently opened her yoga studio in Cape Town (www.yogafactor.co.za) using her training as a yoga instructor and combining it with her love and passion for running.

So she understood when I couldn’t actually get my left hand under my right arm and back again, reassured me when the pain in my hamstrings reached screaming level and told me to ease off when I thought I was just being a sissy.

There were moments in the class when I managed to ‘sink’ into the correct pose and felt the combination of stretch and strength with the Warrior pose, the intensity of Downward Facing Dog and the total calm of Child’s Pose at the end. And while it was a beginners class I’ve still got that stiffness today that tells me that I had a good workout that will complement my running.

I am a convert. And although I can’t quite stand on my head or do the reverse Sachin Tendulkar just yet, I finished the hour-long class feeling mentally refreshed and physically challenged. I can’t think of a better reward than that. Namaste!