NSV, spring break & this wasn't the intro Yoga class?

I'm on spring break (shoutout teachers!) so I decided I'd try to make a few classes at the gym I belong to.  It's been on my list of things to do, but I'd felt a little intimidated, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to hit up the day classes with less people to potentially look a fool in front of.  So I showed up early and got in the stretch circle with a handful of retirees and 30-something-ish ladies.  On the upside I wasn't the biggest person there (something I am oddly now ALWAYS aware of, in a way I wasn't before), and everyone was really friendly.  The class itself kicked my bottom.  It was a lot harder than I though the gentle intro yoga class was going to be, but I was so proud of myself for keeping up.  I wasn't familiar with the names of poses, and I needed a lot of visual queues from the instructor, but I could do about 80% and the rest I modified at my own pace.  It was awesome; even when I was shaking holding a pose, even when I could feel the stretch in my legs and I was sweating so much it was dripping off my nose, and especially at the end when you just breathe and let it all go. 

So after the last pose the instructor asked if that was hard enough and if it had enough strength elements in it and everyone heartily agreed - at which point I asked "you mean this wasn't the intro Yoga class?"  LOL... yeah so I read the schedule wrong (doh!).  The ladies got a kick out of me and encouraged me to attend any class I wanted because in their words I "did great" and they wouldn't have known it was my first time because I tried. 

Lesson learned - just try and fake it 'til you make it.  I had no idea I could make my body do the things I was doing this morning.  I'm relatively flexible, but there is no way I could have done any of it with an extra 149 on me.  It was a wonderful experience, one of the best NSVs so far and I can't wait to go back tomorrow.

That was an awesome story...way to go!!

What a great story.  Good for you.  I know what you mean about your body being able to do more than you think it can.  I am a freak for Pilates.  When I first started, and a good 15 weeks after that, the instructor would demonstrate some new position on the reformer for me to do.  My first thought would be, "Yeah sure.  That will never happen."  Then I'd try it, and found that I could do it all.  I have since learned to trust my body.  It is capable of doing almost anything I ask of it.  What a life changing realization!

Isn't that something?  I have been switching up my cardio recently due to recently diagnosed heel spurs.  On my last podiatrist visit I told him I had some gym classes on my list of things to do and he specifically told me to stick with the yoga/flow type classes for stretching purposes and I have to admit it made me nervous (no idea why?).   I'm so glad I went today.  I would not have gone to this class if I knew what it was, and I'm honestly happy I made a mistake and stumbled into it.  I would have never known that I could do it had that not happened.  Go me!