week 1
I started my ‘mat-men’ challenge with a Yoga Open class. I was apprehensive, as I’d never gone to a yoga class on my own before and I worried there would be a lot of yoga etiquette that would be unfamiliar. But the team explained everything really well.
The class was more physically challenging than I’d expected and I had to take a few short breaks. It’s not something I normally like doing when exercising – I prefer to ‘push through’ the pain or discomfort, but I’d been well briefed by my wife that this wasn’t the purpose of yoga and to take it easy on myself.
I also had to change my mindset when my positioning was corrected a couple of times. At first I felt self-conscious and worried I was doing it all ‘wrong’ but soon came to realise that lots of people were being adjusted and that it was simply a way of encouraging us to get the most out of each pose.
It was a busy week at work this week, so the only way I could squeeze in my next class – Iyengar yoga – was by setting my alarm for 5.20am and heading to triyoga first thing. Kingly Court was really quiet and the smell of incense in reception took me straight back to my honeymoon in India last year. This was a much calmer way to start the day than the usual frantic rush on the tube to get to work on time.
I was taken aback by the amount of equipment needed but it all became clear during the class and I really benefited from the permission – encouragement, even – to adjust and support my poses, instead of cranking myself into what I thought was the ‘ideal’ position. The slow pace and informal feel of the class meant that I didn’t feel insecure or the odd one out at all. Though I’m still not sure I can get on board with the ‘oms’. Maybe next week?
Normally I’d be checking my phone and emails all morning on the way to work, but this way, my mind felt much clearer heading into the office.
I had another early start, this time for hot yoga. Gio welcomed us to the class and gave some helpful pointers. For example, he said even if we were sweating it was better to avoid attending to this, by mopping the brow or wiping our hands, and instead try to stay ‘in the zone’ of the movement. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get past the discomfort of the sweating, but he was right. Again, I couldn’t get into all the moves ‘perfectly’ but was much more comfortable now in letting that go and focusing on what I could do. I was proud to get into the first stages of ‘crow’ and already want to revisit it to see if I can build on what I learnt.
At the beginning of the week I was worried about squeezing yoga in but by the weekend I realised that it was actually a really helpful way of managing the competing activity in my brain. Slowing down, focusing on just one thing at a time, and finding muscles I never knew I had.
Speaking of which, I ache in the most unusual places. Is it normal for yoga newbies’ abs to feel so sore? I guess I’ll find out in week 2…
week 2
Week two kicked off with a Vinyasa Flow session. With my abs still aching from week one, I headed to the Soho Centre after work on Monday looking forward to continuing my yoga experience. Arriving early, I grabbed a mat in the back corner; grabbed a few blocks and bricks and lay down to relax as the room filled up around me. As soon as we started, I knew however that I should have cherished those precious moments of relaxation as this was going to be hard work.
Whilst the website describes Vinyasa Flow movement as continuous, smooth and unbroken – mine was intermittent, robotic and fragmented. I just couldn’t keep up and constantly felt behind the flow of the movement. Whilst being at the back of the class probably didn’t help, at least it spared me from embarrassment. Week one had failed to prepare me physically for the practice and I must admit I was very relieved once it had finished. Maybe once I am more advanced I’ll try it again – but for the time being I’ll stick to some of the gentler classes.
My second class of the week, Ashtanga yoga, was on Tuesday which prevented me dwelling on the previous night’s struggles. My wife joined me too, which provided a confidence boost and made me instantly more comfortable. Arriving late, the only two mats free together were in the centre of the studio so I had to bite the bullet and take what felt like centre stage. The teacher took us through a set sequence of asanas at our own pace. The repetition and slower pace enabled me to improve throughout the practice, finessing my posture and poses with a little prompting from the familiar face on the mat next to me. I was so pleased with myself that I convinced myself that five yoga sessions in the space of nine days was worthy of a treat – so we headed to Five Guys after and treated ourselves to a burger and fries for dinner.
The final class of the week, Jivamukti yoga, was an eye opener. Failing to read up on the different classes, I went into the session unaware of the what lay ahead. Whilst the actual yoga was enjoyable, I struggled to get my head around the Sanskrit chanting and eclectic music. I’m all for the physical challenge of the classes, but the spiritual side is taking a little more getting used to.
If I had to sum week two up in one word, I would say ‘different’. I am really enjoying the challenge and starting to appreciate the differences between the different styles, even if all of them are not my cup of tea.
week 3
For week three, I decided a change of scenery was in order and decided to book my practices in the Shoreditch centre. Whilst I love the hustle and bustle of the Soho centre and its great location. The Shoreditch centre is newer, more spacious and the underfloor heating in the communal areas is an absolute treat.
My first practice of the week was Yin Yoga with Ruth Voon and it was a gentle start. No longer daunted by the yoga equipment, I grabbed my purple blocks, blanket and cushion ready to commence. The session was slow and relaxed, with the main aim to hold poses for between 3-5 minutes at a time. Following last week’s efforts, this felt like a nice recovery session. It’s the sort of practice I’d love to do after a long run or cycle, as it really helps stretch off without over exerting myself or raising a sweat. Whilst it’s not a class I’d do every week in the future, it was a pleasant experience and helped me de-stress from work for the day.
My second practice was Meditation & Mindfulness with Adam Hocke. I must admit I was apprehensive about the practice and had lots of preconceptions. Whilst I was not looking for spiritual fulfilment from the 30 minutes, I was open to hopefully de-stressing from the week so I threw myself into it. Once positioned correctly, Adam led us through the session focusing initially on our breathing before moving onto an object. Despite my best efforts, my mind did wander a little and I suspect that I may not have reaped the full benefits of the session. Adam was a great teacher and really pressed that we will all take something different from the session and the more practice we do, the more beneficial it will become over time.
Unfortunately due to a train meltdown on Sunday, I missed my last practice of the week which was due to be Restorative Yoga. Having completed three sessions a week since the start of this challenge, I strangely felt disappointed with myself despite it being totally out of my control. I plan to make amends in week four however and really give it my all!
Check back here to see how Jack gets on throughout week 4…
