Yoga Yowch

So endeth week one of "Get In Shape Girl" Murphy. I have to admit, I feel better than I thought I would. You see, typically... I'd try to start exercising, but would become too exhausted and frustrated I was so out of shape. This time it is different. This time is going to be it. Joining a gym isn't as scary or expensive as I thought. When you think about all the classes and all the time you could potentially spend there, it's totally worth it. I can see how it might almost be addictive! I kind of like not having much of a social life and working from my studio (which is less than a quarter mile of the gym), because it always gives me a very conveinent option on a quiet afternoon. Well, Sue is also my slave driver, but if she only knew I really actually loved going.

But in this post, I really wanted to discuss Yoga. Ok, the word even sounded lame to me before this week. Yo-gaaahh, something an old car might sputter. Or something lumpy, found underneath rotten logs. I admit, I thought yoga was a lame fitness routine only for pregnant ladies, old people, or hippies. But! I am now ashamed of that thought. It's a wonderful way to increase flexibility and also gain muscle mass with the weight of one's own body. Lord knows... I need flexibility. I can't even touch my toes without letting out a guffaw, or reach across the table and falling over. My ligaments (what I have left) are particularily angry in my left side, I think because of trying to support the injured right.

Some of the fun poses include the Seated Child. So comfy, but I can totally feel it stretching all the muscles in my glutes and back. And no, the mats never smell good, and yes, occaisionally I do head butt the ground from exhuastion.

The Warrior Pose just makes me feel all bad ass. Like a samurai soldier about to bust out some flying crane kicks (not yoga, but Mr. Miyagi).

The Shoulder Stand reminds me of being a kid and acting like a complete crazy person, wheeling my legs like Indurain in the Tour de France. But now, I have the innertube of pudge around the midsection that makes it a bit tougher than back then.

Last but certainly not least, the all time favorite... the Corpse Pose. Never before have the instructors seen the "Corpsey" (my clever nickname) performed like I can do. I particularily love this at the end, when you can hear every vertebrae in your back cuss you out. It's around this time my feet and hands feel all numb.

I'll give a bit of history to this twisting torture, since afterall, true enlightenment comes from health of body AND mind. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Yuj' which essentially means to join or unite. The union referred to is that of the individual self uniting with Cosmic Consciousness or the Universal Spirit. Yoga is a means to achieving this goal. Born in India, almost 26,000 years ago, Yoga is believed to have evolved during the period of the ‘Sat Yuga’, also called the Golden age. This period became known as a time of everlasting peace and abundant blessings, filled with seekers of the Eternal Truth. That is why, probably, even today we associate yoga with sages and hermits, not to mention sado-masochists. Kidding. It was not until the discovery of the Indus- valley civilization, the largest civilization (which if my memory serves me, also had the first working plumbing and sewer systems. Take THAT Rome), that knowledge about the origin of Yoga surfaced. Excavations give evidence of yoga’s existence during this period; yogi -like figures engraved on soapstone seals have been unearthed. In fact, it was the Aryans, migrating from the north- west, who were instrumental in discovering yoga.

Further research brought me to this redicuous notion: DOGA. I was joking when I said to Sue I should bring Lily in, saying that she needed to be more in control of her inner circle. Now I am laughing at the prospects of the both of us bringing in our animals. Sue and Duncan or Tucker (Great Danes) and me with a very shakey Chihuahua. I think I would rather enjoy seeing all 5 feet of Sue trying to make her 160lb Duncan into the Shoulder Pose. Here's an image I found of a Doga session:

Come on! That's totally the WWF old school Pile Drive! How mean! But funny!