We had driven by the place several times. The large sign reads “Sanctuary Yoga.” It’s a nice building, in a nice part of town. Why don’t you just go? It’s just right there. It took some time, but eventually I built up enough courage to walk into a yoga studio without knowing any of the teachers or other students.

One class in, I have learned these things:

• Yoga: not just for women.
• I am definitely not flexible.
• I should wear my contacts, not my glasses.
• Balancing is harder than I thought.

Despite how society makes it look, yoga is not a female practice, at least not primarily. I had a feeling I would be in the minority once I got there, but there were actually just three women and a man in the studio. A huge ice storm had hit the area, so attendance was pretty low. Regardless, the male-female ratio does not concern me or why I am there. It is irrelevant to the practice. Everyone can gain something from taking studying.

I have read about how much positive results people have gotten from yoga. It builds muscle, increases flexibility, and simply creates positive energy. It’s almost like meditative movement (and probably is for a lot of yoga practitioners). Despite my extensive study of the martial arts, I am not flexible. Gaining some flexibility was my inspiration for going to the studio, but there was more to gain from that first session than I anticipated.

My glasses slid off my face three times, and I eventually had to take them off. This is minute, but one of the aspects to yoga is to maintain a meditative state. By worrying about my glasses, I was concentrating on something other than what stance I was in, or what body part I was supposed to move. Yoga classes, much like my martial arts classes, are designed to block out all thought of the “outside world” in order to spend some time to build up health and well-being. Can’t do that with glasses sliding off your nose.

Balance is a loaded word; it can have many interpretations. In martial arts, balance refers to not just standing upright, but blending together strings of attacks, and even styles. Throwing punches with the left hand and right. Striking and kicking. Hitting high and hitting low. Using karate techniques and jujitsu. These are all important when it comes to balance. Yoga has a wide definition of balance as well. Balance in yoga is working out both sides of the body, in the attempt to keep the body flexible. Yoga also teaches how to transfer energy through the body through having balance and control over each limb. After time, these physical benefits transition into mental well-being. Having a balanced lifestyle can give short-term benefits of storing negativity away, or long-term psychological benefits of balancing the good and bad aspects of life. Developing good balance truly is a long-term investment; it won’t happen over night. It takes moderate, daily practice and devotion.

There are many similarities between martial arts training and yoga. Having an understanding of the body is essential. Yoga is just as much mental as it is physical. Concentration gives one control over the body, and in both martial arts and yoga, eliminating distractions will lead to better training, and better results. Hopefully I can go on a consistent basis; just by practicing alone through the first week after my first session, I can already tell a difference in my leg muscles and my hips are starting to open up a little more. The pace and setting might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but after one class, it is obvious why so many people use it as a physical, mental, and spiritual exercise.