My first yoga experience

I had limited knowledge on spiritual aspects of yoga before I try. I still cannot say I know much about them; however, when I tried yoga for the first time, it surprised me a lot with its effects, but not physical ones.

My wife attends to a prenatal yoga class at a yoga club in town. Last weekend, there was a couples workshop there and she dragged me to the class for it. As a scientist relying on hard evidence obtained from well designed experiments on daily basis, I was skeptical at the beginning, but then I thought I can learn some workouts which may help to improve my running performance.

At the workshop, yoga instructor showed us some breathing techniques and yoga poses which provide some benefits to pregnant ladies before and during labor. She also let the couples to try them. I liked it and I was convinced that it may physically enhance my body. So, I decided to give a shot in a real yoga class.

Last Friday evening, I went to the yoga studio. It was not crowded which was not surprising for me considering the fact that it was Friday evening. We started with some simple moves and poses and proceeded to more difficult ones. Yoga instructor guided us from one pose to another like a flow of a stream. She was telling names of the poses but I didn’t know any of them. I just tried to replicate what the instructor and the others were doing. I was happy with my performance. Time also flew by without me noticing it. I was also happy because I was feeling my muscles were working well.

At the end of the session, we lay down and relaxed along with some different breathing techniques at least they were different for me. This relaxation part changed how I approach to yoga. After we had greeted each other, I couldn’t even talk. Every stressful moment and thought-keeping up with deadlines, pressure of high stakes goals, anxiety of becoming a dad, annoying colleagues-were far far away. They were not totally gone. I didn’t feel like I am as much stoned as I am not aware of my worries. I could feel their existence, but they couldn’t adversely affect me. I felt like I am full of only but only fresh air and my feet barely touches to the ground. As soon as I arrived home, my wife immediately understood the change. She had never seen me like this before.

I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know it was only relaxation or I realized it after relaxation. I don’t know the dynamics of converting a stressful and negative person to a mellow, carefree and happy person within an hour. I do not understand any of them. More importantly, I do not want to understand them either. Since then, I want yoga to be part of my life. For the first time in my life, I started to practice something that I do not understand.

P.S. I publish this piece two months after writing it. I can confidently say that effects of yoga to me is reproducible.