As a runner and coach I understand the benefits of being bendy, of maintaining flexibility and the role yoga can play in being a better athlete. I’d never really tried it though and certainly wasn’t any good!

I’d tried to follow a few online tutorials with varying results. It’s hard to watch YouTube when in “downward dog” and never knowing if you’re doing things right annoys me. My enthusiasm never lasts long, hence the challenge of attending an actual class, with other people, who can see me fall over.

This is NOT a beginners class.

I first tried a class at Fitness First gym. I was assured it was beginner friendly and the instructor would be helpful etc…don’t believe a word of it! It started okay, just me and 40 other people all of whom could contort themselves inside-out. For 30 minutes I eagerly followed every instruction, even if I wasn’t stretching as far as those around me I was looking something like they were at least. Lots of arms in the air and legs apart, breathing when told to, only losing balance a couple of times. Then all of a sudden the instructor mumbled something incoherent and the entire class snapped to attention in a pose that looked like the aftermath of a car crash, limbs in places limbs shouldn’t go. I tried to copy them, but they were already on the move swapping arms for legs and before I knew it some of them were upside-down! For the last 30 minutes I floundered, not being able to follow a single instruction and feeling like I’d stumbled in to my own version of purgatory. The end couldn’t come soon enough!

I could have left it there, challenge completed, class attended, lesson learned… but in January 2018 I was convinced to have another go, in a smaller class that had the word “beginners” in the title. It helped that the class was above a favourite pub, so if it all went wrong at least I could drown my sorrows!

This class was much better. It was far more my level with slow movements, proper explanation and guidance on how it should feel when done right. I learned things in that first hour that made sense of a lot of what I’d done before. I learned how to move my weight and focus my efforts, and how I should be pushing in to the floor or up to the sky to make the stretch more powerful. It felt totally different to every previous yoga experience, I felt accomplished and when we finished I felt great. Over the next few days I tried some of the asana (poses) at home and it felt great again, like I was properly working as opposed to just getting in an uncomfortable position. I even tried a yoga app and was able to get much more from it now I understood a bit more. My more experienced companion didn’t get as much from the class, but as a future instructor hopefully she took something away from it. Yoga is scary and difficult to beginners, especially blokes, so simplifying it is a great skill to possess.

I’ve actually been back twice since and learned a little more each time. I’m not running at the moment but it will be interesting to see how the yoga skills and stretches will influence my recovery when I do. I’m excited to find out.

You can learn more about the instructor and classes I attended HERE

Do you have a favourite yoga pose? Any simple yoga routines online you can recommend? Just comment below…