Yoga... with Doug

There are two types of yoga classes on the Penn State fitness schedule taped to my door. There is yoga, and then there is yoga with Doug. While I haven't been to a yoga class sans Doug yet, I know I couldn't possibly enjoy it more than a class with him. Yoga is defined as a series of postures and breathing exercises practiced to achieve control of the body and mind. Although Doug did manage to get me to twist myself into some pretty difficult knots, I didn’t leave thinking, “Wow! That was a great stretch!” I left in awe at the inner peace I was feeling. It was as if the stresses of school just melted away. I could still remember the list of things I had to accomplish, but it didn’t seem nearly as ominous as it had before. I remained in my own little bubble of calm silence for the rest of the night, and loved every moment of it.

Yoga with Doug was the perfect way to get out of a Wednesday night slump. He continuously told us to smile throughout our body contortions, and even made us laugh once or twice. Doug even took a moment to tell us all we were beautiful and that he was lucky he got to see our smiles. This was the first yoga class I have been to where I didn’t feel obligated to keep up with the instructor’s impressive flexibility. In Doug’s class it’s about trying. If you’ve tried you’ve succeeded. The way he thinks about yoga, and the way he makes you think about yoga, is relaxing and enjoyable.

Doug, by the way, has impressive flexibility. When he was the only person in the room able to complete a seemingly impossible position, he simply said, “The secret is you have to be 60.”  Doug is an inspiration. When I’m in my 60’s I want to be active and flexible. That’s one of the reasons I made this resolution. It’s not just for the present. It’s for my future too. I don’t want to be a grandma sitting in her rocker. I want to be out doing things. Changing my life style now, improves my tomorrow.

For anyone actually concerned with the fact that yoga isn’t a hardcore workout, don’t worry. When Sandra, my roommate who is taking this journey with me, and I returned to our room, we completed a work out DVD. So don’t fret, we took care of our cardio and abdominal workout too.