Camels and Rabbits and Locusts, oh my!

You're probably sick of hearing me talk about yoga, right? Well, too bad. I'm a convert. Despite the fact that my back is currently bitching at me for working previously undiscovered muscles, I sent my friend E this message last night:

"Yoga killed my back yesterday. Yet, somehow, I already miss it."

Soon I'll be consulting crystals and talking about realigning my chi.

Or not. All I'm saying is, I'm hooked. The second class really was much better, and I made it the whole way through, walking out of the studio with a big, goofy smile on my face and floating to the Metro station despite the disgusting weather. Since then I've gone two more times, and it just keeps getting better. I think I sweat more every time too, which is sorta gross, but also oddly satisfying.

It's not all roses - there are two poses that I totally despise. One of these is Standing Head to Knee Pose, which looks something like this:

Technically, the head is supposed to on the knee, but either way, I don't bend like that. My standing knee unlocks. My fingers slip off my foot because I'm sweating. I lose balance. Most of the time, I end up sitting down, not out of tiredness or because I'm dizzy, but because I'm frustrated and glaring at myself in the mirror. Least favorite pose #2 is called the Camel. Observe:

Again, I don't bend that way. Also, it makes me crazy dizzy. I thought it was just the heat in the room, and that's part of the dizziness certainly, but I tried to do it at home last night and I still couldn't bend far enough to grab my heels.

But I love love love these two:

I am not a graceful person, but these make me feel like I could be. Plus, they're really pretty to look at, especially the first of the two.

Anyway, if you were sick of my yoga babbling before, you definitely are now, so I'll sign off. Namaste!

(I actually had no idea what that meant until a few seconds ago. It means literally "I bow to you," and is an expression of respect and gratitude. Neato)