We interrupt this weekend to tell a funny story:
Let's be real, I'm no ultra-hippie. There are spirited tendencies that I have, yes, and sure I'm from California, but in modern-day society I would not be described as a hippie. I don't keep up with the latest organic products, and I'm not in-tune with my inner chant. I do however, like fields of sunflowers, find spirit in nature and dig braids & bell-bottom pants. This could all be because I loved the story of Pocahontas & my Grandfather always said we were part Native American.
Sometimes I feel a little silly at the gym, so last week I decided I should try a pre-natal yoga class. I've tried yoga a handful of times and typically I'm not into it because it doesn't give me the workout that I'm hoping for. However I love the feeling of a nice lengthening stretch. Being a bit off-balance with a belly and not sleeping in my usual positions, I thought that pre-natal yoga might be just the stretch I could use.
I talked my good friend into coming along with me for a little moral support, she's a bit more organic than me (even though she doesn't like to always admit it) so I knew she would be fun to go with. Walking in the yoga studio, I gave the guy my name to sign up and he asked if I was related to the founders. Um...right off the bat I'm biting my tongue trying not to giggle, responding with a "not that I know of". Side note: I don't believe anyone in my family (husbands side) could be that in touch with their inner chant. We removed our shoes, grabbed a mat and went to the class. There had to have been 30+ people in that small yoga studio! It was packed with women and all different shapes and sizes of bellies! Sadly, I had to wiggle in between two other Mama's in the first row, directly in front of the instructor. Eeeek!
She began by introducing herself and I began by wondering if people were given yoga names, because there was no way this woman's mother named her that. Then she asked if we would go around the room, introduce ourselves, say how far along we were and how we were feeling. Um. What. Really? I'm so in the wrong class. On the spot, friend went first, followed by two women and then me. The woman that went before me mentioned her name, how far along she was and then proceeded to say she was feeling very hormonal. (Later this would become my partner for certain exercises and I wasn't about to look at her the wrong way.) I shared my name and unlike everyone else (except for friend), gave a general calculation of how far along I was. I mean what's the deal with all this "weeks" talk really? I just don't get the obsession with that? Anyway, it continued with women sharing that they were feeling indigestion, allergies, having trouble sleeping, too much movement -- I could go on an on.
Finally the class started and there were discussions of my pelvic floor dancing. Excuse me? We dance in my house, but we don't discuss my pelvic floor. There was chanting and "om-ing" where I refused to participate and instead just opened one eye to look around the room to make sure i was still safe. There was heavy breathing and lots of discussion about a balloon rising in our hearts. There was talking to the baby and connecting our two heartbeats as one. We carried our bellies like a basket when we squatted and she had descriptions of what we should be feeling that went way beyond my inner hippie.
Let's just say that Friend and I practically ran out of the room afterwards, grabbed our shoes and ran to the car so we could finally let our laughter go. I don't mind the yoga itself, I quite like the stretches and even the quiet-relaxation, but the rest of the hoak-y stuff is just not for me. As Tim told me when I mentioned what I was up to, "Nicole, you don't take that stuff seriously, so why are you going?"... he's got a point, and he knows me so well. I think I'll skip the chanting and pelvic floor dancing and instead just do some stretches off of YouTube or get a video next time I need to feel a good stretch. Until then, you'll find me back at the gym. Unless of course, someone knows of a class that doesn't have all the extra chanting? I'm beginning to wonder what I'm going to think after we take our birthing class!
So...for all of our inner hippies & yogi's out there -- Namaste.
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