#6: This Isn't North Korea

This entry comes five days after making it to the midway point of my yoga goal.  Halfway there! I waited this long to post because I needed to sort some things out.

Building off an idea from my last post, I realize that I’ve gotten more out of 'beginner' yoga - or whatever you'd call yoga that is a slower pace and less ‘flowy’ or ‘hyperventilate-ey’ than Vinyasa.  I also realize that I’m a 35 year old with 117 year old hamstrings – when did that happen?  In hindsight, perhaps I should have chosen a yoga studio that practices a style of yoga more suitable for beginners.  It originally crossed my mind to start with adult education yoga, but rearranging elementary school classroom desks to create a ‘studio’ space for a yoga teacher who most likely received his/her ‘certification’ from the University of YouTube didn’t seem like it would be beneficial. I have no regrets for joining Blissful Monkey.  As a beginner, I acknowledge and accept that I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, and that there would be a learning curve as I navigate the different styles and levels of difficulty. Plus, that fricking monkey really got to me.  While I have no frame of reference with which I can compare other studios, Blissful Monkey has been a supportive environment for a newbie, and I’m happy I discovered the Incomprehensibly Gentle Yoga For Octogenarians & Pet Rocks class on Tuesday nights, and the Iyengar (descend your buttocks) yoga on Thursday nights - both of which I (gasp!)…actually look forward to.  At some point I may even attend the Restorative Yoga on Monday nights. Toward the end, I'll almost certainly need some restoration.

Now, the stuff I needed to sort out:

1)  Work travel has started back up again, and I stupidly mapped out my next two weeks on the road in such a way that I cannot make Monday or Tuesday yoga classes for the remainder of January. The obvious problem with this is that I will struggle to meet my goal of finishing 10 classes (and 10 posts) in a month.  I mean, I could – by suffering though Sunday Morning Flow classes, and by attending regular Vinyasa Flow sessions during the week.  In fact, two weeks ago, I would have happily done this; my goal at that time was quantity over quality in order to just get to 10 classes. Since starting yoga, however, I’ve learned two important things. First, yoga can be hard.  After classes which emphasize lower-body poses, I’ve woken up the next day with my calves and hamstrings very sore, similar to how I feel the following day after running several miles.  It's no fun dragging myself out of bed like a paraplegic. I’ve even been tempted to invest in a few ice packs, when my shoulder (probably only 73 years old) started to burn the night after my first class. Not knowing how my body will react - or what poses we'll be emphasizing in the class - makes planning back-to-back classes difficult.  I certainly don’t want to overdo it and risk an injury - while I'm sure getting injured during yoga should be perfectly acceptable, I'm still more concerned with hurting my pride from the admission of a yoga injury.  Second, the instructors have done excellent job impressing upon me that yoga is about maintaining a balance of the physical with the mental.  ‘Mental’ can range from pushing yourself a bit harder to get into/hold a pose, to ‘taking a knee’ midway through a pose when you feel like your hamstring is about to pop, to not doing something that otherwise makes you feel uncomfortable.  Taking more advanced yoga classes makes me uncomfortable.  I also get the sense that it makes my yoga instructors a bit uncomfortable when I attempt more advanced yoga - they're always proactively bringing over a chair or a stool to aid me through a pose.  It’s a win for all parties if I stick to beginner yoga. 

But really, the issue I'm faced with is this:  If I forgo my overarching goal of 10 posts/month-long activity and continue with only the beginner and Iyengar yoga into February, have I already failed my goal?

Answer:  Technically yes. Luckily, this isn't North Korea.  

Kim Jong Un (undoubtedly reading my blog, with military advisors)

Perhaps in North Korea, Kim Jong Un would hold me accountable to blogging ten times in a month.  But this is 'Merica, and this is my blog - I can do what I want.  When I set goals, I tend to be very black or white; very all or nothing. While I'd love to meet my initial goal, I really don't want to half-ass my yoga progress to date.  For this first month, while it pains me, I will allow myself to carry into February to maximize my yoga experience.  Curse you yoga for making me appreciate the 'process'!

2) My two-week unlimited yoga deal ends today!  Sadly, I'll be in Dayton, Ohio (blech) for my twoweekversary.  I'm sure, if I could be in Jamaica Plain to attend, they'd give me cake, maybe some small but meaningful yoga-related gift and a thoughtfully-signed card from all the instructors for making it through five classes.  While it may seem from this post that I'm going to stick it out with Blissful Monkey, let us all not forget that I am frugal to my very core.  As many of you already are aware, 'Tony Wilbur does not pay full retail price for anything', and the thought of paying $15 for each class moving forward is a bit difficult to swallow.  The only saving grace is that I just won $150 in a Golden Globes betting pool (thanks for your donations, suckas!), which would offset the cost nicely.  I am tempted to search out other first-timer deals, but I don't want to be 'the guy that searches out promotional yoga deals to write a blog ' - If such a guy (other than me) exists. Should I switch?

Pros of Staying With Blissful Monkey:

- Location

- Instructors

- That fricking monkey!

Cons of Staying With Blissful Monkey

- $15??!!!

- Not being able to experience other types of yoga

Pros of A New Yoga Place:

- Potentially cheaper new deal!

- New types of yoga with new instructor(s)

- A potentially bigger space

Cons of A New Yoga Place:

- Change, as we all know, is awful

- Location

- Everything could undoubtedly be shittier
- Evil yoga instructors (with eyepatches and goatees)

Answer:  Undecided (Stay tuned while I do research and weigh my options).

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Thanks to all of you who have shared your support for this project - either in the form of 'likes', Facebook messages, in-person comments, or simply by your continued reading.  I am a bit surprised and overwhelmed (in a good way) by the amount of random messages I've received from people with whom I rarely communicate.  Apparently some people have even gone so far as to call this 'inspiring'?Thanks for taking the time to pass along your kind words (and I wish we communicated more).

I have also added a 'share' link to the right side if you are so inclined.  Apparently you can customize these things?  Unlike in North Korea.