July 11th, 2011 | Posted by acidicice

I tried Pilates for the first time on Thursday night. As usual I was pretty nervous to try out a new class. The schedule outside the door indicated that we would have a male instructor and people had already told me that Pilates was like ‘Yoga on steroids’, so I thought I would struggle and perhaps even look foolish. Coupled with the fact that I have serious body image issues and low self-esteem, this made for me being a complete bundle of nerves. I was determined to try it though, I’ve been threatening to do so for quite some time.

 

I arrived early…and removed my shoes since this is what I saw others doing. I noticed that there were quite a few older people in the class (late fifties to mid sixties), this calmed my nerves considerably. If they could do it, surely I could! The class wasn’t very full and the atmosphere was very relaxed.

 

The instructor was male, but not the one indicated on the schedule. He looked very young, but seemed very friendly and calm (not the drill seargent I was expecting/fearing). Turns out you can keep your socks on too (unlike Yoga) and we started the class.

 

It was very relaxed and chilled. I could feel the exercises stretching and straining my muscles. I had the distinct feeling that I may not be able to walk the next day. The next morning I didn’t feel very stiff or sore at all. Towards the afternoon of the next day I started to feel sore. Apparently this is referred to as DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness). It rocks! Unexpectedly, Pilates is much easier for me than Yoga.

 

Remember the type of Yoga we do is described as follows:

 

Ashtanga (or Astanga) Yoga is the name given to the system of yoga taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. This style of yoga is physically demanding as it involves synchronizing breathing with progressive and continuous series of postures-a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, flexibility, stamina, a light and strong body, and a calm mind. Ashtanga is an athletic yoga practice and is not for beginners. *from http://www.matsmatsmats.com/

 

Our usual Yoga has a lot of flowing movements and frequent position changes which leaves you out of breath and breaking out in quite a sweat. I found the Pilates much slower and at an easy pace to follow. I think the Pilates instructor is just starting out, he referred to a piece of paper during our class and asked us for suggestions after. The older ladies were quite vocal about what they wanted and said they wanted to use the exercise balls and some or other ring that I’ve never used before. I suppose the only suggestion I would have was some music. We could hear the *doof doof* from the spinning class next door, but had no music of our own. Some ‘zen’ music (like we have in Yoga) would probably be fitting. I’ll suggest it to him next time. I barely broke a sweat doing the Pilates, but the results speak for themselves.

 

On Saturday morning when I woke up I was decidedly sore and didn’t really feel like going to Yoga. I also didn’t want to skip it because I wanted to get all 3 training sessions in for the week. I dragged Rudi with to gym and was pleasantly surprised when he joined me for Yoga. I had asked him to earlier, hoping to increase my own motivation to go, and he had declined. We had a different instructor again. She told us she does Hatha Yoga. When googling this morning, this is what I found (from the same website as before):

 

Hatha is an easy-to-learn basic form of yoga that has become very popular in the United States. Hatha Yoga is the foundation of all Yoga styles. It incorporates Asanas (postures), Pranayama (regulated breathing), meditation (Dharana & Dhyana) and kundalini (Laya Yoga) into a complete system that can be used to achieve enlightenment or self-realization. It has become very popular in America as source of exercise and stress management. The ideal way to practice the Hatha Yoga poses (asanas) is to approach the practice session in a calm, meditative mood. Sit quietly for a few moments, then begin the series, slowly, with control and grace, being inwardly aware as the body performs the various poses selected for the practice session. Do not overdo the asanas or try to compete with others. Take it easy and enjoy.

 

It was less strenuous than the yoga I am used to, but I still enjoyed the class. My sore muscles didn’t really interfere at all. I was *really* glad that Rudi was there, because she had us doing poses in pairs at one point! One of the participants would stand in the downward facing dog position, while the other would stand in front of them and put their feet on the other person’s lower back one by one. I was really afraid to do it, thinking I might be too heavy for Rudi (he has a lower back injury), but I did it and it was quite fine. I didn’t stay in the position for very long, since it puts a lot of strain on your arms. Rudi did the same by putting his feet on my back and he wasn’t heavy at all! I’m still glad I didn’t have to do it with anyone else though.

 

There were a few awkward moments where the instructor had us doing strange things, like massaging our foot and shaking them while holding the foot by the ankle. She also had us “smack” or lightly pat ourselves on the chest, neck and face. It was a bit weird and had us giggling. I was really glad that I went afterwards. I felt great!

 

I weighed after yoga, my weight hasn’t changed. I’m glad for that, since it’s my pre-menstrual week and that usually ups the scale a tad. Perhaps it’s a good sign…maybe that means that I’ll have lost when I weigh again. Only time will tell.  I fully intend to keep going to gym regularly. This is the very first time I’ve used a gym membership so much! I usually let them lapse after going 3 times or so. SO proud of myself!