The exercise I chose to participate in was yoga. Yoga is a not a form of rigorous or taxing physical exercise used to shape ones physique into an aesthetically appealing specimen; it is a meditative, relaxing session of stretches, poses, and rhythmic breathing. At one of my local gyms - the town recreational center - there are numerous classes one can take; they range from Karate and zumba to badminton and hip-hop dancing. I have a membership for the establishment and so I can take all of the classes offered free of charge. I attended three yoga classes in three consecutive days. The class was an intermediate one - even though I have never, with any serious intention, participated in yoga, I know the basic principles and thus felt it unnecessary to attend the beginners class.

The class started with some murmuring small talk by the regulars as they filed in wearing a motley of loose, comfortable looking fitness clothing, and the instructor, a fit brunette woman in her late 20’s, asking the class with excessive enthusiasm how they were doing. After setting up my yoga mat in the middle of the room - so I could easily blend in if I did something wrong and so I could have a clear view of the instructor to make sure I didn’t do something wrong - and returning mandatory pleasantries to the “hello!’s” and the “are you new?!’s” I sat down, looked around, and let the dread of the next hour slowly encapsulate me.

After the class had settled down and the murmur subsided, the session began with some basic static stretches - sitting down and reaching towards the toes; pulling the arm across the body; sitting with knees bent and the palms of the feet touching etc. - and then we got into some actual poses. In the background a soft soundtrack was playing with the repeated word of “OMMMM” and synthetic gongs chiming not so melodiously. It was annoying. But this is meditative; so I shut the noises out and focused on the poses. The first one we started with was child's pose, then downward dog, followed by table top, cat, cow, rag-doll, twist, and a medley of other poses that increased in difficulty but at the same time became easier as the muscles were stretched and warmed from the lethargy of passivity into the revitalization of activity.

As the session neared its conclusion the poses became more and more indiscriminate and easy and the atmosphere of the pre-class pleasantries was resuscitated in a gradual escalation of noise and movement until, at last, it was time to leave. I rolled up my mat, returned goodbyes, and on my way out I found myself feeling oddly comfortable and relaxed - it can best be described as an all-encompassing tingle originating from my spine and spreading to my other limbs and extremities in one long, steady pulse of euphoria - however, it was short lived. The next two sessions were much the same except the obvious improvements that come with familiarity and repetition and the disappointing void of the post-session euphoria that was so much appreciated the first time around.

There is no doubt in my mind that the first session was the quintessential experience and that the others were mere attempts at recreating it. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and one that, if time reversed, I would most certainly do again. However, I will not be continuing with it. I feel like I can invest my time into more beneficial pursuits, such as school work, weightlifting, reading, writing etc. that will, in the end, be more practical and rewarding to my current self, my current life, my future self, and my future life.