This year I chose health as a priority. The first quarter of the year focused on getting into a super healthy diet regimen which kicked off with Keto. I am glad the nutritionist didn’t actually say the word; I would have been out the door fast if she had. It has been a fad word I have read and heard people talk about, and anything that sounds fad-like to me is a complete turn-off.
Within the first three months, I was able to shed quite a bit of weight, but there was a need to get back to workouts. Besides my walks in Karura Forest once a week, I lost quite a bit of muscle and muscle memory from my strength and conditioning sessions in late 2021.
Five weeks ago, I shocked my body back into a workout regimen of strength and conditioning. But I wanted something more; I miss my childhood flexibility and agility, so I opted to take up yoga. The first class was hilarious.
I was sweating within the first five minutes of the class, and my muscles were causing my body to shake like leaves in a violent storm. My body was fighting my mind, which allowed the movements to happen. While that was happening, I spent more time looking around the room to figure out what warrior or goddess pose was. I have to admit it was slightly frustrating when the instructor called out for the gorilla pose.
“What is that?” I exclaimed out loud, mortified and tickled at the same time. Yet, in that state of agony and confusion, humour was my friend.
From time to time, I would feel the pressure of a hand or foot of the instructor guiding a leg or arm to stretch further, which always resulted in this guttural expulsion of air from my nose or throat. I felt like a human whoopie cushion.
“Go for it,” the instructor would say, periodically directing us to repeat a series of poses I had no idea after an hour of so much physical exertion. Finally, the session ended with a cold eucalyptus towel placed on each person’s brow as we cooled down and breathed deeply, eyes closed on our backs on the mats in surrender (dead man’s pose).
What kept me going in that first class was the word wall on the far left side of the room. Looking at the words contorted on a mat gave me hope that I would make it. Today marked my fifth class; I don’t look at the wall as much because I now enjoy the process and what I can do with my body.
As I continue this journey of self-love and health, I intend to keep using those words on the wall to motivate me to keep going, especially when I am trying to figure out the crow pose.
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