Who likes yoga? @meowington obviously does.
Essentially I like yoga, but loathe the whole instagram yoga wellness culture thing. You don’t need £60 lycra trousers and to be competitively thin, and definitely don’t spout a load of hindi or sanskrit phrases when you don’t really know what they mean or how they are actually used in hinduism or buddhism.
I had three bouts of shingles last winter, which left me with some nasty arthritis, and the doctor recommended yoga. I saw there was a new local yoga place that was doing a £40 unlimited pass for a month, so I signed up and went to multiple classes a week while I was on sick leave.
They were a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the teachers were lovely, but two of them were like school PE teachers. The worst experience was when they had marked a class on the timetable as gentle, but it was a printing error. It was actually taught by a former gymnast, who kept saying things like “to make this bit more challenging, try doing a quick handstand inbetween”, and doing mortifying cod-spiritual pep talks in between sections. I was the only non-blonde in that class, about 6 inches taller it seemed than everyone else, and clearly the heaviest person in the room by a large margin (this is even more ridiculous for the people who know me). It was the worst side of instagram come to life in one room. Also, if you’re finding something painful or you think it might injure you, other teachers tell you to sit out of a section and not strain yourself. When I didn’t try a handstand, this woman came and hassled me like a school PE teacher, and I ended up walking out and complaining to the school.
I try to do a few rounds of the basic Sun Salutation every morning though, although I will probably never master the chaturanga or headstand from the more advanced version.
I also liked the Yin Yoga- where you are propped up with a pillow and your spine slowly goes loose.
