I was all set to put it on the line and go to Yoga class Thursday night when the Twitter spam about Yoga outfits began to arrive. And yoga mat spam. And "what you mean, fear ah yoga, boy?" spam.
That influx of new information -- plus, to be honest, there was a proposal I had to get out -- made it easy to decide I really needed to wait another week before I stretched my running routine by adding yoga.
Who knew the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility required the right equipment. The right fashion look, even. The right ATTITUDE. You mean I can't wear my running shorts and T-shirt and just be in it for the flexibility?
Runners aren't immune to it. I still remember the disdain of the coach of the "Run the LA Marathon" class I took 14 years ago when I wore a cotton knit polo shirt to a run. "Your nipples are going to bleed, son." And that was nothing compared to the look he gave me when I showed up in running tights one cool southern California morning. It just wasn't done. I can only image the look he gave the first person who showed up for one of his coaching session wearing Vibram FiveFingers.
My original fear, that my yoga instructor would either make fun of me for my lack of flexibility or, at the other extreme, try to persuade me to move beyond asana to the complete eight-limbed path of classical (raja) yoga, was replaced by uncertainty about whether to buy hemp or organic cotton yoga pants. And did a mat have to be designated a "yoga" mat, or was one designated as an "exercise" or "pilates" mat going to be okay. And did I really need breathability in my mat?
It was easier picking a running watch/GPS/heart rate monitor.
I'll let you know how I did picking out the outfit and mat after I see the reaction at Yoga class. And I think I'll wear my heart rate monitor too, to track my stress level through the entire Yoga for Runners session. I never made faces when I was a kid for fear my face would freeze that way. The fear of being able to get back out of a position I struggle to get into still grips me.
If I can get over that I'll be able to tell you whether yoga might be just the thing for your running.
