Cross Training - Yoga at Spectrum Club

Time: 6:45pm, 1 hour 15 minutes
Meal: Nothing since lunch...forgot to eat my power bar again :-)

I look forward to Yoga for a number of reasons, but my current main objectives are stretching first and mind/body focus second. We're getting closer to closer to marathon D-Day, and it's important to me that I do whatever I need to do to ease my muscles (still aching from last Saturday's 19.5 miles), including keeping my stress levels low, eating right and getting enough sleep.

I've had a difficult time finding a yoga class I really like during this training...and tonight was no different. I think all the instructors I've encountered have been great in their own style, I just have yet to find one whose style fits my needs. It's partly my fault - since every instructor does things a little differently it can be awkward during a first class to get to know the flow of their style. However, I feel that most of the time the instructors are more focused on the fitness aspect of yoga, which is much lower on my priority list. Tonight, for example, the class was very fast paced, with a lot of poses presented with variations that I wasn't used to and didn't particularly care for. I tried to think of it as a unique opportunity to work on being present without judgement but I found it to be quite a struggle. The most frustrating part of the practice was the loud, fiesta-type music the instructor played. It wasn't necessarily fast paced but it definitely had a tempo that it appeared he was trying to incorporate into the class. Again, more on the fitness aspect when what I really need to work on is focus, quietness, and stretching.

The only yoga classes at Spectrum that I've ever really liked were downtown and I just can't make it there during the day since I work so far away (plus it's been about 1 1/2 years since I've gone so I'm sure instructors have changed). I'm seriously considering joining a yoga studio...but I'll wait until I've exhausted all the options at Spectrum before I start throwing more money around :-).

Oh, and how am I feeling? My hip still hurts, along with my knee. It's been 5 days since the run and I'm still limping slightly. Just like with the IT Band stuff and the Peroneals, I'm sure I'll nip this one in the bud...I just have to find the right combo of maintenance to apply.