Projo Fitness Blog

One of the most-often asked questions I get is from people who want to try a new form of exercise -- mostly yoga -- but wonder if it's something a beginner can do.

The answer I always give them is an enthusiastic "yes." Just about every type of workout has entry-level modifications, and even if not, there are ways to ease into something ... such as starting with a small amount of weight to try weightlifting.

But I understand the hesitation. It's hard to try new things. I had the same experience myself a little more than a week ago when I attended, as a reporter, the New England Iyengar Yoga Conference.

Linda DiCarlo, a Cranston-based Iyengar instructor, was kind enough to let me participate in her "Intermediate Pranayama" class, established for conference-goers "with some home practice and up to two years experience."

I have had a steady at-home yoga practice for years, and have taken several classes -- all in different types of yoga -- since about 1998. I thought that qualified me for "intermediate," but it turns out, the teachers and yoga students who attended the conference at the Rhode Island Convention Center were far more advanced than I realized.

I tried to blend into the class without being "outed" as an Iyegnar beginner, but right away I had to come clean because I didn't have the necessary blankets for this restorative session.

"You don't have any blankets?" I remember DiCarlo asking me in front of the whole class.

"No," I said with a shrug. "I'm Pam, from the Journal, I'm just dropping in."

Immediately, most of the 20 or so students crammed into the small Convention Center meeting room started generously offering me some blankets. Even DiCarlo gave up one of hers.

Soon, I was well-equipped. But there was one other problem. Iyengar yogis use a Sanskrit, a lot. DiCarlo started the class with some nice relaxing breathing and then chants. I tried to join in -- but I had no idea what I was saying.

The poses, too, are called out in the ancient Indian language. For example, "Salamba Sarvangasana" is supported shoulder stand. "Halasana" is the plow pose shown above. Some of those names I had remembered from a class I took about a decade ago.

But there were others where I had to look around the room first to see what the yogis were doing. One woman, forgetting herself, asked me what one meant. Then she stopped herself and said, "Oh, you're the journalist."

The class itself was wonderful - I'll go into that in another post. But I want you to know that getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new can help break up a boring workout routine and teach you a little humility -- something I'm sure the yogis can support.

 Tags  Iyengar Sanskrit yoga

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