**Ouch**….sore…pain….

I’ve been practicing yoga with my roommate for about 3 weeks now. She found this little yoga classroom close to where we live and suggested we go for a try. I figured since I haven’t done any regular exercise in a long time, maybe yoga can help me tone my muscle and give myself more energy.

We first went to a 3-hour introductory workshop, where the instructor taught us all kinds of yoga positions. Then we began to attend the beginner’s class every Wednesday night for 1 1/2 hour. Each class costs $15, but there are also some discount prices where you can pay a lump sum at a time.

During class, we learned how to do the yoga “Oujia” breath,which is to breath through the back of your throat and make a hissing sound. The purpose of this breathing technique is to help you concentrate on your breath more and be able to lengthen your breath as you practice more.  All of yoga’s movement depends on breathing. You do each movement while you inhale and exhale. According to the instructor, you will feel the difference in your body once you blend in the breathing with your body.

To be frankly, I was very confused at the beginning. Whenever the instructor asked us to close our eyes, trying to search our inner power and consider the purpose of why we’re doing yoga, all I could think about was my pain and soreness in my body. My mind couldn’t concentrate and always seem to be wandering off. Some of the yoga position they taught us are very difficult to do as well. For example, we were told to stand on one leg and lift up the other leg for several minutes. Sometimes the instructor would ask us to push ourselves to the limit and extend our legs as tall as possible. It sounds simple to do, but in reality, our legs began to shake only after few seconds and we couldn’t stand still at all.

After each workout, I always feel sore and pain in my backs and legs. But I guess it’s because I haven’t exercise in awhile and I have very weak muscle. “No Pain No Gain!” Hopefully after months of yoga, I would feel some differences in my body and be a total refreshed energetic person!