Hot Yoga

[emily_in_nc]

I give you a lot of credit, Emily. I know enough Spanish that I would understand "get on the floor," or stand up, but since I don't even understand the yoga names for a lot of poses, I would most certainly be looking at the instructor or others for cues!

Oh, I do! I also studied up before I went and in between classes for the first few weeks. Found some sites online with yoga terms in Spanish and memorized a few basic body parts (arms, legs, hands, feet, neck, spine, head, etc.) Over time I got so used to the phrasing the normal instructor uses, I can almost always follow what he's doing, but sometimes he tries something different and I have to watch him very closely, or others in the class if he starts walking around. It's much more challenging when a guest instructor comes in, as they can have different phrasing, and I have to watch them and other students more closely. But I have picked up a lot!

Also, he uses mostly the Sanscrit names for poses, so those are the same as a class in English (and I still only know a few of them no matter how long I take; they just don't stick with me). He will throw in a few of the "common" names for poses (like gato, for instance), but not all the time.

For me, the scariest thing was just getting up my nerve to go that very first time or two, with my limited Spanish. I was intimidated as all get out, but I was kind of proud of myself for doing it and sticking with it.

The most frustrating part of it is the socializing after class, when people start talking fast in Spanish -- I can only pick up a word here or there. Fortunately, during the instruction phase, the speaking is slower (maybe part of that "yoga voice" you mention), so I can catch more. And so much of it is context.

I didn't do too badly today, considering, and it has been cooler, so that helped. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow, though! At least I have until Monday to recover.