Yoga....

Tonight for the first time in my life, I went to a yoga class. It started with me lying on the bed, wondering what I will do.

I was supposed to go walking with a friend, but she decided to go nap instead because she said she has just eaten pizza with anchovies. Blech. Not my type. She invited me to go karaoke-ing instead, but I declined.

So there I was on the bed, thinking of the lunch I had with Ericka at Mugg & Bean at Abu Dhabi Mall. Or the coffee that I was supposed to have with Sarah at Cinnabon yesterday. She didn't call me back or sent me text yesterday, or one of the two. So I sent her text hoping she was okay. No reply.

I was agitated and was thinking of things to fill some time away. I thought of putting mask on my face, but couldn't find it so I called my sister to ask her. She told me where she placed it and she told me also that Sarah from ASCS called for me and said that my phone was off. So I went on with my regimen, put some mask on my face to help me just rewind, relax. After putting the mask, I checked my phone to see if it was off, well, there was no signal, considerably, it was off. And I searched for a bit of signal, when I got it, I got message from Sarah, saying she had eye infection and that if I want to go for yoga. Well, I sure would like to! So I called her up with wet mask on my face. And we agreed to meet at the Flex Fitness Gym by or before 8:30pm for the yoga. I was excited, I was fanning my face to let the mask dry fast. And I wasn't sure of the time. I asked someone by text what time it is, and the reply came as 7:50pm. Oh I got enough time. So I laid on the bed, and kept fanning my forehead and my nose (the areas where I put so much mask.) And when it was dry, I took it off and rinse the few sticky parts off my face.

I was looking for my pink track pants but couldn't find it, so I settled with the blue ones, and went out of the flat, into the lift then out of the building. By the time I was on the road it was exactly 8:30 and there was no taxi on sight. Oh my area is really devoid of all these common necessary mode of transportation. Most people who live here probably have cars. Sarah has called twice since the time I walked out of my building.

Eventually, I was in the same building as the gym. Sarah called me to tell me they are on the fourth floor (which I mistakenly heard as first floor. I need cotton buds!) So I registered, kept my stuff in the locker and got another call, from Sarah! She was whispering "where are you???" I told her I was in the locker room, she said "okay, get out there and come here".

After a few introductions to her friend (which I forgot the name, Amrita, cannot be!!) We chatted a bit and I thought we were ready to start when a loud blast of music sprang off the speakers which were directly aimed at us. We were startled and it seemed that I woke up from something.

Yoga
I was a bit skeptic (typical me) when I was eyeing our instructor, I asked Sarah what her name is but she doesn't know. But since it seems she was Russian, or Bulgarian or someone from those nearby areas, I just named her as Svetslana. All the while I keep thinking, her name is Svetslana. And it grew in me. Yoga is a funny form of exercise. I find it both hilarious but very very good for the body, in the long run. We started with basics, (which I can barely remember). I kept looking out the window, it was dark outside, I was wondering how it would be like to have yoga in the daytime. I felt apprehensively envious of the world outside who might be sleeping already while I am inside, stretching, working hard to lose weight.

As the yoga progressed, I could not keep from asking, why did Sarah say that she wanted to do yoga, so she could relax?? The stretches we did caused excruciating pains in my body and all the while we were stretching our legs, I kept on screaming inside "my veins are going to snap! they are going to snap!" It was crazy. It was almost hilarious, because I kept on thinking, there are only three things that can happen to me here at the yoga class, snap some veins, fall over, or fart (gross!!) But, I couldn't help it.

It was an hour long, or short period of stretching. There were a few positions that I couldn't do, I need some weight-losing and real hardcore stretching. In the end, it was actually good, almost exhilirating. It made me feel happy and excited to tell my friends that I did yoga and how good it actually felt even if you have to sometimes think that you are crazy, or you feel so insecure that when you bend your body and try to rest it on the floor, you could not do it and you look at every one on your back and they are really on their back with knees folded on their back thighs too. Well, I need to work harder. Svetslana had a soft voice, soothing almost that makes you relax. But she has a funny accent and she says "make your legs strayyyt, or something like strite but not really straight. She is very balanced. And in the end, she made us close our eyes and she said, "do not waste your energy on thinking about anything". "Forget everything,... cancel... cancel.... cancel..." (I actually didn't know she was saying "cancel") I thought she was just chanting for us.

In the end, I found out that her name was Ilona and that she is Russian. And that I will do belly dancing soon too with her.