Gentle Dave

I could not go to Gentle Yoga class with Dave today, and to be honest I did not think he would actually go on his own. But surprise, surprise! He went all by himself! Awe... My husband's all grown up! I asked Dave what stood out for him. Dave really liked that the teacher gave him choices. "She said I could do the pose... or not... That's the best instruction yet! I chose not a few times. I did not feel uncomfortable and was told that I was very welcome there." When I asked Dave how his body felt, he answered: "my hamstrings feel like somebody used them as a rope swing". He definitely liked the gentle class more than the invigorating class and would go back anytime. Dave likes mellow yoga... Not much of a shocker.

Studio Dave

Dave went to his first official yoga class today. He has come to my classes a few times, but never with anyone he does not know personally. I went with him for support (he asked). It was really hard to practice beside him because he was cracking me up during class. There were a lot of "oh my GOD that hurts!" and "I think I'm stuck!" Thank Goodness for child pose. I could easily hide my tears of laughter face down on the mat. I asked Dave what stood out for him today. He was mostly annoyed with the mat, trying to keep it from bunching up underneath him. The pose that he remembers the most is Bird of Paradise pose. He said it felt like he was giving himself a big wedgie and was glad to move on to laying down on the floor. His favorite pose was the just-lie-there-and-do-nothing-pose. I think that translates as savasana in sanskrit.

Turkey Yoga

I don't know how much Yoga David practiced during the Thanks-Giving weekend, but he did eat turkey in his Yoga pants. I've offered him a new challenge to keep him on his Yoga toes. Dave has agreed to try out a variety of yoga classes around town and give the Yogi Husband Review. I have a feeling this will be very fruitful... His first class is Monday. I asked Dave how he felt about this new challenge. All I got was his usual comedic response: "I hope there's lots of hot chicks in the class! ...It kind of scares me because I'm very gaseous..." Thanks Dave! Very insightful...

Day 4

This morning I gave Dave a pair of my Lulu Lemon pants (the ones I wore during my pregnancy). I thought maybe this could "motivate" him a little (and I could have a good laugh). They fit him great! He had to mention right off the bat that he "would never be caught dead wearing these outside". Whatever, I think he looks cute...
Today Dave discovered Rejuvenating Yoga. "If rejuvenating yoga means doing all the poses lying down, I'm all for it!" I asked Dave if he had to force himself to practice today. "No. I just took a nap 1st.(Laughter) After my nap and a huge meal, I was good to go! I liked my yoga pants. They were way better than doing Yoga in my gitch (technical term for underwear)."
The DVD today was guided by Rodney's wife Colleen. He felt even less flexible with her than with Rodney. "She would ask me to bend forward, and I basically would move maybe half an inch. Coming "up" from the pose wasn't too hard, considering I never went down in the 1st place."
I asked Dave to describe his overall sense of the practice today. Knowing that I was hoping for some detailed version of his experience, he answered "it was fine" followed by a lot of laughter. Thanks Dave! Keeping it real simple for me.

Day 3

Well, this was to be expected... "Hung-over yoga" was practice on the couch with a bag of chips. That being said, Dave did go to the library and signed out a Deepak Chopra book and a documentary on the Dalai Lama. Interesting...

Day 2

As promised (to himself), after taking our son to school, Dave put on the Rodney Yee DVD and followed along. I asked Dave what stood out the most for him today. He replied "my lack of flexibility, and attention span!" He felt really distracted, not only by the telephone, the dogs, etc... but also by the instructions Rodney was offering. He felt he had to keep looking up at the TV screen to figure out what the heck he was suppose to be doing.In his youth, Dave was a gymnast and practicing yoga today really reflected how much flexibility he has lost over the years. He's not sure if Rodney's flexibility inspired him or just made him feel hopeless. I asked him if he thought it was worth continuing this practice. "I didn't hate it" was his response. "I can see the benefits of sticking with it. It could probably pave a way for me to learn more effectively other things that I'm into." After practicing Yoga, Dave picked up his bass guitar and practiced playing(the thing he truly enjoys doing). "I don't know if this will actually change anything in my life, but I am curious about how it might." Nice!! That's all I'm looking for! Just a little bit of curiosity can go a long way. Not bad for a first day...

Keep posted for Day 3: David's "Slightly Hung-Over" Practice (morning after his music jam)

Day 1

Yogi Dave: Day 1

Choosing a program

From the beginning of this project, I knew that this "experiment" would only work if I took myself out of the equation. I don't know about all other couples in the world, but it seems that Dave and I don't "learn" that well from each other. That being said, yesterday I gave Dave some "Yoga Learning" options. He decided that following a DVD would work best for him. So we watched a few different ones, to pick a style suitable for Dave.

Here is Dave's Yoga DVD review:

Rodney Yee for Beginners
Dave's comment: "Nice Pants! Hot wife! Beside looking at his tight pants, I think could follow his class."

Shiva Rae- Vignasa
"I have no idea what she is talking about! She is way too out there for me. How do you look out the back of your eyes? HMMM... and down to your heart? wow!"

Niki Doane-Ashtanga
"The music is horrible, and she is way too demanding!"

Jiva Mukti (with Micheal Franti)
"Too fast, too fast, too fast... Slowdown! What's with all the guitars in the back ground? It seams really scattered... I know some peeps who would really like this one!"

Desiree Rumbaugh- Anasura

"practical solutions for injuries... not flooffy."

David chose Rodney Yee and Desiree Rumbaugh. He insisted that he would wear tight shorts like Rodney while he practiced Yoga. I personally don't know if that's a great idea.... But hey! It's his practice!

Stay tuned for Day 2: Practicing with Rodney (in tight shorts)