It’s great to have such a variety of choices. It’s also
sobering to know, from those morning announcements, that some residents who
used to be doing all sorts of things in the park have suffered health setbacks,
and in a couple of recent cases, passed away. As members of an aging cohort, we
know our time is not infinite, and doing what we can to make the rest of our
lives the best of our lives is a very good idea.
Which is why, since we got here three weeks ago, I’ve been
exploring various offerings – all of which are free of charge – at the
clubhouse. I’ve been line dancing on Thursday afternoons, and yesterday I had
my first exposure to yoga! I had to purchase a yoga mat for the class, which I
found last week at Walmart for a reasonable price – and it even coordinated
with the colours of my running shoes. Bonus.
Never mind that the running shoes were not worn for the
class; at least I looked good arriving with them on my feet and the mat tucked
under my arm. Our virtual teacher was projected onto a screen on the wall, so
she never saw my rudimentary attempts to keep from falling over when, down on
hands and knees, we had to extend our right leg up and back and counterbalance
with our left arm up and forward.
And she never saw me grab Fawn’s hand, next to me, when we wobbled
stork-style on one leg with our arms outstretched. And she didn’t hear my
vertebrae crackle when I pointed my chin to the ceiling and made a vain attempt
to grab my heels behind me as I knelt on my mat. I didn’t mind that my fellow
yoga participants could see all that, because none of us could call ourselves
experts. But, whether limited by arthritis, excess pounds or lack of practice,
we were all there doing what we could. Stayin’ alive.
The least appealing part of the class for me was the part
when we laid face down on the mat. My lovely pink-and-grey Walmart special was
so fresh out of its wrapping that it gave off great fumes of whatever chemicals
went into its rubbery components. Note to self: before next class, hang it out
in the sun and breeze for several hours to off-gas! Whew!
It felt good to have tried something new, and to have given
my body a good – but gentle – workout of stretches and positions that addressed
all my muscles and limbs. My daily fast-walking has always been a good habit
for cardio, but this was a worthwhile addition.
This morning, when I popped in to the club house on an
errand, I saw another onscreen teacher guiding a class of residents stepping
and kicking to a lively Mexican sound track. Looked like a lot of fun! I
checked the weekly calendar to see what it was: Zumba. Hmmm… maybe next Tuesday
I’ll be giving that a whirl too.
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