Handstand Class #2

Wednesday night I had a really bad sleep, and I was exhausted all day yesterday. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep, but it was Thursday night, so I donned my yoga pants and tank and found my way to 524 Bergen St. for my 2nd handstand class.

I'm so glad I did.

There were fewer people this week, which made the group a little more intimate. We started out by standing in a circle. One person would make a noise and a motion to another person in the circle, then that person would make a different noise/motion to a third person, and so on. It was really fun, and surprisingly, even a little intimidating! It was a good reminder that as an adult I'm more self-conscious and less spontaneous with my body, and I don't always have to be.

After some abdominal work, we moved on to assisted handstands, held for 40 seconds each. We also did a series of exercises that involved kicking up in various ways - scissor kicks, and tuck-ups, for example. Then we did wheelbarrows - you know, the ones you did when you were a kid, where you walk on your hands with a partner holding your legs? We did them with obstacles - mats stacked higher that you had to "step" up and across along the way. That was harder than I thought it would be - in fact, I sucked at it. However, when I finished, everyone applauded! It was like the Handstand Special Olympics.

The class was, again, amazing. I was sweating within 10 minutes and I felt completely energized afterwards. Walking home, I laughed out loud when I realized that I'm 32 years old and I just finished my 2nd-ever gymnastics class!