A Recap Of My Recent "Yoga"Experience

Last Saturday, I had the honor of featuring our "flexible friend" Wendy Larsen (aka Bendy Wendy) as she has finally returned to the swing of things with a series of indoor and outdoor yoga classes that have been on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the spring. During the chat, she challenged me to par-take in one of these classes and on Monday night, I made the trek south to The Riverton, Connecticut Fire House and noticed it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Granted, I need some more practice to get into the swing of things as the class also featured a trio of Wendy's long-time students Lynn, Linda and Pam who have been a part of this weekly regimen for decades. I opted to use a chair instead of the mat that was provided as this option made things a little easier for me. Not quite ready to show my "prime" flexibility as of yet.

We began with some simple stretches and took some time to unwind and get into "the zone" so to speak. Then it was off to the races standing on one leg, bending down as my attempts to keep myself balanced proved to be a steeplechase. The biggest challenge was pretending to be an airplane and that proved to be a major obstacle (now you know why I have not obtained a pilot's license). I did find the star poses relaxing and welcomed the opportunity to sit down and experiment with the chair as one of the more palatable exercises to look the other way which was successfully mastered.

At the conclusion, we tended to relax and unwind once more as yours truly can safely say the yoga class was in the books and once again, thanks to Wendy for making me feel comfortable throughout the hour-long session. I woke up this morning feeling a little sore from the experience. The big question: Do I make a return appearance? Only time will tell, but I will say the answer is affirmative (YES).

If you are brave enough to try it out for yourself, here is Wendy's updated schedule:

MONDAY: Riverton, CT Fire House (indoors) 6:30 pm

TUESDAY & THURSDAY: Norfolk CT Town Hall on route 44 (outdoors) 8:45

TUESDAY: Colebrook, CT Town Hall (outdoors) 4:30 pm

WEDNESDAY: Chair Yoga at Sandisfield, MA Town Hall on route 57 (indoors) 2 pm

VIRTUAL ON-LINE CLASSES:

TUESDAY & THURSDAY: Senior Fitness Zoom Class VIA Zoom, 10:45 am

TUESDAY: Senior Yoga VIA Zoom, 2 pm

Wendy is also available for private classes by appointment ONLY.

To pre-register for indoor, outdoor, virtual or in-person sessions, email: Bendywendy100@gmail.com and you'll be good to go!

I appropriately close this article with two words: STAY FLEXIBLE!