Self improvement: STRIKE A POSE!

Can you actually believe CinDz attended her first yoga session this evening!! (I can't myself!), straight after work, I went to the session at Ponds Forge. Arriving just in time, I quickly grabbed a mat
I am new to Yoga, have never done it before. I went to the class feeling generally very stiff and anxious. I'm sure the teacher thought some of us looked like we'd been trapped by our bodies. I know I have poor posture and one of the main reasons for doing these sessions was to feel more relaxed and to feel energized.
We did several restorative poses that left me feeling energized and grounded. Anita, who went last week actually said this sessions was much more harder than last weeks. What I found good aout yoga was it's great for the whole body! Stetches every muscle in the body, increases circulation, and tones & strengthens the arms and legs. Great for releasing tension in the back and shoulders.

Some of the stretching excercises were quite painful (our teacher, who's a 5ft2, bubbly and happy lady and who's quite a comedian kept telling us to 'breathe' or to 'smile!!', bloody hell, how could I?...I was aching, in pain too!!!)

I'll share a Yoga pose I learnt today with you: THE DOG DOWN:
The Dog Pose or Dog Tilt stretches the back, opens the chest, and builds upper body strength. In addition, it stretches the whole back side of the body, arms, shoulders, hips, heels, and hamstrings. The name itself, Dog Pose, tells what kind this pose is or how it will go about.

This was a great posture and a great one to start with. Dog down (a funny and off putting name I know) looks quite easy, but in actual fact- as with many of these postures- it does take a while to perfect! The single most important thing is to keep your back straight, other considerations are to: have your tailbone pointing upward towards the ceiling, keep your legs working by placing your awareness on your feet, which are FLAT on the ground, and don't forget to draw your kneecaps up.
CiNdZ difficulty rating: 8 out of 10 (only bcos this was my first time, perhaps next week it'll be a 6/7?? :)

I really didn't believe stretching could be so tiring or really create weight loss but after my first session this evening, I do believe it! I came home starving and shattered...Bendy CinDzzz?