It was the noise of my own snoring that roused me. The instructor, who was a lovely lady called Edwina, had told us all to breathe deeply and relax and imagine ourselves on a beach under a warm sun, with the waves lapping gently at the shore. So I did. And after an hour and a half of yoga, yes that’s right 90 minutes, I was clearly exhausted.

To make matters worse, I dozed off again shortly afterwards. I can’t have been asleep for more than a minute, but that was enough time to embark upon a startling nightmare involving me making coffee for Kerry Katona’s husband. This time the soothing sound of Edwina’s lovely voice jolted me back to the land of the living and just in the nick of time frankly. What all that says about my subconscious I dread to think, because I promise you, I’m not making that up.

Anyway that extraordinary episode apart, I really liked yoga. I was in a Hatha Yoga class, which was harder than I expected, simply because you have to do so many different exercises. And even though it’s not a 5-mile run or anything like that, you do have to pull your body gently into positions it isn’t used to and your muscles really do get a surprisingly robust workout.

The class consisted entirely of women and even though I arrived bang on time, the only room left in the huge studio, involved placing my mat right at the front of the class in front of the wall-to-ceiling mirror. So happily, not, I got a birds-eye view of my enormous backside every time I contorted myself into a new shape, which didn’t do much for my ying and yang. However there was gentle music and a scented candle burning throughout and I really enjoyed the emphasis on quiet and listening to your body. Edwina had a voice to die for, smooth and comforting, yet also gently insistent that you try and wrap your foot behind your head. And even when it was a little uncomfortable, you knew it was worth the effort.

I felt really refreshed when I came out but sleepy at the same time, if that makes sense. My head felt cleared, but my body felt tired. But I was certainly relaxed. So much so, that when I was cut up in my car on the way home, I resisted the temptation to flick the v’s out of the window. Suddenly nothing mattered anymore except the sound of my own breathing......

If you want to find out more about Yoga, then try Yoga for Beginners for more info.

PS. Don't forget to cheer on our Chris Hollins this week on Strictly. It's the Foxtrot for him on Saturday night.

Tags: Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kerry Katona, Strictly Come Dancing, Chris Hollins

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