Day 4 I didn't pull a muscle, I used one

Me: Um, what is Align class?

Yogi: Oh, it's a great class that helps you discover proper alignment for your poses.

Me: Is it good for beginners?

Yogi: Oh yes! Perfect! You really have a chance to deepen your understanding by doing the poses slower and honing in on the correct form.

All my sore arms and legs and tired mind heard was "slower" and I immediately signed up. Slower would turn out to be MORE painful, more sweat and more fighting with my brain. The class had the least amount of people of the classes I'd taken so far. I found this encouraging and assumed it would be only beginning stuff since most of the packed classes turn out to be crazy shit like "acro-yoga" or "sweat your ass off yoga in 105 degrees with no air and 55 ppl." Uh, no thanks, not yet anyway...

The instructor was extremely helpful in assisting me and she had somewhat of an earthy smell. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not so every time she walked by I breathed her in. She would tell the class to take a pose and then "hold for 8 breathes". That is a LONG ass time in yoga breathes! Think about it... an average breath lasts about 2-4 seconds.. try it. Breathe in and out normally... Ok, now breathe in though your nose for up to 10 seconds and exhale through your nose for the same time. Oh yeah do it in the above pictured... "Parsva Bakasana" or Side Crow pose.

I tried my best to get close to that pose but all I could achieve was holding my hands to the side of my legs! I had visions of me doing this pose someday and that somehow it would even help me in my fantasies of becoming a hip hop dancer too... 

The teacher showed me how to deepen my poses and to adjust my Chaturanga Dandasana (or four limb staff pose) because I have no discernible triceps right now. I dream of "Linda Hamilton from The Terminator" arms and this surely was a pose that would help. At the end of the class she was extremely reassuring that I would get better. As for her earthy smell? I decided I liked it..