High Heels and Yoga

Posted by Silke

For many years now I have been toying with the idea of taking a yoga class.

To this day I haven’t gotten around to it, even though I know of several places in the town I live that teach some form of yoga or another. I just never found anybody to go with me and I didn’t want to go by myself.  I see ladies exercising on TV and wonder, “Do I need to buy new exercise clothes, yoga accessories and special yoga shoes in order to fit in at a yoga class?  Will I look like a clown trying to bend in ways I haven’t since I was a teenager?” I signed up for Tae Kwon Do classes by myself a number of years ago and still remember feeling lonely and frustrated. It was no fun at all being the only novice in the class and I quit going after time.

When a friend of mine recently asked me for a favor to come along to a ‘Raising the Bar’ toning class, my first reaction was “Heck no, I’m not making a fool out of myself in public”. Well, her daughter just graduated from school and she’s the one teaching the class. Rather reluctantly I decided to go along so the poor kid had at least a couple of warm bodies in her classroom.

To my surprise I enjoyed the toning class immensely! By the second class she had enough people to fill the room and I have been going back once a week since. At first I felt very awkward doing the different moves and exercises, but after I noticed  that every body else was trying very hard to keep up I started to relax and have fun. Best of all, I can really tell the difference in my muscle tone, especially when I’m wearing high heels for an extended period of time. Now that my girl friend owes me a favor I will have to sign us up for some yoga classes.

I am in the process of buying a new pair of shoes and not high heels for a change. I guess you’re not supposed to wear high heels or street tennis shoes in indoor exercise facilities. Oops! I really like the look of the PUMA Voltaic 3 Brite Pack Cross-Training Shoes in Blue or Beetroot.

What is the best type of shoes to wear while practicing yoga or toning? Is it personal preference or are there significant differences? Leave me a comment below.

Here is a very interesting and informative article/interview by the gals from Running with Heels on Yoga for high heel longevity. You will find the best types of yoga for beginners and a series of exercises that emphasizes the practices that will allow you to survive in heels for extended periods of time.

Click here to read the article!

Are you a runner? Endless.com has an interactive ‘Running Shoe Finder’ that helps you find the best type of running shoe based on your gender, height, weight, shoe size, purpose, arch type and foot pronation. Pretty cool, huh?