I'm Special Needs?

Tonight I am doing something completely out of my comfort zone. I've been wanting to try yoga for a long time, but being self conscious about both my body and my abilities has always held me back. I finally mustered the courage to give it a try, and tonight is my first class.  I figured that I'm almost 42 and it's about time I stop letting vanity interfere with my activities. 

Yesterday afternoon I received an email confirming the class and asking for my contact information. Apparently the yoga instructor wanted to speak with me. I assumed that she was calling all participants, so I didn't really think much about it when I responded with my phone number.

It turns out that she was not calling everybody who enrolled, but was concerned about my possibly being an amputee.  (Considering that my email is amputeemommy@gmail.com, it was a fairly safe assumption.) The instructor was worried about my ability to participate in yoga and actively tried to discourage  me from taking the course. She explained that this was not a "special needs" yoga course, and that I would be responsible for adapting all of the moves because she wouldn't have time to help me.

I must admit that I was taken aback by the entire conversation. The more she spoke, the more adamant I felt that I was taking the course. I have never been one to back down from a challenge. Only now I don't feel challenged by trying a new activity (yoga), I feel determined to prove the instructor wrong. I may not be able to do every move, and it may not look pretty, but I'll be doing yoga with everybody else tonight.