January 10 was a cold, cloudy day, and the end to a very stressful first week of school after the holidays. By 1:55 p.m. I was beyond ready to go home, but found myself at The Centerville Yoga and Wellness Center, barefoot with yoga mat in hand, ready to take a yoga class.

To many, yoga may seem like a lot of “ohms” and spiritual jargon. But this class wasn’t like that to any degree. The inside of the building is very calm when you enter, and is cleanly decorated. There’s storage to stow your belongings and a sheet to sign in. The room I walked into, where there was already a small crowd forming, was comfortably lit, but dim, save a few candles. The space was open and roomy, which made it feel more welcoming for someone who had never been to a yoga class before.

The Friday afternoon class is tailored to teens, taught by Barnstable senior Maddy Childs, and is considered beginner to moderate level. There were already familiar faces in the room from Barnstable, and it was definitely a popular class, bringing in nearly 20 of us.

We started with sitting on our mats, just breathing and reflecting on our day. It was a really comfortable atmosphere that made me feel relaxed, and Maddy talked us through every position without disrupting how tranquil the whole experience was.

After we had done some basic stretching, we started stringing movements together. The terms for movements and positions in yoga are actually very interesting and not always what you would expect. The first combination of movements was called “Sun Salutation,” where I would reach up to the ceiling and then almost swan dive forward to touch my toes. Then you extend to a plank position and arch your back while balancing on your toes. Then you move into Up Dog, forming an upside down “V” shape with your hands and feet pushing into the mat, called Downward Dog. After walking feet to hands, the first cycle of the Sun Salutation was complete.

Through all this, I was told only to do what was comfortable, which was really calming, because the class was more about how you feel when you’re going through the motions, not so much about your form or how strong you are.

Next were “Warrior I” and “Warrior II.” After coming up to a standing position I lunged forward and turned my body to the side, arms out to the front and back of the room. The position is very open and balanced and then we would take a break out of it into Child’s Pose.

I was really impressed by the fluidity of yoga. It felt natural going through each position and extremely therapeutic. I assumed that doing a slower form of exercise would feel dragged out, but the class flew by because I was enjoying it so much.

Some of the poses we did involved balancing, but everyone was at different stages so it wasn’t intimidating to fall out of a pose or take a break. Some of the poses included Tree, Warrior III, and Triangle, which essentially involved engaging core strength and shifting weight to the right places. The balancing positions were probably the more difficult out of all the movements we held, because we’d had to find the perfect combination of where the body feels comfortable, without face-planting.

The class ended with a peaceful section in which we laid on our mats and focused on moving different extremities, like just the fingers or ankles, with some calming music in the background. This part was more mentally refreshing because it let go of any existing tension.

An hour passed, and as everyone put their mats away, I felt really rejuvenated. I never understood how doing a series of postures could change your mood entirely, but I felt like I was ready to take on the rest of the day.

I never had a strong opinion on yoga one way or the other, but I can now say that I will definitely be trying it again, and would recommend it to anyone who wants something unique and relaxing to do.