Yoga Flow Plus.

Class: Yoga Flow Plus

Date: October 27, 2010

Time & Location: 7am at Yoga Nine

I woke up before the sun today, ready to head over to Yoga Nine for my 7am class. I scarfed down a microwavable breakfast I bought yesterday just for this morning. It was pretty sufficient. I arrived at the yoga studio about five minutes before class was supposed to start. In truth, I feel a little out of place because all the students are older than me and they already know each other. I normally just keep to myself, and perform the rituals that I've adapted after only going there once before. I walked in, took off my shoes and put them in a storage square, along with my purse. Then I took off my jacket and did the same with that. Then I walked into the room and laid down my mat farther to the back of the room. I spent a little more time observing the room itself today because Laurie was in the shop screaming about a spider that she left under a cup, urging one of her friends to kill it for her. Ha ha. There are two photos on the wall. One is of a sitting elephant, and the other one is off a yogi performing a posture. She has more props than I remember being in there previously, ranging from cushions, to mats and blocks.

We started off class laying down and focused on our breath mostly. We did this for a good amount of time because all I remember thinking was how relaxed I felt at that moment. We went through class like I remember from last time, and I think I'm making a small step of progress. I'm flowing through class easier, not having to look up at Laurie constantly. I'm starting to understand the warrior poses more when it comes to how to position my thighs. I was sweating a considerable amount by the time the class was half way through. What I find most remarkable about the class are the abilities that some of the older men possess. These are middle aged men, all in pretty good shape. They're really flexible, at least more than I am currently, and they have excellent balance. I'd expect it from the women in the class, but not really from the men for some reason. A new thing we did in class were handstands. We started off walking our one leg up the wall and then having the other one meet it at the top. Then we had to push off the wall and hold the pose in the air. I actually tried it, but was too scared to actually push off the wall. Perhaps that will be my next challenge to myself.I'm really starting to understand the importance of breathing. It seems like when I stop focusing on my breath, my postures fall apart. All in all, it was a great way to start off my day.

Sivananda.

Class: Sivananda Yoga

Date: October 20, 2010

Time & Location: In Class

On Wednesday, we had Arlene Vogt visit Yoga class. I found the practice very similar to what I've been experiencing the past few weeks, but with a little twist to it. It was much more relaxing. The fact that I was insanely tired that morning might have been a factor, but I found myself really dazing out during practice. One thing I noticed about Sivananda Yoga is the frequent savasana's that are practiced throughout. We would do one set of multiple postures three or four times, and then go into savasana. This really allowed the body to completely relax in between movements, so I never got too tired and overwhelmed. This had its positives and negatives. On the plus side- I got to dream for about two minutes every ten minutes, but I never got the physical satisfaction I normally get after practicing. I felt like it was a bit too mellow for me.

The one thing that frustrated me the most during practice was that I couldn't go into halasana (plow pose). I have done it before with little to no effort, but I just couldn't no matter how hard I pushed myself. There was also a point where we were doing a pranayama pose where we covered one nostril with one finger and left the other open. We then held our breath all together and let it out. I found this really relaxing. There were points where I forgot what I was doing and would completely let go of my nose in an awkward daze. Overall, I found Sivananda Yoga interesting. I also really enjoyed Arlene's ability to demonstrate her postures and really engage us in the practice.

Yoga Nine.

Class: Yoga Flow Plus

Date: October 20, 2010

Time & Location: Yoga Nine

So I decided to change it up a little bit and go to Yoga Nine. The only class I could fit into my schedule was the 7am Yoga Flow Plus class. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed waking up before the sun. The air outside is so cool and calm at 6am. I showed up to Yoga Nine at around 6:50am and was eager to see what was in store for me. I walked into an adorable free trade store, full of unique jewelry, clothing, oils, fragrances, and much more. Laurie Greene started the class soon after. I really liked the room that the class was held in. The lighting was perfect, dim but not dark. Relaxing ethnic music was playing in the background.

There were about eight people in the class, give or take one or two. Out of all the students, only two were males, which is a trend I've seen in most of the yoga experiences I've had so far. All the students were Caucasian, except for me of course. All the students were middle-aged except for one woman who looked like she was about 60. As I looked around the room, I saw mats, blocks, and other yoga objects. Laurie started the class out with standing postures, which included warrior poses and an array of balancing postures. I really wasn't expecting the class to be as challenging as I ended up finding it, even though I should have gotten a heads up from the flyer that said the course was for advanced beginners to intermediates.

Throughout the class we did various things, such as upward dogs, downward dogs, one legged downward dogs, warrior poses, planks, forward bends, extended triangle poses, lunges, side plank poses, bridges, and much more. Laurie also had us do headstands and I was really surprised at the amount of people in the class that could do it. I didn't even try for fear of making a fool of myself in front of all these yogis who were obviously more experienced than me. Yoga Flow Plus was by far the most challenging yoga class I've taken so far this semester, but I really enjoyed it. Every time I couldn't do a posture, I would go into child's pose and wait for Laurie to continue. During savasana, Laurie went around and applied some kind of scented oil to everyones' necks. With every breath I took, I got a whiff of the smell. It was an indescribable pleasant smell, like an herb or something to that extent. I spaced out during savasana, relaxing every part of my body. I realized that I'm starting to really benefit from yoga on more of a spiritual level, which is something that I never thought would happen when I started this course. I really am enjoying practicing yoga.

By the time I left Yoga Nine, I felt full of energy and ready for my day. I'm almost positive I'm going to Gentle Yoga tomorrow at 7am!

Lakeside.

Class: Yoga

Date: October 19, 2010

Time & Location: Lakeside Lodge

There were less students than usual this Tuesday. The majority of us were girls, but there were three guys there. The class started off with the instructor asking Papa John's to turn the music off, so they would stop being such a distraction during her class. Class began the same way it usually does, with soft music in the background and the lights turned dim. I just remember wishing she would get a new CD to play because i pretty know all the words to every song on that album. She started off the class with us sitting regularly and she continued the class the way she usually does. One thing I realized during this class was that she was doing more warrior poses than she normally does. She is also making the class progressively more challenging. She made us do one legged downward dogs and also focused on stretching our arms more than usual. I like the fact that she's introducing new postures into our routines, but I figured it was time for some change and a different environment..

I'm Feelin' This.

Class: Yoga

Date: October 12, 2010

Time & Location: Lakeside Lodge

Class was held at the right room at Lakeside this week. It was nice being back in there, away from all the loud students and other distractions. In these classes, I feel like the emphasis is placed on the physical aspect of yoga. The teacher frequently speaks about stretching and expanding the muscles. After each pose, she tells us exactly what parts of the body should be feeling the most strain. The class is still pretty diverse with many different races and ethnicities. There are definitely more women than men students. As far the physical stature of the students, they're all pretty average in size. They all seem to be healthy and fit. I don't see too many obese or overweight people in the class.

The lights at the Lakeside are turned dim during practice. The instructor plays the same CD as she always does, but the tunes are mellow and calming. The only disturbances that can be heard is the ruckus that echoes from Papa John's kitchen. The teacher strives to keep our attention focused on the practice by referring to the distracting noises as "challenges." She tells us to concentrate on our breath and the practice at hand as a way to mute the world around us.

Nevrin explains how embodiment consists of three aspects. These key aspects are heightened sensitivity, attending to movement, and emotion. I felt as If I got the most out of this one particular class. I felt more unified with my body and felt a sense of calmness that was unfamiliar to me. I was more sensitive to the sensations in my muscles. The postures and movements seemed to flow a bit more than before. My mind stayed mostly blank during most of the class, to the point where I questioned if i fell asleep at some point during movement. I felt little emotion during the practice, but ended the class feeling elated. I felt much calmer and more settled than when I initially started the class. It was after this that I realized that yoga might have some potential in my life. I am now looking to find more of a spiritual aspect of yoga. I want to understand yoga on a physical and spiritual level.

Ashtanga Yoga

Class: Ashtanga Yoga

Date: October 13, 2010

Time & Location: In class

On Wednesday, Sharon Fruchtman taught us Ashtanga Yoga. I was eager to learn from Sharon because I also work with her at the high school on Friday's for yoga. Sharon is a very good teacher. She is patient, attentive, and willing to help those who need it. She is also a very skilled yogi herself. Laurie reminded us on Monday to be ready for an exhaustive practice, so I was expecting the worst. We did many different postures that consisted of back bends, warrior poses, front bends, and much more. We also performed vinyasa's between each complete asana. A single vinyasa consisted of a plank that went down into a back bend, then an upward dog, followed by a downward dog. I found the vinyasa's very exhausting because of the pace in which they were done.

I also found many of the postures very challenging. We often had to distort and bend our bodies in ways that I would have never imagined. I managed to do a majority of the postures, surprisingly. Although they were difficult and sometimes painful on my muscles, there was a great deal of accomplishment I felt once completing them. I found the process of getting into a posture the most difficult thing. Once I actually found a comfortable spot, I was fine. Although the process was rigorous, I got a great deal of satisfaction from it. After the class, I felt much more energized and ready for my day. I also felt very calm and relaxed. Overall, I have enjoyed learning and practicing Ashtanga Yoga the best.

Thanks BKS

Class: Iyengar Yoga

Date: October 6, 2010

Time & Location: In class

On Wednesday, Emari Digiorgio came to our yoga class to teach us Iyengar Yoga. At the beginning of class, she distributed some blocks and blankets. I'm pretty flexible from 12 years of dance, so I just took one block. There seems to be more props in this practice than the others I have observed and learned about. We did a lot of standing postures in order to open the hips and pelvis. We also did a few forward and backward extensions. Emari kept straining the fact that it wasn't a typical Iyengar Yoga class.

Emari kept asking us for our feedback, which is most likely something that does not happen during most practices. She also kept communication open, explaining things and telling us stories about Iyengar Yoga. I liked the openness of the practice, but it wasn't very realistic. Also, i really liked that she did it along with us for the most part. She would perform some of the postures as a model for us. I thought she was a good teacher, really engaging the students.

One thing that I noticed is that Iyengar didn't put as much emphasis on breathing as Bikram Yoga did. It might have just been the instruction by the two different teachers though. One thing that I am having difficulty with when it comes to Yoga is my inability to keep my back straight. Sometimes without even noticing, I would slump over while she was giving instructions. It really made me more aware of my posture, in the practice and in everyday life. Yoga is really all about posture, holding your body up so that your breaths flow easily. One thing that I really liked about Iyengar Yoga compared to Bikram is that we were allowed to close our eyes. This makes it easier for me to really think about my body and stay in my head because there are normally too many distractions when my eyes are open. Overall, I enjoyed the class and I can't wait to try out Ashtanga Yoga on Wednesday.

-Claire

Lakeside Relaxation

Class: Yoga

Date: October 7th, 2010

Time & Location: 7pm @ Lakeside Lodge

I arrived at Lakeside Lodge at 7pm only to find the main room of the lodge occupied by adults in suits, ties, and dresses. An event was being held at lakeside during our normally scheduled yoga time. Instead of cancelling class, the teacher made us all move to the lounge area at Lakeside. We moved the tables and chairs, and found enough room to fit everyone in the class and their yoga mats. We didn't do many standing postures during this session.

I found it difficult to really benefit from this class because the lighting was all wrong and there was constant noise coming from the dining hall. People were walking in and out and walking through us so they could get to the computer room. From a more physical standpoint, i enjoyed the routine. It really stretched out my muscles and I left feeling a bit better than when I came in.