Gentle Yoga and Pranayama

Class: Gentle Yoga

Date: November 4th, 2010

Time & Location: 4pm at Yoga Nine

Last week was insanely busy for me, much like this week will be for me. I decided that Gentle Yoga at Yoga Nine was in the best time slot for me last week, and it was a beginner class so it would be more my speed. I took my friend Keith with me. He was eager to try it, even though his jeans made it difficult for him to really get into the positions. We arrived on time, but class started a little late because Keith had to sign the health waiver and get adjusted. I was really surprised to see my Introduction to Social Problems teacher, Elinor Lerner, there as well.

We started off on our backs and did leg stretches. From our backs we eventually went up to our knees, all fours, and then standing positions. The one thing I noticed about Gentle Yoga is the frequent use of child's pose. It was very slow-paced compared to the other classes I've taken. The class was more my speed, but I was often bored at times. I'm so used to continuous movement and a more challenging atmosphere. I found the balancing exercises the most challenging. The instructor placed a lot of emphasis on breathing exercises. With every movement she would say, "inhale" and "exhale." The breathing stayed consistent throughout. She was helpful because she would often say "Don't forget to breathe," which in turn would make me catch all the times I would stop breathing and I would start concentrating more heavily on my breath.

In my past experiences, much emphasis has been placed on pranayama. I have done single nostril breath. One finger covers a nostril, leaving the other one open. Heavy concentration is focused on the breath and managing it. Teacher's will often make you focus on pranayama in the beginning of class, and let you keep it going throughout the remainder of it. It is through repetition that I have seen the importance of breath. Consistent breathing makes it easier to perform the different postures and allows the movements to flow evenly. I often forget to breathe during exercising, but now I catch myself doing it more often.