Thursday was a day full of yoga. I missed the first yoga class, but was the only person in the Lunchtime Yoga with Adi, which is kind of a shame, because he's a great teacher, but was also great for me because I got lots of individual attention. He helped guide me into poses and really feel where the stretch and the opening was happening in my body. As usual, he was joking around, and he said that laughing is good for the abdominal muscles. That's the kind of health advice I love to hear!
In the evening, Brecken Chinn Schwartz teaches a wonderful class. She's about the sweetest person on earth. She like to have class participants lay their mats out at a gentle angle from the front of the room, like the veins of a leaf, and related a lot of her philosophy of yoga to the natural world.
She told us that Ashtanga Yoga is just one of the kinds of practices, with others like meditation and living deliberately and consciously being others. She invited us to tell the class what our personal yoga is, the thing we concentrate on and give our energy and mind. Hers is her adopted daughter, whom I met when we both rode for the fist time in a parade together (Greenbelt's Labor Day Parade). Mine is nurturing and discovering myself so that I can understand the world better. This week certainly helped to do that.
We did Sun Salutations (a series of yoga poses that energize, stretch and strengthen) with some interesting variations each time we did a new series.
One of the best parts about Brecken's class is that, as we lie in shivasana, or corpse pose, at the end to rest our bodies and concentrate again on our breathing, Brecken comes around to each class participant and offers a light face, neck and shoulder massage. Man, that is worth the class admission price right there! I looked up as she bent over me and we exchanged a wonderful smile. She really radiates caring.
I felt really ready for Kripalu Flow I/II with Joel, which came immediately afterward. Joel also teaches Yoga for Martial Artists and Athletes, which i imagine is a really vigorous and MANLY yoga practice. I've never been in it, but would probably be a good way for a man interested in yoga to give it a shot. If you've done martial arts, you've done a practice like yoga.
One thing I noticed is that by the time I took his class, my strength had improved -- just over one week. In a class a week or so ago with Joel, he asked us to go into plank position, which is like holding at the top of a pushup. Then he told us to lower to just about one inch off the floor and relax all the muscles we weren't using in the pose. Whoa. I have about zero upper body strength, so I was holding on with everything I had. With my last bit of energy I asked out loud, "And which muscles would that be?" He said, "Oh, your ears!"
But this week, as we went into plank position, I could hold it much longer. I could go into plank at the top of the pushup, lower myself and curl my spine backwards and raise my chin into Cobra pose, lower to just above the floor (the low Plank position), then push in with my hands and lift my hips up into Downward Dog. Without stopping!
I also lost five pounds this week. That was a bonus I hadn't expected. My goal was to relax, to have a fun vacation without going away, and to keep my mind in good shape too. But hey, I'll take a little slimming as well.
Today, Friday, I had a massage at Pleasant Touch, the salon that houses Greenbelt Om. My one-hour massage with John was great. He really knows how to take care of your muscles and nerves, how to find the knots and gently massage them out, and he uses wonderful calming oils to enhance the experience.
The rest of the day I just rested at home, and listened to books on tape. A wonderful way to end the relaxation vacation!
My last post will be DIY Yogacation: things I learned along the way and tips for how to yogacate yourself.
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1 comment:
Well said.
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