Well, ok, the fact that I'm already a yogini technically doesn't make me a newbie.
But I only did Bikram yoga this entire time.
Tonight, I tried hot flow yoga... I think they call it Hatha yoga. ("hot-tah?" Ok that wasn't so funny. )
I came in not knowing what to expect except that it's gonna be a heated class. Nothing more.
Now just as a recap, I took bikram yoga precisely because I am highly sensitive when in a heated environment. Put me in a room that's slightly below room temperature and I'll start to hyperventilate. With Bikram yoga, I learned to embrace the heat, and now I'm not so inclined to do yoga when it's not heated. Hence my interest in Hot Flow yoga.
Going back: Mae, the instructor (and my classmate in advanced class before) , basically said it's Vinyasa, another form of yoga. It comprises of quite a lot of postures that will strengthen your upper body (yikes!), sun salutations (double yikes!) and depending on the teacher, it's gonna focus on postures that will promote flexibility, balance, coordination, and my favorite: postures that will give you a full ab-work out.
For the life of me I didn't know what kinds of postures to expect. I even asked her if she would want me to stay at the 2nd row of the class since I'm new, something that gladly she laughed at and said "of course NOT"
So I come into class. The eternal geek that I am, I stayed in front of the entire class (as I'd always do in bikram yoga).
Before I go into the nitty gritty details, I can sum up the entire experience in one sentence: It feels like an easier version of advanced class with non-advanced students.
I sounded mean just there. Let me get into the details.
The first thing that I noticed? Music was playing. Same with advanced class. It was more relaxed. We didn't talk in class, but it wasn't like bikram yoga wherein you maintained silence as long as you're in class.
The second thing: there is no fixed set of postures. It all depends on the instructor. Much like in advanced class. Like I said, Mae loves ab-work outs, hence she had a lot of postures that will really ensure you'll have aching abs the next morning (if this is your first class). With other instructors, they focus more on balance, upper body strength and flexibility. For the life of me I didn't think there's a yoga posture that is a superb modification of crunches. I don't know how you call it but it's basically doing the eagle pose lying down.. and then do crunches. I LOVE IT!
The third: No constant savasanah. YIKES! Ah yes, and that's why they called it flow, dummy! =D
It feels like an easier version of advanced class because in the latter, we did poses that aren't meant for beginners (duh). These poses we did tonight, YES, obviously, beginners can do it. I gave that statement earlier precisely because of the 3 reasons I gave earlier.. but for beginners. So if the poses were those that will make non-yoginis go " Jesus, are you human!??!" THEN congratulations, you're in advanced class. =D
All in all I loved the class! I have to admit, entering the class knowing absolutely nothing about it made me queasy at first. Geez. And I was on the front row. Nice job, Anns.
But then the yogini that I am... it didn't take long (even before the class started) till I stopped giving a shit about not knowing how to do the poses. I realized now I listened more intently because I didn't know what to do. And when I wasn't sure, I would look at the others who've been practicing for a long time now and just followed them. It wasn't like my first few bikram yoga classes: I relied on my understanding of what I heard (which believe me, in class, and in that heat, dude, it's not so easy... sometimes not even easy to distinguish left from right), I pushed myself too much thinking I am flexible (even if I wasn't sure) and I was arrogant to think that I can match those who've been practicing for a long time already. Yes, you read right, I was arrogant and I even pushed my body too much not realizing first 3 classes down the road that I was doing things wrong (aka you're THIS close to injury).
I held no such ego and arrogance in tonight's class. I listened intently. I watched. Hell I even asked for a demo. I credit my yogini training for that attitude. Because in truth, that's what we do before we start class: we literally let EVERYTHING go. Yes, that includes your ego, your pride, your arrogance, your insecurities, your competitiveness. JUST YOU.
I noticed I was a lot nicer to myself. I made a hell of a lot of mistakes (I know because I was called out many times... sometimes twice called for the same mistake). I would fall off a position because my legs aren't strong enough and my balance sucked royally (sun salutations... kill me now. So basic yet so hard for me to balance in). Mother of Christ, I even fell off my famous and favorite standing bow because I wasn't able to do a set up, something we do in bikram yoga. It's also a factor for me that I was in the front row: you see the entire class shares an energy. One person in front falls off, and if the rest aren't focused enough, they will get distracted and fall off. So normally it's the regulars who stay in front. (Note: but which we are constantly told to focus and not mind what the others are doing unless you're a newbie. )
But I didn't feel bad at all. I'm still learning, it's my first class. I gave it my all. But above all things, I did my best to do things right first before actually pulling my ultra "competitive against yesterday Me" attitude. And the focus. The laser-focus you develop when you practice in class is amazing, believe me, especially when you get to apply that in your daily life. Unbelievable. So I didn't mind that I was falling off and others might get distracted. This is MY practice. You focus on yours. I didn't care much because I knew I was exerting all of my energy into the room and hell, I did not even sit down , not once. As they'd say in bikram yoga class at times... go to where you're comfortable today, wherein you can breathe normally, and what's important is to get the posture right, even if it means the top of your head is not 2 inches away from your toes. Just do the best that you can for the day, there's really no point pushing yourself to the point of injury because it's not a competition, it's a practice. You're not trying to impress anyone. Impressing yourself even, it only comes as a mere accident most of the time.
Heck I impressed myself tonight too without me knowing it. I only knew because I was the only one in class who was able to do it according to Bingles, my "mat-mate"
So I don't know what the hell you call it... so just look at this photo:
But instead of your arms on the floor, they're on your legs (in front)... so it's basically locust post whilst balancing on your shoulders and holding things up with your core strength.
Ok so I got that one nailed. Good job. Then Mae told me to do this:
...but your bent legs should be parallel to the floor and your hands on the top of your legs beside your toes.
Yeah that didn't seem complicated... but it is actually. It's not so easy at first.. but once you know how to balance with your shoulders and work your core strength, that's so easy to do.
Proud moment that came as an accident. I actually asked Mae to demonstrate... and when I got it already (initially evidenced by the low, elongated "oooooohhhhhh......"), it seemed pretty easy for me. I honestly didn't know I was the only one who got it till Mae said it. And I was really happy! Honestly happy -- because I did it for myself... I cared nothing about what others were doing, I just did it because I wanted to see if I can do it and I succeeded! LOVE those moments in advanced yoga class, honestly... yeah, even if some people end up calling you a freak. =D
That's another beauty in yoga... to non-yogis we're freaks, to fellow yogis, we're good! =D
Ahh to feel like a newbie again.. I LOVE the challenge! I LOVE the new poses I learned. And unlike my first few bikram yoga classes (when I didn't memorize the postures yet), with this class I wasn't screaming constantly in my head "Are we done yet?!!?!?" I was really having fun! And when Mae finally closed the lights and said the words "final savasanah" I even thought "Oh we're done!? Really!??! MORE!!!!"
I love it! I'm happy that I stuck to Bikram yoga for more than a year first before I tried a different form of yoga. It's not so much the flexibility and the knowledge of basic postures, it's more the attitude that you bring into the class. The discipline, the focus, the determination, the right attitude. Because frankly I wasn't able to bring in the breathing, I could barely do the breathing during class because my mind was really everywhere, looking and listening to get the postures correctly. I'll work on that easily in the next sessions.
But "the right attitude, just like in any challenge, is what gets you through the difficulty more than your skills and knowledge" (from my bestfriend Richard). He was so right about that and I truly saw it in tonight's class.
Now I'm pretty sure my body (especially my abs) will hurt like a sonuvabitch tomorrow.... but that's why I'm doing Bikram yoga tomorrow! =D
I love it! I REALLY love yoga! It did so much wonders to me and my body!
This is a new challenge for me! And I'm loving it so much I actually enrolled already! =D I'll still be doing bikram yoga of course... hatha yoga being a not-so-structured practice, I'd like to go back to a place wherein I know exactly what to do and I know I'm good at it once in awhile.
I'm hell bent into trying other yoga practices too... but just one kind at a time (with bikram as my base). I'll get good at hatha first...then I'll try out Vinyasa (non-heated) and ashtanga for kicks.. just to learn more new postures.
FUN FUN FUN! I'm so excited for the next class!
What started as my daily 90-minutes of "me/peace time" just got more exciting! I LOVE IT!
It's amazing and I honestly had a fun time in class.
Namaste.
But I only did Bikram yoga this entire time.
Tonight, I tried hot flow yoga... I think they call it Hatha yoga. ("hot-tah?" Ok that wasn't so funny. )
I came in not knowing what to expect except that it's gonna be a heated class. Nothing more.
Now just as a recap, I took bikram yoga precisely because I am highly sensitive when in a heated environment. Put me in a room that's slightly below room temperature and I'll start to hyperventilate. With Bikram yoga, I learned to embrace the heat, and now I'm not so inclined to do yoga when it's not heated. Hence my interest in Hot Flow yoga.
Going back: Mae, the instructor (and my classmate in advanced class before) , basically said it's Vinyasa, another form of yoga. It comprises of quite a lot of postures that will strengthen your upper body (yikes!), sun salutations (double yikes!) and depending on the teacher, it's gonna focus on postures that will promote flexibility, balance, coordination, and my favorite: postures that will give you a full ab-work out.
For the life of me I didn't know what kinds of postures to expect. I even asked her if she would want me to stay at the 2nd row of the class since I'm new, something that gladly she laughed at and said "of course NOT"
So I come into class. The eternal geek that I am, I stayed in front of the entire class (as I'd always do in bikram yoga).
Before I go into the nitty gritty details, I can sum up the entire experience in one sentence: It feels like an easier version of advanced class with non-advanced students.
I sounded mean just there. Let me get into the details.
The first thing that I noticed? Music was playing. Same with advanced class. It was more relaxed. We didn't talk in class, but it wasn't like bikram yoga wherein you maintained silence as long as you're in class.
The second thing: there is no fixed set of postures. It all depends on the instructor. Much like in advanced class. Like I said, Mae loves ab-work outs, hence she had a lot of postures that will really ensure you'll have aching abs the next morning (if this is your first class). With other instructors, they focus more on balance, upper body strength and flexibility. For the life of me I didn't think there's a yoga posture that is a superb modification of crunches. I don't know how you call it but it's basically doing the eagle pose lying down.. and then do crunches. I LOVE IT!
The third: No constant savasanah. YIKES! Ah yes, and that's why they called it flow, dummy! =D
It feels like an easier version of advanced class because in the latter, we did poses that aren't meant for beginners (duh). These poses we did tonight, YES, obviously, beginners can do it. I gave that statement earlier precisely because of the 3 reasons I gave earlier.. but for beginners. So if the poses were those that will make non-yoginis go " Jesus, are you human!??!" THEN congratulations, you're in advanced class. =D
All in all I loved the class! I have to admit, entering the class knowing absolutely nothing about it made me queasy at first. Geez. And I was on the front row. Nice job, Anns.
But then the yogini that I am... it didn't take long (even before the class started) till I stopped giving a shit about not knowing how to do the poses. I realized now I listened more intently because I didn't know what to do. And when I wasn't sure, I would look at the others who've been practicing for a long time now and just followed them. It wasn't like my first few bikram yoga classes: I relied on my understanding of what I heard (which believe me, in class, and in that heat, dude, it's not so easy... sometimes not even easy to distinguish left from right), I pushed myself too much thinking I am flexible (even if I wasn't sure) and I was arrogant to think that I can match those who've been practicing for a long time already. Yes, you read right, I was arrogant and I even pushed my body too much not realizing first 3 classes down the road that I was doing things wrong (aka you're THIS close to injury).
I held no such ego and arrogance in tonight's class. I listened intently. I watched. Hell I even asked for a demo. I credit my yogini training for that attitude. Because in truth, that's what we do before we start class: we literally let EVERYTHING go. Yes, that includes your ego, your pride, your arrogance, your insecurities, your competitiveness. JUST YOU.
I noticed I was a lot nicer to myself. I made a hell of a lot of mistakes (I know because I was called out many times... sometimes twice called for the same mistake). I would fall off a position because my legs aren't strong enough and my balance sucked royally (sun salutations... kill me now. So basic yet so hard for me to balance in). Mother of Christ, I even fell off my famous and favorite standing bow because I wasn't able to do a set up, something we do in bikram yoga. It's also a factor for me that I was in the front row: you see the entire class shares an energy. One person in front falls off, and if the rest aren't focused enough, they will get distracted and fall off. So normally it's the regulars who stay in front. (Note: but which we are constantly told to focus and not mind what the others are doing unless you're a newbie. )
But I didn't feel bad at all. I'm still learning, it's my first class. I gave it my all. But above all things, I did my best to do things right first before actually pulling my ultra "competitive against yesterday Me" attitude. And the focus. The laser-focus you develop when you practice in class is amazing, believe me, especially when you get to apply that in your daily life. Unbelievable. So I didn't mind that I was falling off and others might get distracted. This is MY practice. You focus on yours. I didn't care much because I knew I was exerting all of my energy into the room and hell, I did not even sit down , not once. As they'd say in bikram yoga class at times... go to where you're comfortable today, wherein you can breathe normally, and what's important is to get the posture right, even if it means the top of your head is not 2 inches away from your toes. Just do the best that you can for the day, there's really no point pushing yourself to the point of injury because it's not a competition, it's a practice. You're not trying to impress anyone. Impressing yourself even, it only comes as a mere accident most of the time.
Heck I impressed myself tonight too without me knowing it. I only knew because I was the only one in class who was able to do it according to Bingles, my "mat-mate"
So I don't know what the hell you call it... so just look at this photo:
But instead of your arms on the floor, they're on your legs (in front)... so it's basically locust post whilst balancing on your shoulders and holding things up with your core strength.
Ok so I got that one nailed. Good job. Then Mae told me to do this:
...but your bent legs should be parallel to the floor and your hands on the top of your legs beside your toes.
Yeah that didn't seem complicated... but it is actually. It's not so easy at first.. but once you know how to balance with your shoulders and work your core strength, that's so easy to do.
Proud moment that came as an accident. I actually asked Mae to demonstrate... and when I got it already (initially evidenced by the low, elongated "oooooohhhhhh......"), it seemed pretty easy for me. I honestly didn't know I was the only one who got it till Mae said it. And I was really happy! Honestly happy -- because I did it for myself... I cared nothing about what others were doing, I just did it because I wanted to see if I can do it and I succeeded! LOVE those moments in advanced yoga class, honestly... yeah, even if some people end up calling you a freak. =D
That's another beauty in yoga... to non-yogis we're freaks, to fellow yogis, we're good! =D
Ahh to feel like a newbie again.. I LOVE the challenge! I LOVE the new poses I learned. And unlike my first few bikram yoga classes (when I didn't memorize the postures yet), with this class I wasn't screaming constantly in my head "Are we done yet?!!?!?" I was really having fun! And when Mae finally closed the lights and said the words "final savasanah" I even thought "Oh we're done!? Really!??! MORE!!!!"
I love it! I'm happy that I stuck to Bikram yoga for more than a year first before I tried a different form of yoga. It's not so much the flexibility and the knowledge of basic postures, it's more the attitude that you bring into the class. The discipline, the focus, the determination, the right attitude. Because frankly I wasn't able to bring in the breathing, I could barely do the breathing during class because my mind was really everywhere, looking and listening to get the postures correctly. I'll work on that easily in the next sessions.
But "the right attitude, just like in any challenge, is what gets you through the difficulty more than your skills and knowledge" (from my bestfriend Richard). He was so right about that and I truly saw it in tonight's class.
Now I'm pretty sure my body (especially my abs) will hurt like a sonuvabitch tomorrow.... but that's why I'm doing Bikram yoga tomorrow! =D
I love it! I REALLY love yoga! It did so much wonders to me and my body!
This is a new challenge for me! And I'm loving it so much I actually enrolled already! =D I'll still be doing bikram yoga of course... hatha yoga being a not-so-structured practice, I'd like to go back to a place wherein I know exactly what to do and I know I'm good at it once in awhile.
I'm hell bent into trying other yoga practices too... but just one kind at a time (with bikram as my base). I'll get good at hatha first...then I'll try out Vinyasa (non-heated) and ashtanga for kicks.. just to learn more new postures.
FUN FUN FUN! I'm so excited for the next class!
What started as my daily 90-minutes of "me/peace time" just got more exciting! I LOVE IT!
It's amazing and I honestly had a fun time in class.
Namaste.
No comments:
Post a Comment