Discoveries, Flow on My Own

Well I decided to do a vinyasa flow on my own once again. I was actually gearing up to go to my 1st class at the studio around the corner from me (Imagine, A Yoga Studio), but I ended up not getting ready quick enough for the start of class. This flow wasn't too different from the previous one, though it was about 20 minutes shorter, I did a more traditional sun salutation series, and I didn't narrate the flow this time. Also added some deep lunges, bridge pose (always reminds me of kiddie gymnastics!), some jumping jacks, and some deep leg stretches combined with triangle pose variations.

Discoveries:

• I can do side-crow!! On both sides!! Not for a super long time, of course, but I used to be unable to do side-crow at all. I can definitely tell I'm getting stronger and my balance is improving. I think a lot of it is also a matter of your muscles adjusting to new contortions until it becomes "normal". I LOVE the feeling of conquering a pose I previously found impossible! Regular crow is practically cake for me at this point (not bragging, just happy!). Still need to keep working on that upper-body strength!

• Tried to listen to a 'genius' (iTunes mixing program) "Indie Rock" mix to work out to. It was okay. The lyrics were kind of distracting. I think I'm going to create a specific yoga playlist of music. Fitz & the Tantrums was perfect last time, but I don't want to listen the same music every time I practice on my own! Looking for music that is fairly upbeat but not distracting, lyrics you don't necessarily have to pay attention to, and NO 'traditional' yoga music. Suggestions welcome!

• Headstand was much less wobbly today. Still not where I was while in yoga classes in my last semester of Butler. I think the key may be in not applying TOO much pressure in my forearms, it creates a tendency to overcompensate and push my legs off balance. 

Now I just have to get my butt to one of these studios around here!! 

Vinyasa Flow On My Own!

First official yoga-post from CHICAGO! I'm living in the Rogers Park neighborhood, and its very cute, interesting, and diverse.

There is literally a studio down the block from me, how cool is that?? I've also got a LivingSocial deal for a studio downtown for some hot yoga classes, so expect some posts to come from both locations!

For today however, I decided to just flow on my own in my living room facing our beautiful bank of windows while listening to music from "Fitz and the Tantrums".

I want to find a set format for these posts so they're easy to search and find what you're looking for. Not there yet but hopefully something will evolve in the near future!

Overview:
I did a basic vinyasa flow to music, starting from child's pose into downward dog. D-Dog is homebase for my flow. I started slowly, doing some standing stretches and backbends as well as tree pose. I then worked through Warrior 1 & 2, 3-5 breaths for each, and then did a rapid flow 1 breath per move working up a good sweat, moving through the warriors into plank, chaturanga, and into D-dog. Basically a modified sun salutation. I threw in some basic sun salutations as well, as well as chair and thunderbolt poses. One thing I've realized is that I don't know the true name for several poses I do regularly. Such as modifications after I lunge with one arm up one arm down, over the head, stretching backwards, etc. I think side-angle & half-moon pose? I'll have to look it up. I also did some of my favorites such as plow, fish, and shoulder stand. I also worked on my headstand a little bit, which was a bit wobbly today. I finished by doing camel (on your knees, bending backwards and grabbing your ankles, heart center to the ceiling), which is such a wonderful and powerful release, a cycle of different types of crunches in counts of 8, followed by of course, corpse pose and cool down.

All in all, this flow was about 50 minutes long, which is about as long as I like it. 90 minutes sometimes feels like too much, but there is something to be said for pushing yourself beyond what's comfortable.

Sidenote:
I like to include some kind of basic core work in my flow such as intervals of different kinds of crunches or doing the pilates 100. Something all my yoga (and dance) teachers have stressed is a strong core, and I have to agree. While doing the yoga work certainly helps strengthen the core, I find it necessary to supplement in some way.

Right now, I'm feeling those creaky bones and unworked muscles burning after that work out. I think I pushed myself in a good direction. Something really different I tried was pretending I was teaching the class and seeing how it affected me and how confident I felt about it. It went pretty well! I definitely need to learn the correct names of the poses better, but I think I have a good 'teaching voice' and a calming but supportive presence. I wonder how much teachers plan their classes and how much is just a general outline or if they make it up on the spot? Something to find out. I feel good about continuing on the path of certification though!

Music:
I LOVE doing yoga to music! You have to make sure the music you choose isn't distracting, and it doesn't have to be tibetan monk singing or anything. Just something with enough energy to drive but not so much craziness to clash. Create your own mix if you want! The vibe from "Fitz and the Tantrums" was kind of perfect. It's funk and soul, with enough energy to really drive but not to distraction, and it flows together well just like the practice. I think music should always be in the studios too. Most do some kind of typical "yoga" music, tibetan monks or flutes or something, but popular music certainly works too. If you want to take out the "uber-hippie" element that drives some away, I think contemporary or at least not "traditional" music, is the way to go. I'm sure there are some very traditional yogis out there who might object to this....but I've never really been one to stick to tradition. Update tradition!

Trying to get back on the wagon with yoga, hopefully lots more posts to come! Keeping a regular practice really is important, and I'm not very good about it. Practicing regularly really is the only way to master your balance and go deeper into the poses, working towards those really challenging ones.

Hatha Yoga Podcast #5 from "Yoga to the People"

So I first did these podcasts from NYC (and multi-city) yoga studio, Yoga to the People, last summer, with a group of friends as we were all on the road touring a fringe festival show. Since then I've sporadically done the podcasts on my own. There's a total of 9 different podcasts from this studio, and there hasn't been a new one since late 2009. Regardless, of the podcasts I've tried, these (especially those led by Greg) are the easiest to follow and have the best workout.

The good: It's definitely a workout! All of these podcasts will get you sweating in no time, which I am all about. It's a great hip-opener, and it's a familiar flow. It's all poses any beginning yogi should be fairly accustomed to (Warrior 1 & 2, chair pose, down dog, plank, chair pose, etc). Greg does a good job of guiding you through each transition into the pose. What I like about his teaching style is that he uses words like "glide" "flow" or "breathe" to describe getting into a pose "breathe your way deeper into the lunge" etc. It adds a positive spin to the flow. And this class definitely flows. You generally do a set on each side at normal speed, and then do 2 or 3 sets at a faster pace (set by you), of the same, and that will really get your heart pumping. This podcast is heavy on the power lunges held for long periods of time which can be really difficult (I know I had to modify it). Again the pros and cons of practicing alone-- I mean it's good because there isn't the distraction of others who you might compare yourself to, but you also don't have the opportunity for adjustments from the instructor. Greg is also great about sharing positive tidbits during the practice and connecting you to what you are passionate about and reaching for it through the pose. He also occasionally curses, which I find hilarious but some might be thrown off...

The bad: You're working alone, so no instructor adjustments. Also if you are super new to yoga this podcast may not be for you. While he describes some of the steps to the poses, he also assumes you know what needs to happen with Warrior 1 & 2 and so on, so if your vocab is limited, maybe wait before trying out this podcast. Also, there are only 9 podcasts, and Greg is by far my favorite, he does all but 2 or 3 of them I think. It'd be nice to get some new classes in there! It's a 60 minute flow, so you do have to give yourself a full hour, just like any class. I know sometimes I only have time for a 30 minute workout but I'd like to follow a podcast so that can be annoying.

Love these podcasts overall, and I always feel very refreshed afterwards. Greg has a great philosophy on these practices too. That is, your practice is about you. If you need to adjust and move to child's pose for a while, even if that's 90% of the time, that's okay. It's all about how YOU feel, today, in this moment. Do what's best for your body, and listen to what your body is telling you. At the same time, don't be afraid to push yourself beyond what you think your limit is.

Yoga on Wii Fit Plus

Ok.... I want to blog about ALL kinds of yoga I encounter, so I think it's fair to include Yoga for Wii Fit Plus. For those less tech savvy, Wii Fit Plus is a fitness video game for the Wii Nintendo System, which uses a "balance board" that you stand on as your controller. It senses your movements and thats how you do the activities in the game, more or less.

The good: Each pose is carefully explained and shown to you step by step, with useful tips on breath and body placement. For most poses that use the Wii balance board (essentially your controller for the game), it tracks your balance. So for example, half moon pose will track how your weight shifts on the board and it will guide you to balance yourself properly.

The bad: Super limited on the number of poses. I think there were like.... 18 or so? Had most of the basic stuff, but missing a lot of classic poses too. Some of the poses were very awkward to align correctly using the balance board. The gate pose, for instance, requires you to keep your extended foot on the board, but the added elevation of the board cocks your ankle in a way that is really uncomfortable. Also, the most basic pose for any yogi, downward facing dog, just felt totally wrong on the balance board. It required you to put your hands on the board and "evenly distribute" your weight between your hands and feet. Except for me, the amount of pressure it measured on my hands wasn't "even", so in order to even it out I had to add more pressure, throwing off my usual alignment. I've been doing downward dog long enough to know that the way it was trying to make me do it was not correct. Finally, as always when you do yoga on your own, you have no one there to make adjustments so its hard to be sure you are really doing the poses correctly if you are newer to the practice.

My yoga workout that I constructed took about 40 minutes, and it was maybe marginally challenging. The nice thing about this program is that you can pick and choose as many poses as you want and repeat them as much as you want and build your own flow. So if you want to do the same yoga practice every time, you can. Or if you want something different every time, you can do that too. The game itself has a very clinical healthclub feel to it, which kind of takes away the serenity and 'zen' nature of yoga that I enjoy so much. No good cool down or Namaste. It is nice to see how some of the poses relate to your balance though.

PS The big Chicago move is happening Aug. 30, and in an effort to save money I will be doing most of my practice at home when I can! I'll try to blog about those experiences as well, I'm hoping to do at least 2 more classes before I go (still have a Cityoga pass & a Mindful Movement Studio's class I've paid for!)