90 min Yoga with Meghan of Imagine, a Yoga Studio

I used the last day of my new student pass with Imagine, a Yoga Studio to attend one of their 90 minute offerings. This time I brought along my roommate and friend, Keeley, who is also a yoga fan. Our instructor was Meghan Dunphy, who was (surprise!) around 28 weeks pregnant!

(Sidenote: I am writing this post a day late so my memory may be a bit foggy)

Something I loved about this class was the mix of students. It was my first evening class, taking place at 4:30 pm. There were a few more students than the afternoon classes. But here's the mix, 1 pregnant woman (in addition to the instructor!), 1 somewhat muscular looking guy in the late 20's- early 30's range,  a couple women who appeared to be 20's-30's, my roomie and I, and a couple women who had to be 40's-50's, and we were all shapes, sizes, and levels. Imagine seems to truly cater to everyone, with their motto, "Simply Yoga."Meghan was supportive of everyone's individual needs and how far they wanted to push themselves. I only hope that I am as active when I'm pregnant someday as Meghan is! It's not every day you expect to see a pregnant woman doing handstands.

The Class: (90 minutes)

We began with the lights very low, slowly stretching for a long time. It made me a little sleepy but I think it had to do with Meghan's focus on the meditative qualities of yoga (according to her teaching profile on the Imagine website). Eventually we worked into the "usuals", some sun salutations, warrior 2 (or warrior B as she called it), triangle pose, half moon pose, and side angle pose. This is the 2nd class I've been to at Imagine that skips warrior 1. I haven't really determined why, but I suppose you can't do all the poses!

There were a few unique elements to this class.
        We did one exercise where legs are spread wide and you squat, thighs parallel to the floor. With your hands behind your head, you lean to the left, touching your left elbow to your left knee, back to center, then right elbow to right now, back to center, and repeat about 10 times. It was hard! Great oblique and thigh workout though.
        Another great one was working against the wall. I had seen pictures of this on the website, but this was my first encounter with wall work in yoga. One variation included a supported L pose, with palms flat against the wall, torso parallel to the floor, legs perpendicular, creating an L shape, filling the upper back (not sinking in), and stretching through the shoulders.
        Another more difficult version was the inverted L, with feet flat against the wall, legs parallel to the floor and arms perpendicular. The challenge to this was getting up in the first place, definitely a danger of feet slipping down the wall.
        My favorite though was kicking up from downdog (hands by the wall) into a handstand against the wall. If you wanted, you could then slowly attempt to go into a full handstand by first bending one leg and floating the other off the wall, then unbending the other leg and meeting it. I have not mastered the full handstand but I love the challenge! We were then allowed to play a bit on the wall, so I did my usual headstand attempt, which went very well.

A variation a couple students did while in crow and some other poses, was tripod headstand, which is not something I've attempted. In the headstand (bound headstand) I was taught, you clasp your hands creating a triangle, elbows evenly spaced apart, and cradle your head with forearms flat on the floor as you walk your feet forward and lift into a headstand. The variation that the other 2 students performed was a balance on the head uncradled, with palms flat the the floor, arms in an L shape. And instead of walking the feet in, it began with a tripod balance, and lifting from there. It seems more difficult, and I'm interested in exploring it. According to FitSugar.com, there are four basic headstand variations! Also included are double arm headstand, and pinching shoulders headstand.


Overall, I enjoyed this class. Meghan was excellent, joking around to lighten things just a bit in class, and very supportive. The 90 minute length did not feel like too much, though it was lower impact than I expected. Loooots of stretching. My roommate was so happy with the class that she grabbed a printed schedule and has vowed to return by Monday! Meanwhile, I plan to attend another 4:30pm class tonight, despite sore shoulders and glutes. Getting back into the yoga swing of things feels great!

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!! 

The Journey Has Already Begun

Hello!

I intend to chronicle my yoga practice and discoveries in this blog in the hopes that it will help and encourage others in their practice, but also as a reminder to myself of where I've been and where I hope to be in my practice!

That being said, a little history.

My first experience with yoga occurred in high school. I took a couple classes at a local studio, and enjoyed the experience, but I wasn't quite ready to commit. I think the incense threw me off a bit (and gave me a headache... don't get me wrong, I love incense, but inhaling that much made my head spin).

I didn't encounter yoga again until college. I majored in theatre, and our stage movement teacher, Melli, incorporated yoga into our warm-ups. This is when yoga really started to click for me. I loved the way it made me feel, and I discovered that the stretching and focus on alignment was actually alleviating some minor lower back pain I'd been having trouble with (flat feet....it's a curse).

From there I decided to try a class setting again, this time at my college's health complex, and fell head over heels (let's be honest, in yoga this is pretty common) for yoga. I took classes when I could fit them into my schedule, and discovered that my favorites were combinations of yoga and pilates, and the vinyasa flow classes. The higher impact and level of difficulty the better. I'm also very competitive with myself and a bit of a daredevil, which can sometimes lead to injury, but if focused, has enabled me to achieve poses I would have never thought possible.

My exploration deepened when I embarked on a nationwide theatre fringe festival tour as a cast member of a show. Several other members of the group enjoyed practicing yoga, and so we began to practice together in all sorts of odd settings on the road. Our fearless leader Megyn helped to guide us through podcasts published by a studio she frequents in NYC (Yoga To the People, I highly recommend it). This was a really valuable time for my practice, as I began to see it as not just a form of exercise but as a way to clear my mind and focus and to do something for myself and my body.

I graduated from college this past May, and made it a goal for myself to become certified as a yoga teacher. I haven't set a specific time by which I hope to achieve this goal, but I'm not necessarily in a hurry. For now, I think it is more important to explore the many forms of yoga, find what works for me, and build a more consistent practice. I am trying out different studios and classes in Indianapolis for the summer, and I hope to find a studio I like and become a member/regular of in Chicago when I move there in August.

So why Yoga?

I played many different sports as a child, but set aside athletics in high school to pursue other interests. It always has been and still is my goal and dream to become a professional actor. The demands of a stage and film actor generally include a fit body. Yoga for me has become a way to work out and stay fit. It is never boring, never the same, and never a chore, which was always my problem with hopping on the elliptical or going for a run. What's even better about yoga is that is has greatly improved my posture and body and breath awareness, which all play into my abilities as a performer as well. Its helped me become more graceful, balanced, and able to center and focus myself.  Yoga grants me the ability to calm myself and discover inner peace unlike anything else has. For me, after I complete my time on the mat for the day, it is the closest thing I have come to a religious experience. I want to share with all who are willing to listen the many benefits of yoga.