Repost from Motus Dance Theatre

This is a lovely blog post from a member of Motus Dance Theatre (Indianapolis-based) on connections she's made in her life through yoga and dance. Interesting read!

http://networkedblogs.com/n34Ne

Yoga and Dance

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

by Motus

I remember taking my first yoga class in college, when Katie Teutchler decided to teach yoga instead of her regular advanced modern class one day. Even though admittedly my first yoga class did feel a little awkward and foreign, I remember leaving the class feeling refreshed and connected with my body and the world around me, as if my senses had been heightened.

When I moved to New York, I started a work-study program at a Bikram yoga studio in Brooklyn, and later decided to pursue a teaching certification though Integral Yoga NY. It wasn’t until then that I first really began noticing what yoga had done for my dancing. The benefits of yoga for dancers go way beyond building core strength and improving flexibility. Through yoga, I was able to finally begin filling out my movement – finding energy, extension, and fluidity in and between every movement. This was something that I’d always struggled with in the past and even through college. I’d returned to dance later in adolescence after years away, and didn’t have a great deal of confidence – so I shortened my lines and was a somewhat timid mover.

I always say that Sarah Mangelsdorf taught me how to breathe my freshman year of college. Yoga didn’t necessarily teach me how to use my breath to support my movement for the first time – although for dancers in all genres, this can be another important benefit of developing a yoga practice. Through my teacher training courses, I learned different breathing techniques and how to use breath or Prana – the life force – to help clear my mind. I believe that dancers, by nature, are perfectionists, and this perfectionism carries through to other aspects of our lives. It’s easy to dwell in the past, or get wrapped up in what is going to happen in the future – later today, next week, next year. Learning how to use breathing and meditation techniques to quiet the chatter of the mind and live in the present moment, which has helped me find better focus in technique class and while performing. I’ve gotten to the point where I can really feel a deeper connection with what was going on in my body, and have a much better awareness of where I’m placing it in space.

I find myself often wondering what kind of dancer I would have been when I was younger if I’d found yoga earlier and practiced consistently. I am constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to have discovered yoga when I did, in my early 20’s, and how I am so lucky to be able to continue learning, growing and evolving in dance and in yoga. I feel strongly that for me, the two are interconnected.

KR

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!)