Don't Underestimate the Power of Gentle Yoga

Ok I'm not saying those "gentle" yoga classes secretly burn tons of calories...

They don't.

But for both exercise-aholics and sedentary people, these yoga classes that are slower and on the gentler side really give you a great time to just breathe deep and go within yourself.

The fast paced yogas- Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa- get the heart rate up, the body sweating, and muscles toned. Sometimes you get completely lost in the intensity of the practice; a great place to be lost indeed. All the hard work can build up for a deep relaxation  in savasana at the end too.

A slow class has a lot to offer too though, and I think not enough people take time to change up their routine. What the slow gentle class gives you is a moment to feel what each stretch is doing for your body as you comfortably breathe. Your body and mind are not struggling with fatigue or exhaustion, what comes next, and how deep you can go into a posture.

A couple years ago, I was in Bali with my mom and we took a Yin yoga class. We were in Ubud and there was no Bikram studio there so I thought sure why not, its about time I tried some style besides Bikram! I was definitely not ready to accept what that class was or appreciate what it had to offer. I was frustrated by the absence of sweat and rigor. There I sat, in a beautiful open air structure in a rice field of an exotic country, breathing with a beautiful energy of people from all over the world, and I was stuck inside the limits of my yoga fixation and what I thought to be right..

I have come a long way since then, finding my way back to those other yoga classrooms and finally embracing what was there. How beautiful it is that each and every one of these forms of yoga exist. I am so thankful to be guided synergistically (spell check says that isn't a word..?) by all of them. This is the "power" I am talking about.

The class I took tonight was called Relax and Flow. Yep, it has the word "relax" in the title. Sure the poses are simple enough to do on my own but to just go somewhere and be guided through a simple series is really fun. I felt great after, not necessarily energized but not tired. Just in a good place. The other people in the class included a few young active yogis but also some less able-bodied people who quite possibly get their only movement right there in that room.

I like to see people making an effort to do things that are good for their mind and spirit, not just their six-pack and their deltoids. Though that is a byproduct thats fine by me, I just hope that people keep an open mind and try something different once in a while! I think you can be pleasantly surprised.

I can't wait until the next time I'm in Ubud :)

Practicing Yoga for My Health Instead of My Ego: Tony Sanchez Seminar

Tiger scorpion practice

Five months ago, I read the book Hellbent by Benjamin Lorr. In the book, Ben fully immerses himself in the world of a Bikram Yoga student, competitor, teacher, and refugee. Around that same time I had been examining the yoga and the man closely myself and had lots of questions; the book came with perfect timing into my life, providing lots of answers and direction.

After Ben goes to Bikram’s teacher training, he goes to Mexico to study with Tony Sanchez, an ex-partner/friend of Bikram who also studied the same asana (posture) lineage with the same guru, Vishnu Ghosh. I had recently heard about Tony and knew a couple people branching out from the Bikram bubble to study with his videos or go to his trainings. The book gave me the information I needed to sign myself up for a seminar with Tony to study the lineage where my practice originated.

demonstrations

Some background... To make a long story short, Tony was running Bikram’s school in San Francisco while Bikram taught in Beverly Hills. Over time, Bikram changed his teaching methods and classroom setting, lost his personal practice, and fell victim to fame, and soon Bikram and his senior teachers cut off Tony. Tony faithfully practiced and taught the yoga he learned from Ghosh. However, Bikram’s approach to the yoga is what caught on to the masses.

Meanwhile, Tony continued to teach in San Francisco and also developed a program to have schools teach yoga to the children. He was successful in this and, instead of letting the idea of having a following go to his head or his wallet, he and his wife retreated to Mexico and went off the grid for a while. 

Then, seemingly just in time *ahem*, Tony began offering teacher trainings and seminars. In the beginning, only a few ex-Bikram teachers and studio owners knew about Tony and were visiting him regularly. Hellbent is the reason for about half of the people signed up for Tony’s current seminar and word of mouth by those individuals is taking care of the rest. His next teacher training is full and has a waiting list just as long.

The 84 posture advanced seminar was one week long, held where Tony lives in San Jose del Cabo in Baja Mexico. There were 16 of us, half of whom had spent the previous two weeks with Tony in his teacher training. Tony’s goal in this seminar was to have us focus on our personal practice only, so that we could think for ourselves as teachers. (The teacher training was a much different structure, I did not attend that). The small group setting was ideal.

balancing stick practice

For six days we practiced the 84 postures together and examined them individually, sometimes running through most of the sequence three times a day. Sometimes, while focusing on a posture individually, we took savasana after each one! In sun salutations we held each step for several seconds. Our afternoon consisted of a three and a half hour class of the whole series, yet no one was crawling on the floor! The room had no mirrors and was about 75 degrees. We learned to unlock hyper-extended knees, not to stretch our shoulder blade scapula out of our body, and that pulling is sometimes not the object of stretching. Sometimes Tony threw some different postures in or took some out. I felt like my yoga world was being turned upside down!

Assisting wheel pose

 Tony’s approach to practicing Hatha yoga is to use the least amount of exertion to achieve maximum results in a posture. In other words, not worrying about elbow, fingers, and stomach when the goal of the posture is to bend your spine. In backbending, Tony’s words are “don’t push, just fall.” The advice he gave on the postures made several more of them accessible to me.

"Don't push, just fall."

I was worried that I wouldn’t bend well without the heat but we took our time in postures. I went just as deep as I always do, without using force, and experienced no soreness! I felt strong in the classes and felt that the flexibility I was using was very sustainable.

This seminar was a great way to expand my thinking. Tony and the other Bikram method teachers and students were an inspiring group to be a part of. I learned so much to apply to my practice, which will surely influence my teaching. I am in no way abandoning the dialogue, 26 postures, and 105 degree room- just for the record!- but I do highly recommend an intensive seminar with Tony in order to expand your thinking and your practice. Feel free to contact me if you have a question!

You've seen his poster in all the studios!

Pole Fitness

I know you have all wanted to try a pole dancing class at some point, just admit it! And why did you talk yourself out of it? You probably wanted a friend to go with you, couldn't get one to go, or maybe the times and locations haven't been right yet. I think for me those were all true... But I knew I'd get there eventually!

I finally had the perfect opportunity come up to try it and that is because one of my yoga students here in St. Augustine is a regular at Pole Fitness the way I am a regular at Bikram Yoga! Eva has a bubbly and kind personality and lives an inspiring healthy lifestyle (read her blog!), so if she always raved about this Pole Fitness, well I want in on that! She was really excited that I showed an interest and told me the class times, it was all so easy, how could I not go!?

I was a bit nervous to let loose, since I'm a bit shy. I think most women probably have the same mini fear of letting go, in public at least ;)  Let me just say that when you walk in there, you have no choice! The instructors are all so confident and sexy of course and they can bring you out of your shell instantly. As you do a few more lessons, you will not only shock yourself with confidence, but this will help you to perform better! The whole "strut" thing isn't part of a yoga practice so these Pole classes have helped me to feel more confident and freestyle a little bit.

The classes involve learning walks, dips, spins, climbs, etc. Work that upper body! And the core.. probably not using mine enough yet..! Expect some bruises on your shins and thighs and places you didn't think you'd get them! Best part is that you can dress fun too, high heels are awesome!

I also enjoy, as I mentioned before, that I like to be a beginner. In the first half of the first class, I get the thoughts like wow I suck at this, and I should give up now this isn't my thing, but then it is so funny how by the time class is finished I have already improved and can't wait to come back again! Oh, I remember when yoga felt like this! Actually some yoga classes still keep me humbled and inspired at the same time... I love to chase that feeling!

Watch this for a new respect for the strength and grace of pole dancing!