BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Yoga Yoga Classes

After three months of DVD work, I figured it was time to take an actual yoga class, with actual people, so i took the free first one today at the local dance studio. (Inland Dance Academy On the Mountain)

MAN, it was HARD! The teacher, Helen, said that she is probably the hardest yoga instructor any of us would ever meet. So it was an hour and a half of sweating and heavy strength work. WOW!

I did learn a lot though, about the finer details of various postures. The way she makes us do them makes them all extraordinarily more exhausting to hold.

There is another instructor on Fridays - Tara - who i might try just for comparison. Not that there is anything wrong with a hard class, but I may not be in the mood for that each week.

I still have to try the Thursday at the Library class...I imagine that one might be the most relaxing yet, as it's not at a dance studio? We will see.

I would not mind having an assortment of different levels of class to pick between, depending on my mood.

The instructor did say i was very flexible and very strong, which was nice to hear. I was able to at least do everything she asked of us. Breathing hard and sweating, but definitely in there. Whoo! I am exhausted!!!

Wow that is awesome that you could keep up with the hardest yoga instructor on the planet!! Way to go Jill!!

And good for you for taking that step and trying a class! I am building up the courage to go to a local class on Thursday. I am telling myself that it's OK if I can't do anything at all, if all I can do is report back to you all on what it was like

Have fun at the class, Lisa.
There was an absolute beginner in my Tuesday night class yesterday, and the teacher was very solicitous of her; helping her do poses and staying close by her. Just about every yoga teacher I have worked with is careful of newbies, and the other students are usually so involved in what they are doing they don't notice any one else. Don't worry about being shown up by hotdog yogis!

Today I am sore all over. I suspected as much last night. Dan and I did a 20 minutes neck relaxing segment on a DVD and i told him that was all i was capable of - I was THAT tired. But in a great way. I feel really good.

Yes, Lisa, Claybird is right, the teacher paid a lot of attention to me, helping me move my fingers, head, shoulders, hips...basically refining everything...which of course made everything much harder. But it was so nice to get the knowledge in person that i can now apply to my home practice.

I was terrified when the class first started. I told her i had been doing yoga with dvds for 3 months and this was my first class, and that I was nervous about what she was going to have us do.

Once we got into it, though, the nervousness faded. She also gave a few short 'sermons' about yoga while we were in various rest poses, which was neat. She talked about where the name Lord of the Fishes came from, stuff like that.

Also, when she said incomprehensible things like "let the eyes of your elbows gaze in," I could ASK what that meant! (having your elbow pits face each other - like how they should be posed in down dog, for example, i think to make space around your neck). heehee

She was a very vivacious person and was even a little nutty. I never mind nutty. She made us laugh a lot.

Claybird, I have a feeling most yoga classes are a little more quiet? This was borderline like an aerobics class (she had us jumping both feet together from down dog into standing forward bends. Which gets very exhausting after a while, but was exhilarating, the learning to take a literal "leap" of faith and trust the body).

I'm so glad you guys are doing classes. I love classes!

Jilly, you rock, girl. I know you are strong already--you'll be a hotdog yogi before long (To borrow Claybird's phrase.)

Yes Jill is definitely an inspiration, I would have died in a class like that

So Jill what was the room like? Mirrors? Mats? Did you bring your own?

I just found *another* yoga class - it just opened up right in the mini-mall near my house!! I wrote them for more information

Jill, every yoga teacher is different, which makes it so interesting to drop in on a new teacher when you are travelling, or want to check out a different class. Some are more into the physical vigor, others are more meditative, but you learn something new from each one.
Lucky you, Lisa, to have two yoga classes to choose from! Try them both and see which one you like better. Most yoga classes are ok with drop-ins.

Good thoughts on trying out different classes when you get a chance, Claybird. I will keep this in mind.

What kind of teachers do you prefer?

I am still really pooped from yesterday. It was as hard as hiking back up the grand canyon ( I use that as my mental benchmark for hard activity).

Lisa, that is great that you found another class. Now you can try each and see what you like better.

The studio was a little cabin in Top Town, which is the part of my town that is on the "Crest" of Crestline. The cabin is kinda pink with white trim, with very faded paint, so a restful look.

Inside is just the one room. A curtain divides the entrance from the studio. Wood floors. Mirrors along one wall. White walls elsewhere with a ballet bar along the rear wall. The floor could have been cleaner - a little dusty.

They had mats and bolsters to use, but I had brought my own mat and blanket. I also had my strap but we didn't use those.

The music came from a DVD machine along the side wall. Cute little children's ballet costumes hung under that shelf. No altar, Buddha or even inspirational poster. Very simple, gym-like look, as befits that it's mainly a dance studio firstly, and they happen to have yoga classes.

Lisa, I think you should give your local class a shot. Remember you can always retreat into child's pose if you get tired. I love child's pose!

So...today I tried the free library yoga class. it was just what I wanted, relaxing, gentle and slow. The instructor was in her mid-50s and fit, and took us nice and slow along the basics. There were two other people in the class. One was pretty flexible and the other was an older librarian lady who took things a bit more modified.

We were in the library before it opened (opens at noon, was an 11 am class), pushed the round tables and chairs from the floor, and rolled out our mats on the industrial carpet. Surrounded by stacks, but the lovely wood beamed ceiling was pretty to gaze at from the on-your-back poses.

We didn't do any cobras, updogs, planks or chaturangas.

We *did* do cobblers, half lotus, tree, karate kid (I don't know it's real name), cat/cow, mountain, triangle, warrior 2, down dog, happy bear, bow, boat, sitting forward, some sitting twists, plow, and a tree-ish pose where you hold one foot behind you and lean forward with the other arm in front of you. Not in this order. I am just trying to jog my memory by thinking about what we did do.

At one point we were in down dog for so long that my body decided to move into plank. That was interesting. No conscious decision. It just went there; it felt right. My body is developing it's own mind that has nothing to with my busy brain, i think.

Then we had a nice long savasana.

I liked that we held all the poses a good long time. Long enough to need to breathe into them and consciously relax into them to keep from trembling. I think that is the part I need the most. I am pretty flexible and strong already, so getting to relax into the poses is teaching me many life things that i need to learn.

The class was an hour and I will try to make it each week. There is no fee, but one can donate money or books to the library instead. I have a ton of books I can give them!

I also enjoyed the classmates. We all talked out in the parking lot later, about various things. A nice energy. I am hopeful i might end up with a couple of friends from this, maybe. I would not mind a local friend up here.

So this went well. I still would like to try Tara's class at the studio, just for comparison.

I also saw there are classes at the gym in Lake Arrowhead (about 15 minutes away). There are several yoga classes but they are titled things like Power Yoga and Yogacize. I don't really want an active class - I am trying to slow myself down. But I might try them at some point just to do it.

I think Claybird was saying to try every class/instructor that comes along?