04/08

It’s come to the (official) end of my experiential project! It hasn’t been the easiest staying consistent with my practice, but I’ve really enjoyed being able to focus on yoga for my senior project. I’ve improved a lot since the beginning, and I hope to continue with yoga and do a lot more of it once school ends. Yoga has given me a great deal of physical and mental benefits over my time practicing it, and with my continuation of the practice I’m sure to discover many more. I’m happy that I was able to use this project to experiment with yoga, and I know that if I keep up with it, it will aid me in the years to come.

Namaste! 

04/02

It’s finally Spring Break and it feels absolutely amazing to have the extra time to devote to all of my activities, especially yoga. I’ve been keeping up with it, and since I am going to be going on a college tour over the next 4 days, which will include taking six, SIX, flights, I thought it’d be a good idea to find some easy yoga moves that I could do within the confines of an airplane seat, which is seemingly constantly shrinking. Some simple yoga moves are perfect for long flights to help you relax, breathe, and focus.

As with almost every yoga pose, there are a multitude of variations that can be suited to fit an individual’s needs. Some poses even have chair, or sitting variations, and these can be perfect for a cramped airplane seat. Poses like Cat (Marjaryasana), Cow (Bitilasana), King Pigeon (Rajakapotasana), and Half Lord of the Fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana) can all be easily converted into a seated variation, as shown HERE. Combined with good posture and Ujjayi Pranayama breathing (which is used in Vinyasa Flow), these poses will work perfectly to stretch out the body. They are especially good for easing back pain or tightness, and will counteract uncomfortable, long stretches (no pun intended!) in an airplane.

Even though I’ll be away from my normal practice space and mat for a while, I hope to work these into my daily routine (as 3/4 days I will be going on 2 flights at a time!) and do some more of my regular yoga routine in my hotel rooms. As someone who is not a huge fan of flying, as you could probably tell, I’m hoping these altered poses will help to calm my discomfort, and relax myself enough to be productive while in the air.

Namaste!

2/12/2012

Surprisingly it’s been a month since I last posted on here. And what a month! It’s seemed to pass by so quickly. I wanted to give an update of what’s been going on with yoga and what I plan on doing over the next few months.

My last yoga class was on January 31st, and although I plan on going back to classes in May, for the remainder of my Senior Project time period I will be practicing on my own due to my extensive lacrosse schedule. It’s already proven to be tough to motivate myself to practice on my own without a weekly class reminder. Over the past couple weeks it’s been even worse because I’ve been so focused on lacrosse, from conditioning to try-outs to practices. I’ve realized that in order to make time for real yoga sessions and not just mini stretches during practices, I need to schedule my time out more wisely so that I can accomplish something before or after practice. Luckily I have 5 periods this year, and hopefully I’ll continue to be more productive in the hours I have between school and lacrosse so that I have more time to wind down with yoga later.

As for the next few months, I plan on continuing with yoga and lengthening my practice sessions. I’m planning on figuring out some simple goals to achieve, which I definitely believe will motivate me to practice more frequently than has happened over the past couple weeks. These goals will probably include mastering certain poses (like Crow, or Dancer’s) and also lasting through yoga videos (without modified poses) that I once found difficult and/or currently still do. I also plan on writing check-ups on this blog more often in order to track my progress through my posts. My first goal will be mastering Warrior I, II, and III, which should be an easy starting point to improve from.

Namaste

01/11

Yesterday I had my interview with Teresa before my Vinyasa class (how convenient!) and it turned out really well. I’m still working on my transcription for it, but once I finish it I might post some of it on here. I found a lot of her opinions to be very insightful, and it helped that I wasn’t just reading it off a heavily-edited page, but was listening to it first-hand. It went nicely though, and my second interview is in a week, so hopefully it will broaden my understanding of yoga even more.

As for class, I was alone for the first time this week. There’s always been one or two other people, who are usually different every week, so I guess I should have expected it at some point. I think a lot of people don’t continue just because it’s at a weird time slot, or they want a one-time workout. No big deal though! It only meant that we could try some more advanced moves than we usually can! I worked on back bends (Urdhva Dhanurasana), Lord of the Dance Pose (Natarajasana), which is shown HERE, Dolphin Plank Pose shown HERE, and Dolphin Pose, shown HERE. It was a good workout and I sweat a ton! I still need to work on keeping my focus, and I think while I went in with the right mindset after the interview, I lost a little of it by getting distracted with other frustrations going on right now. All the better to work them out through yoga though!

I have a few blog post ideas that I plan on getting around to discussing soon. I’ve gotten so much inspiration not only from my classes, but also from other yogi blogs, and I want to show everything I’ve learned on here as soon as possible!

Namaste

01/03

I had another yoga class today, and I just wanted to say that yoga is one exercise that never fails to make me happy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 10 minute session at home, or a 75 minute session at the studio. It makes me feel renewed and ready to take on the rest of the day(or night). The kind of joy it consistently brings me is funny because in lacrosse, and running, I generally am happy in a way as well. However, with lacrosse and running I’m happy in a way that is, and I think this is the best way to describe it, accomplished. With yoga I feel accomplishment, yes, but I also feel reinvigorated, calmed, and focused. It’s truly something that I think has helped me relax as well as push myself mentally and physically, and I’m so glad I’ve gotten into the practice.

As a recap of today’s class, I felt a bit tight, especially in the beginning more than I usually do. Fortunately I opened up a bit more as class went on, but the initial tightness definitely made me listen to my body more on what was comfortable, what was doable and what was not doable. I’m still working on opening up my hips more and making smooth transitions. Oftentimes my transitions are a bit more jumpy and jerky than they should be, but I’ve improved since I started and I’m sure I’ll continue to. I was working on crow again today and I’m finally *almost* there! I think the shift in my growing success with the pose has been due to me trusting my body more, and especially my arms, in holding me up and keeping me steady. I took more chances today that let me hold the pose longer, and even though I rolled/fell over to the amusement of my other classmate (although she couldn’t really do it either), I think I’m really on the edge of a breakthrough with it. I can’t wait to master crow and move on to other, more challenging arm balances!

Namaste!

01/02

I haven’t had much time over the holidays to write much about my yoga practices, but I decided this post will get me back into it. I’m continuing to have more success with various poses, and it’s been so exciting!

First off, last Tuesday’s class went really well. Not only did I get to be an example for the two other students multiple times for the harder poses, but I also found that I’ve continued to improve my alignments, breathing, and strength. For the first time, ever, in a yoga class or out, I was able to hold a side plank, shown HERE, without any modifications. I also was able to touch the ground in Extended Triangle Pose, found HERE, without straining myself, and on both sides. Lastly, I can finally hold Warrior 3, like THIS.

It’s been so exciting to see myself improving! I’m still working on Crow pose, an arm balance, but I’m hoping to have that down soon. I’d also like to start working on some of the “easy” inversions, but I’ll have to wait until I have more arm strength. Speaking of arm strength it’s amazing how much my muscles have already developed. I think a lot of it has to do with all of the variations on pushups and putting so much of my body weight on my arms throughout class and in my individual practice. Flowing from Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) to Chaturanga Dandasana to Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) and back to Downward-Facing Dog, really is a workout when you do it in between every short sequence of poses.

I’m determined that 2012 will be a great year for my health, mentally and physically, and I will continue to push myself to improve in my yoga practices. I’m so excited for this fresh start!

Namaste

12/24

After a long run today – for me at least – of 2.75 miles, I wanted to do a light but strengthening yoga session. I ended up choosing one of Sadie Nardini’s found HERE. Although it’s labeled as “20 Minute Weight Loss & Fatburning Yoga Workout!”, I wouldn’t consider it to be as much of a weight-loss video as it is a strengthening and toning one. Nevertheless I found it to be a pretty good, short workout. It was challenging at parts, with lots of holding in arm-heavy poses like plank variations, but it was a good post-running video. I had to do an easier variation (on knees) for a couple parts, but overall I stayed up with the instructor. Maybe I’ll try it again in a few weeks to see if I can get all the way through!

Namaste

12/21

I haven’t been able to post in a while – I’ve been really busy with wrapping up college applications and schoolwork and lacrosse and such. Now that the end is in sight for my apps though, my posts will be coming more frequently!

As a wrap-up of the past couple weeks, I’ve been doing some yoga work on my own. I wasn’t able to go to last week’s Vinyasa class because I wasn’t feeling well, but I kept it up a bit by doing some relatively short sessions on my own. (regular classes are 75 minutes long…) Yesterday I got back into the swing of things by going to class. The stretching felt great but it was a pretty intense session. Teresa (my instructor) told me about it beforehand and said that she had added some poses that she thought would really push me, which is good, however my week off of substantial practicing made some of the moves seem pretty tough!

Something I’ve been noticing throughout my practice of yoga has been the changes going on in my body. So far they’ve been pretty small, such as the tightness in my abdominal muscles, or my increased flexibility. However one thing that’s been worrying me a little during my practice is that after a while (maybe 30-45 minutes) my leg muscles will start to twitch and spasm when I’m in certain poses. Sometimes they’re small, but other times my legs shake so much that I have to fall out of the pose (not literally) and then rearrange my form back into where I am supposed to be. It’s something that gets on my nerves, as I’ve never noticed anyone else experiencing the same sensation, nor have I ever before in other physical exercises. I did a bit of research though and found this LINK that seems to explain it pretty well. Good news: it’s completely normal! To paraphrase it, I’m pushing myself into contortions that aren’t normal for my muscles, and so the shaking is from my muscles moving around in an attempt to hold the pose. As the article explains, I’m actually making very, very tiny tears in my muscles, which will make me sore for a day or two, but in the long run will heal and make my muscles stronger. So as I keep going in my practice, the shaking should decrease even more than it already has.

Another point that that particular article brings up is that yoga, specifically Vinyasa and a couple other fast-pace styles, can be regarded as a form of strength training. Generally, I think if you asked someone to describe strength training, they would tell you it dealt with weights, or machines, or perhaps high intensity interval training. However, yoga is a form of strength training that focuses on bringing the mind and body together, and holding poses that require you to balance your body weight using combinations of hands, feet, knees, arms, etc. Yoga is a practice that’s often overlooked as a strength training technique, but it’s definitely a practice where, if you are performing all of your poses with the correct posture and technique, you’ll be able to improve yourself physically. Yoga brings together stretching, strength training, your physical body, and your mind, and in many ways I think it could be regarded as a superior practice all-around over other options.

Namaste

**On a side note, I incorrectly referenced Bakasana, or Crane pose in an earlier post (it has been corrected). I’m actually working on Crow Pose, or Kakasana, which is a similar, but slightly easier, pose. The difference is explained well HERE. The major difference is that Crow has bent arms, whereas Crane has straight, which it takes much more time to work up to.(Crow -> Crane = obvious example of strength training!)

12/06

I had my yoga class today and it felt SO GOOD. At first, I was a little distracted, and wasn’t really feeling it and was hitting this wall that I hit basically sometime during every yoga session. Usually it’s about 15-20 minutes in, and my limbs are burning and I’m tired and in a bad mood (even if I’m in a good one before practice!) and I feel like I can’t do any more. I guess I’d compare it to a runner’s wall, which is a point in their run where they just can’t go any further. But it’s important to push past that wall, because it IS possible, and when you’re on the other side, suddenly you’ll feel stronger than ever and like you’re able to do anything! It’s honestly, truly amazing. Today was a day where it was tough to push past that wall, but it didn’t take that long. I ended up doing every single high plank, Chaturanga Dandasana, and Upward Facing Dog pose, 90% of which during class are optional (If you’re tired you either go back to Downward Facing Dog or Child’s Pose, or you can also substitute Cobra Pose for Upward Facing Dog, which is easier and keeps your legs on the floor). I also worked on my form with my teacher, especially pausing more in Chaturanga, which is difficult to hold for even a few seconds but really builds up strength! It can be seen HERE.

Class today only had one other person, but it was nice because she was a beginner and it was interesting to compare myself to her in a way. Only a few weeks ago I was doing all of the easiest modifications for poses, and now I’m really starting to come into my own in yoga! Teresa, my instructor, made sure that I was able to push myself with harder versions of certain poses, while keeping the modifications low for the other student, which worked out really well for me. Also the other student got a lot of help on her form, which helped me adjust my own body’s alignment and keep checking to make sure I had all of the correct positioning.

One of the poses I got to try out last week a bit in class, Crow Pose which is pictured HERE, Teresa put in the routine this time as well. I hadn’t tried it out since last Tuesday’s practice, as I was a bit confused on the form, but today I got to work on it a lot which was great. It’s an arm balance, but it’s actually a lot more difficult than it looks, and oftentimes there are easier variations where your knees are resting on your arms, rather than just using them for balance. I’m learning the “balance” type, which uses tons of core strength. I talked to Teresa after class about improving on Crow Pose and how to balance, because I haven’t been able to hold the pose without the tips of my big toes on the ground.

Her tips:

– Pull up in your back through your abdomen
– Concentrate on your core muscles
– Splay your fingers wide, press down every part of your hand except the little “suction cup” created in the middle
– Lean forward
– Don’t be afraid of face-planting
– Practice a few times a day at random and keep going until you get it

I’m really excited to work on this! She talked about how it’s something that you can practice over and over again, but that your ability to do it will come suddenly. This pose is definitely a new goal of mine for yoga. It’s fun, challenging, and a gateway to tons of other crazy hand balances. It’s also going to be a big motivation for future practice until I master it!

Namaste

12/02

I wanted to write an update since I know I didn’t write a post after my class on Tuesday. My classes have been very small so far – 2-3 people per week. This is mostly because the yoga studio’s only a couple months old and my class is at a weird time (5:00 pm on a weekday), but it’s actually really nice because I’ve been given a lot of personal attention and the instructor’s able to make sure I have the correct positioning for each pose, and also because she can alter the routines she makes to push us where we need to be pushed and pull back when everyone is having a tough time. I’m glad I am in a small class because honestly, if I were in a larger class I probably would not be improving as much, or be as motivated to push myself further.

This past week, Teresa (my instructor), changed up our routine to add in a few new, more advanced moves. I’m still in the beginner class, because I need to build up my strength, but it was really interesting and fun to try out some new moves! Hopefully I’ll be able to practice them on my own so I can add them to my yoga repertoire. One of the moves was Kakasana, or “Crow Pose,” which can be seen HERE. I wasn’t able to get my feet off of the ground, but it’s a cool pose and Teresa was confident that we’d be able to get it with some more practice (of course, she was balancing herself with ease). We also got to try Navasana, or “Full Boat Pose,” which can be seen HERE. Before, we’d just been doing Ardha Navasana, or “Half Boat Pose,” which can be seen HERE. I’d mostly used my hands to support my legs in ‘Half,’ but surprisingly I was able to do ‘Full,’ with no holding of my legs, which I was proud of. I’m showing improvement!

Speaking of improvement, I’ve also noticed a few changes that I’ve taken note of. One, my body is starting to develop more lean muscle, and my abdominal muscles are tighter than they’ve been before. Yoga is an exercise that uses abdominals A LOT, and I’ve done some ab work before, but a few weeks of yoga has done more for my abdominals than any of my previous workouts. Something else I’ve realized is that mentally, I am completely incapable of doing well or progressing in yoga if I cannot focus on the exercises and block out everything else that is bothering me. This was especially noticeable last week during my second class, as I had been fighting with some friends earlier in the day and had trouble pushing myself to do most of the moves, and had to return to resting position, Balasana, or “Child’s Pose,” shown HERE multiple times, which wasn’t an ideal practice session for me. The point of Balasana is to focus on your breathing and clear your mind, but that day was such a bad day for me that I was unable to. Hopefully with my continued yoga practice, I’ll be able to clear my mind more effectively, because I don’t think I can afford to skip practice whenever I have a slightly bad day, or worse.

I hope that was fairly insightful! Namaste.