One Year Of Yoga

Crow Pose

Good flow class today. I am consistently able to do the crow pose arm balance now! Had 3 opportunities to try it and was able to get into it and hold it for the entire length of time the teacher gave us! Yay! That feels so good when you can finally do something that you could not before! I still have plenty to work on. Need to work on standing splits and handstands. I don’t even come close to those right now.

Today was a fun flow class. I tried some arm balances today and was able to actually do the beginning stages of them! Flow class moves rather quickly compared to other classes, so I think my arm muscles were not as tired as they might be in Ashtanga for example. It was definitely a good workout. The instructor also played a really great song for yoga class called, “Bruises” by Chairlift. The main chorus says, “I tried to do handstands for you…” which is so perfect for yoga class when you are “trying to do handstands”!

This article is for fellow Yogini’s:

Geeta S. Iyengar, Mr. Iyengar’s daughter and a yoga teacher at his Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Poona, India, has a particularly strong interest and great experience in yoga for women. Recommendations on the poses in this article are from Geeta’s basic principles.

Just as some poses are helpful at period-time, other poses should be avoided. Many women ask if these recommendations stem from a cultural tradition that is sexist, and yoga teachers are often reluctant to tell menstruating students not to participate in parts of the class, lest they feel singled out and ostracized. These guidelines are not sexist, however, they are based on sound physiologic knowledge and time-tested applications of yogic principles to women’s special needs. We are cyclic beings. Denying that we are does violence to the basic principles of self-understanding we seek through yoga.

via A Woman’s Balance: Inversions and Menstruation :: Yoga.com.

So in-between giving a sold-out lecture to more than 400 people at the Edgewater Casino tonight – and judging the Western Canadian Hatha Yoga Championships Sunday – Choudhury says he’ll find time for some retail release.

It’s his “disease,” he chuckled, describing his love of shopping.

via Yoga’s ‘bad boy’ Bikram Choudhury makes no apologies .

Now, at a time when the H1N1 virus has spread its tentacles in the city, a yoga expert has claimed that practicing yoga on a regular basis can strengthen one’s immunity, which in turn can help in preventing swine flu.

via Regular yoga can help reduce H1N1 risk, says expert – Chandigarh – City – The Times of India.

Wanted to take part two of Kat’s workshop today, but our schedule would not allow it. We were too busy packing and moving furniture today. We did make it to a Bikram class though. It was ridiculously hot and humid, not a very good class for me.

Fun, two hour workshop with Kat. Her husband was there playing live drums while she taught the yoga class. That was a neat touch.

Very good basics class. The instructor is really helpful because she will show you how to go deeper in the pose if you are ready. Today I learned that I should not use a netti pot before going to yoga class. Sometimes water stays in your nose until the most inopportune time. Can be embarrassing!

So now, on top of everything, it turns out most of us have tight hips – and thats whether were elite athletes or sedentary office dwellers.Having tight hips means there isnt a lot of mobility in our hips, says Vancouver-based yoga instructor Eoin Finn, so that movements feel restricted and robotic, and we move inefficiently.

via To feel younger, loosen hips through yoga.

Stretch those hips everyone!