I am looking forward to my yoga over the next month. I have extended use-it-or lose-it vacation time between now and the end of the year so I will not be restricted to the availability of yoga in the evening at Thrive. I can pick my classes throughout the day (at least, when I am not being called into the office to finish off last-minute essential work). Although Christmas and New Years wipe out two days, and other days have reduced schedules, I can still fit in a session, almost every day.
What's been frustrating is that since the Brian Kest workshop, I have not had an opportunity to build up momentum in my practice. My brother's funeral, a week-long business trip and the weeks preparing for it, my daughter's move back home and upheaval in the household, working late, family matters, Christmas parties and receptions at work, the Metro Red Line making it unpredictable as to when I'll get home, have all contorted my yoga routine into fits and starts. At most, I manage to get in three sessions a week, not enough to allow me to get into a rhythm.
I have not been disciplined enough to have a home practice. At most, I fit in some meditation, perhaps, some pranayama. It's those days away from class when my body backslides: any extra range of movement is shrunken by disuse, any skill at swinging into handstand does not set into the muscle memory. A home practice does not have to be elaborate. I could work one theme, say, hamstrings, and focus on that for a week. I know I have areas that need systematic work over time to show a breakthrough -- the back, shoulders, hips.
Another intention is to keep it simple. I've been steering myself to exclusively vinyasa 2-3 classes, except for Susan Bowen's Saturday morning class. I usually take Marylou McNamara's Hatha yoga classes. Lisa Johnson's classes are along the same line. I've taken Dana Cohen's vinyasa flow all levels on Tuesday, and she has fairly accessible style that does not demand master skill levels. I also took her yin yoga workshop and it required a lot of discipline and mental stamina.
So What's my point? I am trying to keep my practice simple. I don't want to overreach or impose my A-type yoga personality and sets goals and targets that may keep me striving for excellence, but not be aware of what other rewards yoga can give me. I keep telling myself: relax and don't work so hard; it's the ease and grace of the practice that will carry me the farthest.
Oh yeah! And Desirée Rumbaugh is coming back to Thrive Yoga on January 15-17 for a weekend workshop: The Heart Stimulus Plan (four sessions of 2-2.5 hours). The last time I took her workshop, I really muscled my way through many new poses -- and tore the meniscus in my right knee. So I want to be ready this time, with healthy knees, a body that shifted into a gear appropriate (building on conditioning, strength, strong fundamentals, all guided by mindfulness) for the workshop, and the right attitude. So I have four weeks to prepare myself for the challenge, and much better chances of accomplishing than with the Kest workshop due to personal issues.
Last weekend, I took some shots of the YogaUSA Day event at Thrive Yoga. It was a packed house, 64 people signing up online. Susan Bowen led the session. I think some people got a bit freaked out by so much attention (a photographer shooting every few minutes). Admittedly, no one came expecting to have their practice immortalized. Most people were there because the class was free, and Susan was just hoping that a few of them would come back for more.
I was using my son's Nikon D80 SLR camera, which was a real treat. I now understand why attempting to take shots of yoga practice with anything but an SLR camera is tough, almost a guarantee of amateurish shots. Yoga is like any sports activity: you need a fast shut time, a sensitive CCD and the ability to modify the RAW file in Photoshop (or similar application). I've been working with a Canon compact, which is fine for tourist shots, but for anything moving at real life speed.
Thrive Yoga is offering a $69 unlimited month yoga pass promotion. She made a good point explaining the offer to the people at the event: you have to give yoga some time to see if it can work for you. The first couple of sessions, you're looking around at the other people, worried whether you're holding the pose correctly, fidgeting in your clothing, and trying to figure out the audio cues that the teacher is giving you. Meanwhile, your body is complaining after the session that unusual demands were being placed on it. You need a couple of weeks to get over the initial shock and awe, and then take a more balanced assessment of how yoga affects you.
Inspired Yoga is getting into the swing of Obama Inauguration with Inaugurating the Sacred featuring master teacher Saul David Raye, stretching from today, January 15 to Monday, January 19. There are too many sessions to mention here specifically (yoga, Thai massage, meditation, chanting). In addition, there's an Om Inaugural Ball on Sunday evening, January 18. Many out-of-town guests will be showing up at Inspired Yoga. More power to them. Recently, the studio and its owner director, Kyra Anastasia Sudofsky, were featured on CNN about the relief that yoga provides stressed out Washingtonians.
Just to update, the Shiva Rea & Seane Corne events have been all booked up for more than a week (if not longer).
Desiree Rumbaugh
Anusara Yoga teacher
I wanted to sketch out some ideas about the Desiree Rumbaugh workshop at Thrive Yoga this weekend. You would think that 13 hours of yoga spread over three days would generate a lot of grist for the mill, but there's been little opportunity to clarify my mind. Friday night after the first two-hour session, I was involved in family affairs (my mother-in-law arrived from New York City and daughter spent the night on her way to Philadelphia for the weekend.) until late.
Last night, I went straight home and ate anything to give me some quick energy. I thought about doing something useful, but I was too tired to write anything about the workshop. In the end, I went to bed. The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, served myself a bagel and a cup of coffee and made it to the studio by 8:45. I wondered if I had made the right decision: my hips, thighs and calves were all stiff and felt like dead weight. I felt flat and a bit burned out. But once the yoga started moving my limbs, my energy got better. By the end of the last session (Yoga Therapy), all I could think of was to get more fuel into my system.
Kathy Donnelly, Desiree Rumbaugh, Suzie Hurley and Susan Bowen welcomeall the Anusara aficianados to the first night of the workshop.
First finding: all-day yoga workshops make it hard to get adequate meals. I did not want to overeat at breakfast and lunch for fear that it would interfere with the yoga. But all the energy consumed during the sessions means that a late dinner just makes you want to go to bed. If I had taken just one session a day, it would not have made much of a difference, but double sessions are grueling.
Second finding: Anusara yoga has a strong foothold in the DC area. Desiree drew workshop participants from as far away as New York, Pennsylvania and even California, but many current Anusara teachers from the DC area (and their students) renewed their relationship with Desiree. Lots of hugs and kisses before and after each class: Willow Street Yoga, the Yoga Center of Columbia , Inner Reaches Yoga, and probably a few others, were all present. Friday night and Saturday morning, not another mat could have fit into the expanded room (maybe 70 in all). The other sessions still had slots available, but there were a lot of new faces. That's pretty good, considering that the workshop fell in the middle of summer. Thrive's owner, Susan Bowen, says that Desiree will be back soon.
Desiree demonstrated how to get deeply into cobra pose.
Third Finding: Desiree Rumbaugh is an exceptional teacher, and it's easy to see why she's gained such a great reputation. She has a knack for driving home the Anusara message of proper alignment, joyful attitude and balanced action in asana after asana, spotting the necessary adjustments to more fully manifest the pose in her students, and enthusiastic narrative that intertwines her own self-discovery and healing through yoga and the principles of Anusara philosophy. She's really able to break pose down into pieces that can easily be digested and enacted. And it's the details that make the difference in the asana.
These "findings" are the low hanging fruit that I can easily pick before going to bed. More considered remarks will come later, with at least one good night of sleep and a day without yoga under my belt. Plus, I've got photographs of the sessions.
I had not commented about this last week, but I had an interesting experience during a session with Susan Bowen at Thrive Yoga. She made us do much of the practice with our eyes closed. It made some poses a bit precarious for me because I am challenged in terms of balance, and need my visual drishti. But I could get through most of my vinyasas without any trouble. However, when I was seated in Easy Pose with my eyes closed, I became conscious of my heart beat, and was surprised at how clearly it was coming through. It was not because my heart rate was up from aerobic exercise, throbbing at my temples. What I noticed most was that each subtle beat was like a ripple that expanded from my chest and washed over my torso and out through my limbs. It was almost as if I could feel the blood flowing from my chest throughout the circulatory system. Instead of focusing on my breath, I focused on my pulse.
This coming weekend, Desiree Rumbaugh will be giving five workshops at Thrive Yoga. I hear that there are still vacancies available, though the Friday evening class looks like it's close to filling up. I will be attending all of the sessions, taking pictures as often as feasible, and sucking up the energy. Thrive Yoga is basically shutting down for the weekend to hold this workshop so it's practically Desiree or nothing. I will try to blog my practice, but I don't know what kind of time and motivation will be left over from the sessions.
Donavan Wilson and I have been exchanging e-mails for a while, ever since we both attended a master Ashtanga class at Thrive Yoga and did not introduce ourselves to each other. He has sent me his comments on taking yoga classes at Bally's Total Fitness, two locations, four teachers. Since gyms are where many people get their start with yoga, I thought it would be helpful to include his remarks here. In fact, he's so positive about the experience, I'm tempted to try them out. So this is the first experiment with an outside contributor on this blog (not counting the comments that crop up once in a while).
Bally's Total Fitness, Gaithersburg, Maryland Sherry Rubin and Mireille "Mimi" Lafontant
Mimi: Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm
Mimi's offers a very demanding Yoga class. This class combines elements of Pilates, Power Yoga and Hatha Yoga. She begins each class by asking each participant, "What would you like to work on your body today?" She adjusts the class accordingly to the needs of her students. Mimi's emphasis on core training is consistent from week to week. She pushes her students to there limit, by holding postures very long time. However, with each posture Mimi offers options and modifications for beginner, intermediate and advanced students. Mimi's passion for pushing her students and developing their strength is very clear. You will work up a sweat in this class.
Sherry: Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 and Sunday at 10:00 (all morning)
Ms. Rubin has four years of teaching experience. Sherry's teaching style is a blend of different styles of Hatha Yoga. Rubin injects humor and pleasant outlook into her classes. Unlike Mimi, Rubin does not push her students as hard.She offers modifications depending on the experience of each student. Also, Sherry is very good at correcting students regarding their form. This reviewer can tell that Ms. Rubin has spent years in a Yoga Studio as practitioner. Rubin often demonstrates new postures before students attempt them. Rubin is very user friendly and outgoing instructor.
Bally's Total Fitness, Wheaton, Maryland Peter Gibbon and Diane Brown
Peter: Saturdays at 11:45-12:45
An instructor and Co-Director of the Peaceful Path Yoga Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland, Gibbon has a background in Kripalu Yoga and has 500 hours of certification as an instructor. Gibbon's Saturday Yoga class at Bally Total Fitness at Wheaton is a mixed-level approach. Gibbon covers the traditional postures (Warrior I, Triangle and Plank). Gibbon is walking across the aerobic room to check the form and posture of each student. Also, Gibbon is in front of his class demonstrating proper form. For individuals looking for traditional mixed-level class in a gym setting, I highly recommend Gibbon. Throughout the course of the class, Gibbon injects his brand of humor with a very thick New England-Massachusetts accent.
Diane: Thursdays at 7:30
This review can not capture or describe Ms. Brown's joy for teaching and life. Brown incorporates both Yoga and Pilates into her class. Brown is often wearing a smile and talking up a storm to distract students, in her efforts to push them. Brown's energy and enthusiasm is contagious. She does not push as hard as some instructors. What Brown lacks in pushing, she makes up in an interesting blend of Yoga postures and Pilates moves.
