First experience at Center for Yoga by Ruby

While I was in town this past January, Kerrie asked me to join her for a yoga session at Center for Yoga.   I’ve experienced a lot of different types of yoga so I was down for the experience.  Little did I know that I was in for a whole new experience.   

We enter the studio and there is a session in progress and people are waiting to attend the next session.  We go into a room and set up our mats.  Kerrie sees a few people she knows and says hello.  The room is filled and is small, we are also facing a temporary wall.   In a few minutes the wall opens up revealing another room.  More people pour in and set up their mats. 

 The instructor arrives and introduces himself and apologies because he is not the usual teacher.  He starts the class.  I start to follow along with the instruction and warm up my fatigued body and mind.  The sequence speeds up and the music gets louder and louder.  I can barely hear the instructor at this point.  He instructs the class to go on their own pace.

 I struggle to remember the poses and try to take time to be mindful of my posture.  The people around me are all moving at different rates and speeds and I am not sure what I am doing but I continue to move and breath.  My head starts to spin and my muscles feel weak.  I go into child's pose and the music blasts around me.  I feel the movement of the other yogi’s and feel the heat of the room.  I continue to focus on my breath breathing deeply in and out.  I take some time to recenter and get my breath back at a good pace.  The instructor starts another sequence and I try to memorize it more closely this time.  I am still quite weak and focus on my breath in child's pose.  

At the end I enjoy savasana as my mind and body throb and my nerves calm down from the stimulation of the music, sequences, new environment and my own fatigue.   We leave the class and Kerrie asks me about my experience.  I tell her that I wasn’t prepared for a free flow class and that I hadn’t ever participated in that type before.  She points out that it's good to experience things you aren't prepared for.  I admitted that I needed to seek child's pose often and I was much more fatigued that I realized.  The heat had my blood moving and the breath was healing.  We both agree that child's pose was the best choice.

 I’m not sure if I would seek out that type of yoga class again, but I enjoyed the experience and continue to develop my practice.  It was very humbling  experience and a reminder that child’s pose is always my ally.   It taught me to use it more in my future classes and to  listen to my mind and body and always stay with my breath. 

Your Humble Yogina in Training,

Ruby

My First Yoga Experience with Jonny Kest

On Friday February 14, 2014 I had my first “Jonny Kest experience”. Though I have practiced Hot Vinyasa with many teachers, Kest's class was both very unique and challenging. Even as an experienced weight lifter I could feel every muscle in my body shake half way through his class. That is all a part of the experience, because with challenge and change comes growth so I can't complain. He also did an awesome job keeping a positive atmosphere by cleverly injecting humor during the most taxing poses.

If you are up for the challenge, check out Jonny Kest's schedule at Center for Yoga.

Namaste

Will

NETA Yoga Specialty Certification

NETA Yoga Specialty Certification Workshop Experience

This past weekend I attended the National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA) Yoga Specialty Certification Workshop. I am mostly known for bodybuilding (hypertrophy) and power lifting. Therefore, many people asked me how yoga teacher training related to the other types of physical exercise I enjoy and teach. 

The best way to explain this is to think of a metal rod that constantly has pressure applied to it.  If the materials in the rod are not flexible then there is a good chance the rod will snap once enough pressure has been applied to it.  However, building the rod with more flexible materials increases the amount of pressure it can handle and likewise reduces the chances of it snapping.  The same applies to flexibility training to accommodate strength training.  The more flexible we are the less likely we are to injure ourselves when lifting heavy loads or performing certain movements.  The mind-body connection is also improved through the different breathing techniques, which improves proprioception and the ability to learn how to correctly perform movement patterns.  Not only does this reduce chances of injury, but also leads better strength and confidence in the individual involved with the practice.

As far as the actual teacher training, the studying process was quite interesting.  Honestly, I was confused by some of the material. I noticed myself over-thinking everything. Half way through the first day of the workshop, when I finally started to relax, the point of the stories and text started to make sense. The more I read and understood, the more I realized how much more there is to know about yoga. I discovered that this was just a starting point and there is a wealth of knowledge and rich history as it pertains to yoga.

As for the physical component of the workshop, I found it to be very challenging, which I wasn’t expecting for some reason. I’ve been practicing Hot Vinyasa regularly for a year now and just realized during training that it never becomes “easier” because you can always go deeper into a posture and find more space to expand and deepen the breath. After spending most of Saturday going in and out of poses (asanas) I can tell you that when I got home at 6PM, I was physically tired.  However, on the second day we did more gentle yoga poses and I felt energized for the activities that were planned for us. Students created, demonstrated, and critiqued short 5-10 minute mini yoga class sessions.  Practice teaching made it a lot easier to take the exam at 1PM with a clear head.  I passed the exam and went home with a sense of accomplishment for at least starting the yoga instructor process.  Our instructor mentioned that even after we move on to more advanced yoga teacher trainings that we will never be truly finished learning everything there is about yoga or how to teach yoga.

Overall it was a great experience and I recommend it for any fitness professional looking for a continuing education program or looking to expand their fitness/yoga knowledge.

Namaste,

Will