'Twas the night before coast guard shift three and all through the house, the ladies and I were practicing yoga.
The night before my two week shift at the guard, I always try to enjoy my free time at home. The group yoga session was a spontaneous event. My mom and I had plans to experiment with the P90X Yoga but we did not intend to have four other participants.
After teaching my regular night time Yoga class, I swung over and picked up my cousin Bailey. I had not seen her in a long time so we planned for yoga, dinner and a sleepover. When I returned home I was surprised to find my sister, Ainsley and her two friends, Briar and heather. They had come over to join the yoga party in our basement.
We re-arranged the furniture and managed to comfortably fit all six P90X Yoga participants. The basement could have fit about 20 yogis, so if you are interested let me know!
I love the 90 minute session because it is a good way to practice the chattorunga. I appreciate only practicing, while doing yoga with my friends and family. It is fun to share and teach the family but it is also nice to just practice alongside them.
My cousin Bailey was loving the session to, until she needed a snack break to replenish her energy. One break lead to another, Ainsley disappeared for a good 20 minutes. She went upstairs to snack on my mother's famous Skor cookies, and fetched everyone water.
Team Yoga weakened quickly, but Briar, Heather and my mom held on strong. Some postures sequences were far too challenging for introductory students, so they chose to watch and learn. Tony, the P90X instructor, has a balancing sequencing that does not come naturally on your first attempt. He works from warrior I, to airplane, to standing split, rotates the hips open into half-moon and finishes in full moon. The flow is great but it takes time to strengthen and find endurance in the postures.
Overall, I had a great session at home with friends and family. I hope to do a repeat class with them upon my return. I think I will share my John Friend Yoga DVD's with them next time.
After Yoga we ate some delicious Quinoa topped with veggies and a peanut sauce created by Jessa. Everyone adored the dish and found it to be very satisfactory after one of their first Yoga classes.
What do you like about P90X and Yoga DVDs in general?
yours gingerly,
Cox Schnarr
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Asia's Vinyasa
After an exciting day of wedding planning, I was graced with five pleasant Yoga students. Four women returned from Monday night class and we had a new male! It was his first class and he did amazing. Class flew by quickly. I even managed to finish on-time, because the karate kids do not like to wait for their space to practice.
I now know all the students' names and we have started our own yoga community at Bodyworks Gym. The students are enjoying the change in class structure each class. I love the variety of choices Yoga provides, because you can structure a yoga class different each day. During class, my primary concern is the well-being of each student; therefore, I focus on giving tons of cues and further guiding a student when they are in a compromising position. After six weeks, the class is starting to flow and the new Yogis are showing more familiarity with the postures.
After teaching class, I re-focused on getting to my own Yoga practice at Energi Studio with Asia. I had 30 minutes to get across Kitchener to Waterloo for my 6:30 p.m. Yoga session. My first class was free, so all I had to do is show up in comfortable clothes, and listen to Asia's instructions.
My dentist, and a friend suggested I check out her class. I heard she was great, but no one could pin point what made her such a great instructor. I think student's keep returning because of her clear voice, yoga knowledge and passion for the practice. It really showed. A yoga class continues to survive each week, when the instructor does a great job and it looks like she has the right recipe. I love going to new yoga classes but if the class does not intrigue me I almost never return. I hope to return to Asia's class before moving to my new home in Lakeland, FL.
Asia had a great sequence for the class's level. She had clean postures and left an appropriate amount of time to enjoy each posture. The mirrors helped students see their alignment and watch her from a different angle. Fortunately, I was warm before class because the warm-up was short and the room was freezing. The yoga flow incorporated Anusara and Ashtanga techniques. The style combination was greatly appreciated, and it was refreshing to have a new instructor.
I have fallen for Anusara alignment, because it has really helped me find depth in certain postures such as Uttita Trikonasana. The class could have benefited more by her giving direct instruction to students out of alignment but she did do a great job of explaining each posture verbally and through physical demonstration. Each instructor has his or her style, I just prefer the instructor verbal instruction over demonstration.
Studio Energi had a great space. The room was built in a corner. Asia stood in one corner and the room fanned out with students. The music was very calm and it help create a comfortable ambiance. If you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo area I recommend that you go and try Asia's class at Studio Energi. I know she is also, offering a teacher training program for those looking to expand their practice.
namaste
yours gingerly,
Coxswain Schnarr
I now know all the students' names and we have started our own yoga community at Bodyworks Gym. The students are enjoying the change in class structure each class. I love the variety of choices Yoga provides, because you can structure a yoga class different each day. During class, my primary concern is the well-being of each student; therefore, I focus on giving tons of cues and further guiding a student when they are in a compromising position. After six weeks, the class is starting to flow and the new Yogis are showing more familiarity with the postures.
After teaching class, I re-focused on getting to my own Yoga practice at Energi Studio with Asia. I had 30 minutes to get across Kitchener to Waterloo for my 6:30 p.m. Yoga session. My first class was free, so all I had to do is show up in comfortable clothes, and listen to Asia's instructions.
My dentist, and a friend suggested I check out her class. I heard she was great, but no one could pin point what made her such a great instructor. I think student's keep returning because of her clear voice, yoga knowledge and passion for the practice. It really showed. A yoga class continues to survive each week, when the instructor does a great job and it looks like she has the right recipe. I love going to new yoga classes but if the class does not intrigue me I almost never return. I hope to return to Asia's class before moving to my new home in Lakeland, FL.
Asia had a great sequence for the class's level. She had clean postures and left an appropriate amount of time to enjoy each posture. The mirrors helped students see their alignment and watch her from a different angle. Fortunately, I was warm before class because the warm-up was short and the room was freezing. The yoga flow incorporated Anusara and Ashtanga techniques. The style combination was greatly appreciated, and it was refreshing to have a new instructor.
I have fallen for Anusara alignment, because it has really helped me find depth in certain postures such as Uttita Trikonasana. The class could have benefited more by her giving direct instruction to students out of alignment but she did do a great job of explaining each posture verbally and through physical demonstration. Each instructor has his or her style, I just prefer the instructor verbal instruction over demonstration.
Studio Energi had a great space. The room was built in a corner. Asia stood in one corner and the room fanned out with students. The music was very calm and it help create a comfortable ambiance. If you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo area I recommend that you go and try Asia's class at Studio Energi. I know she is also, offering a teacher training program for those looking to expand their practice.
namaste
yours gingerly,
Coxswain Schnarr
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