Tuesday, December 30, 2008

160/195 A Long Break

Monday and Tuesday Off
Wednesday 8am with Jennifer on Long Island
Thursday through Monday Off
Tuesday 9:30 am with Danielle

This holiday patch has included the least amount of yoga that I've done since starting last March.  I tried to get my sisters to come with me while visiting Long Island, but alas, they were too busy with other things. 

On Wednesday, I went to a new studio on Long Island.  It has been open for just over a week.  It's a hot yoga studio, and not affiliated with Bikram, and the teacher is one that both my sisters like very much.  The studio is a bit different, mostly because it has hardwood floors, instead of carpet.  This made more of a difference than I would have thought, especially on the balancing poses.  My feet, I guess, are used to grabbing the carpet and didn't fare as well on a rubber mat and hard wood floor.  

The other big difference was in the single leg stretches at the end.  My heel was directly on the hard wood, and it HURT.  I suppose I would get used to it, but it was really hard to focus on the rest of the pose with my bone pushing directly into the hard floor.

Jen is a good teacher, but trained differently than Bikram.  This meant that the class used the same poses as a Bikram class, but with different dialogue, slightly different set-ups, and some different points of emphasis.  For example, I don't think she said "Lock the knee" even once.  That was weird for me.  And there was a different emphasis in Cobra.  She even suggested lifting the palms from the floor there. 

Her demeanor in general was a bit mellow, and yet she still seemed able to motivate people.  And she gave me some very good corrections.  Overall, I enjoyed the class very much and would be happy to go back, painful heel and all.

The time off was a bit odd.  I kept meaning to wake up for an early class again while in NY, but the enthusiasm seemed to wear off when the alarm went off in the morning, and I stayed in.  As a result, this was a tie for the longest break I've had since starting -- the other coming immediately after the 60th day of the challenge.

Class this morning was refreshing.  I had to bail on one pose toward the end of the standing series, but otherwise I felt good, especially on the floor.  My hamstrings and lower back were a bit tight following the break, but I should be back to where I left off or better either tomorrow or on New Years day.  The best thing about today's class was that I was able to keep a smile on my face, even through half locust.

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