Tag Archives: iyengar

i have the yoga police on speed dial.

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We’re cruising into the fourth of July weekend and I am looking forward to a three day weekend of BBQs, beaches, and relaxation. I have gotten my wedding dress back where it belongs (in a shop, rather than my closet where it will almost certainly become ruined) and things are moving along swimmingly on the wedding front, so I am feeling ready for a summer filled with fun, preparation, cooking (always), and seeing some friends along the way.

Last night I went to yoga and worked, for an hour and a half, on my thigh muscles and psoas muscle. I love a vinyasa class, but I can’t help coming back time and again to Iyengar, which focuses on postures in yoga, really bringing your awareness to what your body is doing at the actual moment it’s doing it.

Iyengar is a great choice for me for when I’m being taught by a physical teacher instead of doing a video at home. My teachers keep me honest, make me work for a pose, make me understand where my body should be, and why, and how. I love learning alignment and I can pull that through to my home practice because I know how something should feel and that helps me get myself into poses I thought were unobtainable.

Last night, as I hung out in shoulder stand with my thighs activated and working to keep my legs straight, my yoga teacher Jay proclaimed, “Firm those thighs…I have the yoga police on speed dial.” I love that he keeps us laughing, working, committed, and aware that our bodies are on as good as we make them be. I love finding strength in myself I didn’t see, but that he did, all along.

This summer, I hope to make more advances in my yoga practice as I train for a 10k in the winter. I’ve always found that balancing between yoga and running makes me feel the best, because too much running is hard on my feet (too much yoga, I find, is never a problem.)

What are y’all’s favorite yoga types and classes? I am always looking to deepen my practice and I am open to suggestions!

I hope this weekend is full of getting outside, maybe some yoga at the beach, and definitely sunshine, sea, and delicious foods. Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!

This is a physical truth. This is not an opinion.

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The title of this post is something my yoga teacher said tonight about twists, and about using yoga to help in your physical self. It was slightly startling, because of how true it was: the physical benefits of poses are as true as any fact you’ve ever been told from a doctor.

I went to yoga to a class focused on opening up the shoulders/upper chest, combined with restorative poses. I have been exploring a lot of new yoga classes, and the ones I am taking now once a week are Iyengar yoga. This, combined with my recent foray into Drishti yoga has taken my practice deeper, allowing me to really trust my body’s strength and give it the muscle memory needed to perform certain poses.

My vinyasa flow has gotten more focused, and recent upperward dog has really clicked for me, as has chaturanga. I finally am focusing on every movement within a flow, not just the end game. I am understanding the connection between my shoulders, elbows, heels, and hips.

My teacher, Jay, consistently reminds us that we control our parts. Our bodies are controlled by us, and we can get our bodies to do things for us, to support us. This lesson has helped deepen my practice and has helped me to get toned as I venture to lose some weight to be a healthier me.

I love yoga because every class is about the current moment. Every moment spent on the mat is a moment for yourself, a moment for your body, your brain, your heart, your spirit. I love every class because I am constantly learning, and relearning, and revisiting, and really understanding how to ask my body (and mind) to do what I’d like them to do.

Yoga also clears my mind and relieves stress, and is such a good full body workout. It’s never a workout I dread. I don’t even really consider it a workout, but something necessary to my life, like eating and breathing and laughing. The more yoga I do, the happier I am. The more time I set aside for me, the better quality time I spend with others.

I’d love to hear about your yoga journeys as I progress in my own – what types of practices you have, how often, what you love and what you don’t, your favorite poses…not that we’re supposed to have favorites…

Namaste.