This started out as a place for me to air my weight loss woes, successes and milestones. I haven’t updated in awhile, but I’ve taken a good look at my habits over the past few months and one thing has jumped out at me. Screamed “look at me” and done the Mexican wave.
I’ve been really taken with my yoga practice lately; I’ve tried different styles over the past year, and I believe I am on some madcap search to find THE perfect yoga class. When I say perfect, I do mean perfect for me. I think perfection can come in all different shapes and sizes, and the ultimate in yoga practise for me may not be for someone else. But this is me, and I am going to put my selfish hat on and talk about what I like.
I’m not a newcomer to yoga; I’ve tried the odd class in the past, but never committed myself to a particular class or style before. I’d tried anything from a super-gentle hatha class to a very energetic, sweat-inducing Ashtanga led class. I think the only style I’ve yet to try is Bikram, but I don’t deal well with excessive heat so that may be one for the backburner. For now.
My basis for comparison is pretty high. On holiday to Toronto at the end of last summer, I was lucky enough to find an amazing yoga centre there. Octopus Garden Yoga. If you’re in Toronto I seriously recommend going there. This place is my ultimate ideal of what a yoga centre should be – unpretentious, chilled out, fabulous teachers, and a café downstairs that serves yummy muffins. Yes, they’re vegan (and no, I am not), but they smell amazing and taste as good. Let me tell you, this was the place I first fell in love with yoga.
My first teacher there was Morgan - this was back in the old location, which was much smaller and homey. The class was packed full, there was almost no space between each mat, and it was still as warm as the height of summer. Octopus Garden teaches a style of yoga called Vinyasa Flow, which I didn’t know much about. Morgan told me it was based on a kind of Ashtanga style. It shouldn’t have been as good as it was, let me just say. The full room, the heat, all those bodies. The funny thing was, I didn’t notice a thing. Once the class started, it was like everything else melted away. Now I’m one of those people who can be quite bad about people-watching. I’ll peek at folk out of the corner of my eye to see if I’m doing my moves right. In that class, I didn’t notice a single person, though I was only inches away from about 4 or 5 bodies at any time.
The other thing I noticed was my ability to go into meditation like I’d never been able to before. I’m usually the person in the corner who manages to fall asleep at the end of class, and I remember a teacher saying once that it is meditation as long as your mind is conscious. Once you slip into a state of sleep, it is just a nap. I’d never been able to successfully meditate before, and I left that class feeling amazing!
Today I tried a new yoga class, one near my flat in Edinburgh. I practise Iyengar yoga once a week at the Iyengar Centre in Bruntsfield, but our classes are on hiatus at the moment for a fortnight. I’d searched online and found Vinyasa Ashtanga yoga classes at St Giles in Marchmont, thinking it may supplement my weekly Iyengar class nicely. Hm.
The class size was small, with us all lined up in a row facing the teacher. I didn’t feel like I was in a yoga class, I felt a little like I was in a fitness class in a gym. The teacher (though I want to call her the “instructor”) called out rapid-fire poses, with almost no comments on breathing or correct alignment. Now I realise this was no beginners’ class, but I’ve been to more challenging classes where the teacher was still able to concentrate on correct execution. When it came time for the shoulder stand and she gave no instruction, and we were told to do the pose unsupported (with no equipment), I just did a back-bend instead. I’m not confident enough in my practice to do a shoulder stand without support, and I’d rather remain slightly behind the class than injure myself.
Anyhow, it was a disappointing experience. I’ll be going back next week on a different day, as I know there is another teacher who runs classes from the same location. We’ll see.
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