Today in yoga awesome

Yoga Journal has added video to their site that goes along with the issues! Check out this master class. Now the awesome is totally conditional: if they start charging for this in addition to subscriptions, it’s whack. That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to them making it subscription only but the best of all worlds is that they keep it free.

Awesome and not

So in November/December, my Toshiba laptop died and I didn’t have anything so vital on the hard drive that I felt like I’ve needed to spend a lot of time scavenging said hard drive. In fact, because I use a Zune player, all the music I had on the previous laptop is now happily ensconced on my current laptop without any sort of drama or difficulty. What I discovered last night is that it ALSO transferred some audio that I thought I’d lost – a bunch of random yoga workouts, most of which I haven’t even listened to/watched.

So the awesome news is that I now have lots of random yoga workouts to go through and help with some motivation.

Not so awesome, Spouse is sick. He’s actually been sick for several days and doesn’t seem to be getting much better. As a result I’m trapped on the couch watching what is possibly one of the top five worst movies of all time: Land of the Lost. My only explanation is that he’s sick and a bit delusional and that’s what is making this steaming pile of shit entertaining. To him.

Meanwhile, I’ve got TWO DAYS OFF IN A ROW. If I didn’t have a metric asston of stuff to do, it would almost feel like a weekend!

Putting the Yoga back in yogagrrl

First let me say that traveling with my Droid Eris was AMAZING. I used apps like OpenTable and Foursquare to find great places to eat and – in the case of Foursquare – frequently got great tips from locals and/or other visitors. I also updated Facebook with my photos as we went and there’s practically a vacation blow-by-blow on my twitterfeed. While it made my husband a little crazy, it was super helpful to have Googlemaps tied into that Foursquare app to make sure we were moving in the right direction. Google on the phone helped us track down good music and food and figure out which tourist stops to avoid. It was made of awesome and win. Don’t worry, though – the phone hasn’t COMPLETELY replaced the Spouse.

Before we left, I did some internet research on yoga studios that would be close to where we were staying. I found about four that sounded like they’d be a good fit for my needs and one of them had a pretty sweet intro deal. Being on budget and in a new city, yoga deals are important. I can go on about this ad nauseam but I think yoga is an oddly interpersonal form of exercise, one that can be shaped entirely by your teacher/instructor and your reaction to him/her. Just because you don’t care for a particular teacher or class doesn’t mean the studio won’t be a good or even great fit for you – it just means you haven’t had a chance to find out yet. For this reason, having a deal on classes or even free classes for new students is an incredibly valuable resource for studios – it gives you a chance to sell how awesome you are.

For those reasons, I made my first stop at Urban Yoga Spa. 1. Love their site. Clear, concise and no pictures of hot bods to make you feel self-conscious about showing up. Especially love that you can turn the music off, as it’s my least favorite thing about the site. 2. No woo woo. When you read the class descriptions, you get a sense that it’s going to be a thorough, energetic and relaxing experience. No chanting required. 3. Even though I was just in town for a visit, they gave me the unlimited yoga for a week for $25 deal. I wasn’t sure they would since I’m not local but it was a sweet deal and it’s what decided me on their studio for the week.

I am not generally a fan of hot yoga. Rather, I like hot yoga up to a certain temperature. My ideal max temp is about 85 degrees (Forrest-style) and Urban Yoga Spa is a little hotter – 90-105 degrees. I have mentioned before that I sweat like a center for the Detroit Lions; it’s hot enough there that I started sweating the minute I walked into the rooms. That said, I didn’t find the temps at UYS to be unbearable. Don’t get me wrong, it was HOT but not to the point that I felt uncomfortable, light-headed or any of the other stuff you don’t want to have happen. In addition, the rooms were clean and avoided that whole ‘stank’ that can sometimes happen with a hot yoga place. One studio is full of mirrors and the other doesn’t have any – in case that matters to you.

First class was 90 minute Hot Hatha. I didn’t wear my glasses, what with the sweat, and I think the teacher was maybe Amber? I don’t remember if she introduced herself or not. As I frequently forget that when I teach, I’m not casting any stones. It was a solid 90 minute class.

• Things I loved: Clear and concise verbal cues, modifications starting slow and getting harder, encouragement to take breaks, encouragement to ENJOY the class and laugh/smile, logically formatted classes so that no one was trying to do headstand at the end of class when their arms are cashed, SUPPORTED BACKBENDS. Omg, y’all I was SO HAPPY about that. Wheel is a pet peeve of mine, especially in mixed-level classes.

• Things I didn’t love: Savasana was weird. As if it was supposed to be an unguided on-your-own relaxation, except that as soon as the instructor was out of the room people started packing up and leaving. Not sure about you, but it’s hard for me to stay focused when 15 people are packing up their stuff and leaving because it’s pretty much impossible for that to happen quietly. As far as negatives go, this one ain’t that big.

Second class: Hot Hatha Hour with Bret (if I remember correctly). Very similar in structure and content to the 90 minute Hatha class. Same great directions, same unwillingness to take the class so seriously. The class was a bit pared down to fit the hour but still a nice, thorough workout. I remember the savasana being a little more directed or maybe it was just that everyone didn’t pack up as soon as the class was over. Loved it.

Third class: Power Vinyasa Hour with Drew.

• Things I loved: Dude. If I had my own place, this is how teachers would teach. Drew – like the previous two instructors – had GREAT verbal cues, kept it light and encouraged smiling and taking it as easy or hard as you wanted/needed. Same practical class structure and super helpful adjustments.

• Things I didn’t love: Nothing. Really great class.

By this time I was wearing out my yoga clothes where wearing out = sweating ALL THE WAY THROUGH THEM. I had to take a day off to wash and let dry my yoga pants, as I’d brought less of them than shirts for some reason. Clearly wasn’t expecting to want a full week of hot yoga.

Foursquare told me that Restorative on Friday was a great class but that I should get there early. Getting there early was DEFINITELY a good tip.

Restorative with Jennifer:

• Things I loved: It was a nice solid stretching class, low key, relaxing.

• Things I didn’t love: The verbal cues were a little… odd. Several times I had to look up to figure out exactly what we were doing – and this stood out only because I hadn’t had to do that in any of the prior classes. Because of that, I’d say maybe not the best class for a beginner. Also, a little woo woo. I don’t mind woo woo, when I’m in the mood for it/the class is billed as such. Other than that, when I’m not EXPECTING yoga philosophy I generally don’t love it. *shrug* Your mileage may vary.

Studio in general:

• I loved that they had very reasonable water/mat rental/towel rental prices. Totally forgot to bring water with me to the first class. Whoops.

• I loved that I saw people of all sizes, shapes and ages in every single class. You can tell from the instruction in the individual classes that everyone is encouraging of making yoga accessible to EVERYBODY. That’s my biggest thing and it was fantastic.

• Everyone was very friendly. The person who was working the desk at my first class made a point of talking to me when she saw me in a different class that we were both attending. It was a really nice welcoming atmosphere.

• Music! There was music in each class, a kind of nondescript and low key new-agey thing that was totally non-intrusive.

• Chanting – there really wasn’t any some optional Oms at the end of a couple of the classes and I totally appreciated how the instructors were VERY CLEAR that they were optional. Also done in a matter-of-fact and non-woo woo sort of way so as to be generally appealing. Well done.
• They have donation classes on the weekend. I love that. Yoga accessibility is really important if we want to help people improve their health and well-being. It sounds corny but I believe it to be true. I love when studios not only say it, they back it up. If you’re not convinced you want to try a week of yoga there, definitely hit a donation class. You won’t regret it.

Honestly the only thing I didn’t love was the heat and that – along with any aforementioned nits – is  MY PERSONAL experience. There are people who love the super hot classes, I’m just not one of them. There are people who love woo woo, when I’m not expecting it I’m not one of them. I actually enjoy a good Om or two but I’m not much for chanting in classes so this stuff suited me fine. I’m a sucker for great direction and safe classes – both of those things were in spades here.

If it tells you anything, I recommended this place to no less than three locals while I was in town.

The road so far…

HA! SPN reference!


Our flight was uneventful – good, because thanks to the incredibly slow airport security we made it to the gate with only 3 minutes to spare. That meant not sitting together but I ended up sandwiched between a very nice man and his son.


Per usual on the plane, my kindle was an icebreaker. After some gadget talk, I discovered the young guy was a local (Denver area) U student who’s going to finish his final degree credits at Spouse’s campus. What are the odds?!


On the plane I FINALLY finished Finch. Good book, wicked annoying writing style. Starting The Year of the Flood. Also not purchasing books for a while as I have at least 20 unread on the kindle.


We arrived to warmth and sun- not a bad start, even if it doesn’t hold. Spent most of the afternoon at Pike’s Market and are looking forward to a return for breakfast. AMAZING beer and sushi at the Tap House Grill last night after getting our first dose of PNW rain (mostly a drizzle, done by the time we finished dinner.


The Sheraton is a nice hotel we wouldn’t stay at on our own dime, especially because despite ridiculous price tag they STILL charge $10 A DAY for WiFi access in the room. WTF. Thankfully phone browser remembers passwords. What did I EVER do without my Eris!? Best travel tool, evar.


Most entertaining moment of trip so far- having to explain to Spouse “hipster”. It’s like being in a foreign country…

Possibly my favorite blog post about yoga, ever.

This is seriously great. Not only does he drop the f-bomb (of which I am particularly fond) but he also calls out a major yoga ‘player’ for being who he is. That’s not to say that being who you are is a BAD thing, but when I meet yoga teachers who never swear or seem TOO nice it always makes me wonder. Because I love yoga, I love teaching yoga and I cuss. I occasionally have negative thoughts and am frequently not a nice person. But I’m A PERSON. I’m not your guru, I’m here to help you become your own guru. In the immortal words of Maggie Mayhem, “Put on a pair of skates. Be your OWN hero.”

No one is perfect and that’s why I’m a bit iffy on the whole ‘guru’ thing. For years in the yoga community, if you didn’t have a guru you weren’t considered “legit.” Yoga was like an apprenticeship. If you were like me in the blue-collar sticks, good luck finding your guru. It’s one of the things that I thinks makes the Yoga Alliance great (and terrible) that schools have cropped up all over so people can get training if they want it. Unfortunately, if you want ANY training with some big name attached to it be prepared to shell out upwards of $3,000.

I was very lucky in that I had a great local teacher and found a phenomenal studio in the metro Detroit area (only a couple of hours commute) where I could complete teacher training. My experience is that those schools aren’t faring so well in the current economy and it’s a shame because they provided AFFORDABLE and THOROUGH training – both things that factored largest in my search for further education. Rising Sun Yoga helped me become a great teacher without indoctrinating me to any one ‘true’ way to do yoga or teach a yoga class. My education was heavy on anatomy and physiology with a solid grounding in other yoga practices (chanting, mantra, pranayama, philosophy). I left feeling PREPARED and I didn’t have to fly across country or spend thousands of dollars to do it.

My training was great and I love teaching but it’s made it harder for me to take classes. I’m reluctant to go to local classes because enough people know that I teach that it might be weird. I’ve also been in classes where I heard teachers say things that were just flat-out physiologically incorrect or where they don’t offer modifications for people who may need a break or not be ready for the practice. While I would LOVE to not notice those things, it’s difficult – especially as I like to do modifications during my own practice. When I do my own thing, it can throw off the teacher or other students and while I’m not going to sacrifice my body, I’m sensitive to the fact that it can be wicked uncomfortable to have someone not going with the flow.

It’s because of those things that I’ve always placed a lot of emphasis – A LOT – on my students working at their own pace and providing all sorts of modifications (easier as well as harder) all the time. I’m a big believer in Choose-Your-Own Yoga.

This is all a long way of getting to the fact that I’m NOT teaching 5 days a week, like I used to. I miss it and I miss the regimen that helped to keep me on board with my own practice. It’s been a while since I’ve done a regular 5-day-a-week hourlong practice but I’m trying to get back on the horse. While a rigid routine (Bikram, Ashtanga) might be helpful, I get bored. I like to be able to adjust to whatever feels right in the moment. In keeping with that, I’ve added barefoot running to my routine as well as some Pilates. I picked up an at-home rubber-bandlike reformer at work and I’m kind of stoked about breaking it out today.

Yoga isn’t about perfection or even the pursuit of perfection: it’s about trying to be BETTER. Nothing more, nothing less.