I've been telling myself for a few years that I should learn yoga. Like, really learn it from a qualified teacher and not just a DVD. I've always felt like I wasn't quite balanced right or breathing correctly when practicing on my own. I decided that it made the most sense to tackle learning real yoga in the winter, when it's too cold and dark to bike or run outside.
I'd been to Yoga on High a few times for classes by donation and free classes. I really liked the atmosphere there and they have a great reputation around the city, so I decided to stick with them and take a series of beginner classes. There are different variations of beginner classes, but it's essentially Hatha or Ashtanga. I'd taken Hatha there before and it was always very relaxing and seemed to be mostly about posing and stretching. I wanted to sign up for the hardest thing available at the total newbie level, so I went with the other option: Ashtanga. If you've heard of vinyasa yoga, this is more like that. More movement and flow. I've heard that you get sweatier in Ashtanga, which I associate with a more physical challenge.
Yesterday was the first session. We went through some basic guidelines and then went through the sun salutations: Suryanamaskara A and Suryanamaskara B. In Ashtanga, practitioners go through five of each of these series. All of the poses felt familiar enough so it was nice to focus more on breathing and transitioning. I really like the idea of learning a practice that is more of a ritual. I survive on trying to plan through chaos, so something more rigid is welcome.
Our class is packed. We have nearly thirty people, one of whom I used to work with at my last job. (Always nice to see an unexpected friendly face.) I'm really looking forward to the next nine Tuesday nights. I feel like this is the right environment to really expand and fine-tune while getting a real understanding of what yoga is all about without being too pop-culture or too metaphysical. (Balance, that pertains to yoga, right?)
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