I've been curious about Ashtanga for almost as long as I've been practicing Bikram. Finally, I took my first class at Urban Ashram Manila with Pat a.k.a. The Crazy Breather as my teacher.
Having heard so many stories about how challenging Ashtanga is, I was happy to find out that they offered an Ashtanga Basics class at the Ashram. I also made a conscious decision to take several FNR classes (3 to be exact) to familiarize myself with Sun Salutations and the other Vinyasa which turned out to be a very good move for me (and I suggest the same to anyone looking into trying Ashtanga after having only practiced Bikram) since I only looked like a half-confused armadillo instead of a totally lost sheep!
Pat was calm and reassuring throughout the class. She gave just the right amount of correction when we needed it. I was lucky to be in a small class of less than 10 yoginis, which gave her lots of time to go around and guide each student through all the twists, backbends, forward bends and other poses. I had a really tough time in Parshvottanasana or intense side stretch (yes, it was intense) where you have to cross your arms behind your back because of my tight shoulders.
No monkey business here: Parshvottanasana or intense side stretch (Photo credit: http://www.yogini.jp)
When Pat started talk about how Dolphin was a preparatory pose to the dreaded Headstand, we all gave Pat a dirty look before bursting into laughter. No headstands today, that's for sure! This is a Basics class, isn't it?
As we lay in Savasana, I thanked the Universe for another opportunity to deepen my yoga practice through a class that was both strong and gentle. I'm not sure I'm ready for the Led or Mysore classes yet, but I will definitely come back to take the Ashtanga Basics class very soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment