Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Less Dancing...More Yoga!

I got back from a week long dance residency in Miami, Oklahoma with Soma Dance Company on June 14th, and haven't done one bit of dancing since then! I am sure rehearsals will start up again soon, but I have instead been filling my time up with Yoga classes!

One of my Facebook friends always talks about going to Yin Yoga class. I read up about Yin Yoga, and it is a special kind of Yoga where you hold the postures anywhere from 3-5 minutes at a time. I really wanted to give it a try. So yesterday after work, one of my co-workers Emily and I ended up taking a Yin Class being offered at West Hartford Yoga.

The class was packed and I was a little nervous because I didn't know how I would react holding each pose for a longer time than I am used to, but after a brief explanation, the teacher led us into our first pose - butterfly. I actually had no problems sinking deeper and deeper into the poses and just focusing on breathing.

I really liked how the instructor described Yin Yoga as going to that point where your body says "stop" and then just hanging out and acknowledging that sensation. In Bikram Yoga I am used to going past that point and stretching further, but being able to just hang out where my body didn't feel exerted really left me feeling relaxed.

The instructor also gave us mantras to breathe in and out during each posture. I found them to be especially helpful as my mind did try to wander during some of the postures. All in all it was an hour of breathing and stretching that made me feel absolutely fabulous afterward! I am VERY ready for the two hour Yin Class I signed up for this Saturday at Fuller Movement Center.

One thing I loved about West Hartford Yoga is that they offer $5 classes and free classes, which in this economy is an unbeatable price. Especially if you'd like to try yoga or meditation for the first time, you won't have to break the bank to try it out.

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