Who doesn’t love Starbucks?: Fieldnotes Experience

I love Starbucks more than ever!*

TRANSCRIPTIONS

Starbucks Jottings pg 1

The two women were coming from yoga class at yogi power yoga (there email is yogipoweryoga@gmail in case I had additional questions).

Their names were Shannon and Piera. Shannon is a former accountant and Piera is a former lawyer. They both said yoga changed their lives. Both women gave up their jobs once they really found yoga. Opening a studio was Piera’s dream and her husband encouraged her to follow her dream. Yogi Power Yoga is Piera’s studio!

 

Starbucks Jottings pg 2

I asked the the women if they had any tips for me as I am just starting my yoga practice. They said that yoga is really all about knowing your body. You need to know when you can challenge and push your body and listen to when it needs rest. Rest a lot as you’re first starting out.  It’s ok to rest and it’s ok to modify anything necessary. Also they said the more that you practice yoga—as in how often—the more you notice changes in your body.

I mentioned to them that I need to modify a lot of things. I said I don’t look like everyone else and that I don’t have the “perfect yoga body.” said yoga is about you; don’t worry what everyone else looks like. Everyone does poses differently because their bodies are different. There is no perfect yoga body. Anyone can do it. Piera even said “I do some yoga poses better than really skinny girls.” Some days you can do a lot with your body and others you can’t. You have to make sure you know your breath and feel how your body feels/reacts. They mentioned what you eat affects your yoga practice.

Starbucks Jottings pg 3

They mentioned that you can tell how certain foods affect your body. Piera began to tell a story to Shannon and I about her first ever yoga class. She said she farted during class. She said she was in law school at the time and never wanted to go back. Finally, however, she did go back She and Shannon both said farting is completely normal in yoga classes.

Next I asked them about the classes offered at their studio. There is not specific “hot yoga” that is more of a slang term. However, they practice Baptise style that keeps the studio around 80 dregrees. They welcome all levels of yogis and teach vinyasa classes and power yoga classes (more about strength). I mentioned I have done vinyasa before but not power. I asked if they were very different. They said there are mostly similar poses then a few different poses. They said there are different yoga discourses for different types of yoga, but some things are constant throughout all yoga.

SCENE

I was sitting in Starbucks writing my midterm for my graduate class with my friend Christina. We were helping and encouraging each other. About halfway through the midterm, two women sat down at the table adjacent to us. I heard them say things like “down dog” and “handstand” among others. Christina and I made eye contact and I mouth to her, “Oh my God! I think they are talking about yoga!” We eavesdropped on their conversation a little bit more, and Christina encouraged me to go over and talk to them. Being the outgoing type of person I am, I thought, “Why not?!”

I walked over to the table (a mere two steps) and said, “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation a little bit. Are you two talking about yoga?”

The two women were in comfortable clothing. One was brunette and the other blonde. The brunette had on yoga pants, a black tank top, and a grey zip up hoodie. The blonde had on a white t-shirt and black yoga pants. They both had their hair in a messy bun and looked like they just finished a sweaty workout. They both held their coffee cups, looked at each other and smiled. “Yes,” one of them replied. “Are you a yogi?”

I said, “This is awesome. Hi, I’m Emily. I’m actually starting to study and research yoga; do you mind if I talk to you guys a little bit?”

They said sure. So, I pulled up a chair at the end of their table and began asking them questions.

They sat across from each other, so I sat at the end of the table. I asked them their names. Their names were Shannon and Piera. Shannon is a former accountant and Piera is a former lawyer. They both said yoga changed their lives. Both women gave up their jobs once they really found yoga. Piera said she really connected with yoga and was hating all the stress of being a lawyer. Opening a studio was Piera’s dream and her husband encouraged her to follow her dream. Yogi Power Yoga is Piera’s studio!

“That’s fantastic!” I replied. “Do you have any tips for a newbie?”

They said that yoga is really all about knowing your body. You need to know when you can challenge and push your body and listen to when it needs rest. Rest a lot as you’re first starting out.  It’s ok to rest and it’s ok to modify anything necessary. Also they said the more that you practice yoga—as in how often—the more you notice changes in your body.

I mentioned to them that I need to modify a lot of things. I said I don’t look like everyone else and that I don’t have the “perfect yoga body.” They rolled their eyes and looked at each other briefly. They said yoga is about you; don’t worry what everyone else looks like. Everyone does poses differently because their bodies are different. There is no perfect yoga body. Anyone can do it. Piera even said “I do some yoga poses better than really skinny girls.” This made us all laugh.

Shannon said that some days you can do a lot with your body and others you can’t. You have to make sure you know your breath and feel how your body feels/reacts. They even mentioned what you eat affects your yoga practice.

They said that you can tell how certain foods affect your body.

I mentioned that I totally understood because after Mexican one night, I shouldn’t have done yoga. They both laughed and said they understood me.

Piera looked at Shannon and said “I don’t think I ever told you this before” and began to tell a story to Shannon and I about her first ever yoga class.

She said she was in law school at the time and needed some relaxing. Her and a friend decided to try it out. Piera said that it was a terrible experience because she farted during the beginning of class. She was so embarrassed. She wanted to leave but knew she had to finish the class. She said she never wanted to go back.

However, she did finally go back—years later—and was always glad she did. She and Shannon both said farting is completely normal in yoga classes because of the twists and bends you’re doing to your body.

We all had a laugh over the story and I asked them a little about their studio—specifically location and what classes were offered. She said it was right down the street.

They mentioned there is not specific “hot yoga” class; that is more of a slang term. However, they practice Baptise style that keeps the studio around 80 dregrees (which to me sounds like hot yoga!). They welcome all levels of yogis and teach vinyasa classes and power yoga classes (more about strength). I mentioned I have done vinyasa before but not power. I asked if they were very different. They said there are mostly similar poses then a few different poses. They said there are different yoga discourses for different types of yoga, but some things are constant throughout all yoga.

We ended our conversation with them talking to me a little more about the studio. I said, “I am a little worried about the ‘warm’ studio.”

They said to just come try it out and gave me their website to look up class times. Piera said she would let me try the first class for free (which I did do. The following Saturday and loved it). I said thank you to them both and walked back over to my seat where Christina smiled at me.

Quickly, I got out my fieldnotes notebook and jotted down everything I possibly could. As they left Starbucks they said, “Bye, Emily! It was nice meeting you!” and “Hope to see you in the studio!”

REFLECTION

Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes states, “There are no hard and fast rules about whether to make jottings and if so, when and how to do so. But with time spent in a setting and by benefitting from trial and error, a field researcher may evolve a distinctive set of practices to fit writing jottings to the contours and constraints of that setting” (35). Let me tell you, I 100% agree! After trial and error I figured out what fits for me: right after the experience, sit down and WRITE! I jotted down notes from my conversation at Starbucks. This time I actually mean jotted!  When I was doing my Bookstore Jottings, I tried to write down every little detail in complete sentences and wrote write in front of people because I felt I needed to jot down everything that they were saying as not to miss anything. Here, at the Starbucks, I was more confident interviewing them and felt like we were friendly with each other immediately. After talking with them, I quickly opened my fieldnotes notebook and felt amazingly confident writing my notes. It is something I accomplished on my own, and I am proud.  I definitely see an improvement from last time to this because I did not write all complete sentences or write while I was talking to them. To create my scenes, I made sure to refer to the “Description” section in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes—pages 57-74. This really helped me to differentiate between the transcriptions to the descriptive part.

Honestly, I know I should reflect here on what I need to improve on, but I think it went perfectly. This was the best thing I had done so far. After this scene, I even took fieldnotes when I went there on Saturday (see my post on Hot Vinyasa Yoga for more information on that). Taking notes after that yoga class made me feel even more of an ethnographer because I kept thinking in the back of my mind about class and not fully immersing myself into the class. “Ethnographers, for example, have become skilled at activities they are seeking to understand…or, in good faith, have joined churches or religious groups…on the grounds that by becoming members, they gain fuller insight and understanding into these groups and their activities” (Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes 3). I did this. I took the yoga class! However, “even with extensive participation, the ethnographer never becomes a member in the same sense that those who are “naturally” in the setting are members” (Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes 5). I took the class, but wasn’t yet a “yogi.” I was thinking “how can I relate this to my research!” This was something I struggled to overcome, but now I truly do enjoy yoga on my own as well as think about my assignments for school!

 

 

 

 

 

*I thought I actually wrote this post a long time ago, but when I looked for it on my blog, it was nowhere to be found! Sorry it’s so late! 🙂

Post-Interview (In-Person)

Here is a challenge. While reading this post, try to embrace mindfulness. Try to concentrate only on this post and nothing else. Not how uncomfortable your sitting, not what you’re going to eat for dinner, or how behind you are on your work. If you can do this, you can just begin to understand this little aspect of yoga. Try to be mindful not mind full.

After her gentle yoga class, Karen Carraro, from Virtua Center for Health Fitness in Washington Township, sat down with me in the cafe area. The cafe was closing in an hour so it was fairly empty. We chose an empty table for four and sat down adjacent to each other. I took out my notebook and a pencil. She said, “So where would you like to start?”

I asked her to tell me a little about herself and her getting started in yoga. She explained that she started her yoga a little differently. She actually got into mindfulness first. Karen experienced a death in her family and turned to mindfulness to help cope. Her former career was highly involved with researching. So, she took to what she knew and researched. Karen realized she needed to strengthen her emotional capacity. While practicing mindfulness, she realized she really struggled to sit still.

 

So, she decided to try yoga. Karen explained that doing the physical movements of yoga and ending in the final rest helped her to be more aware of her body, breath, and mind. After her first class, she said she slept so well. Karen decided she wanted to research and learn more. She wanted to become certified in yoga. She studied in Kripalu (which I spelled Kurpalo in my jottings), which is near Albany. She lived there while getting certified.

She went on to explain things like the different sutras (rules/guidelines for yoga), the asanas (postures that prepare you for meditation), linages of yoga (different interpretations of original yoga practice, and much more. She definitely focused a little on Eastern vs. Western practices of yoga and how they differ. She also gave me a lot of great additional readings and places to further practice my yoga.

All in all, I thought the interview went very well. There is however, one major thing I would have changed. I wish I hadn’t taken out my notebook. I was so worried about writing everything down (especially since she uses a lot of yoga discourse–which is difficult to spell/remember–when she speaks). However, I think this took away from the interview because she was looking down at what I was writing the whole time instead of making it flow in a dyadic, conversational way (Post Modern Interviewing).

Please take a look at my fieldnotes jottings during the interview…I think you may agree I might have done better if I waited until after!!

 

 

 

 

 

Post-Interview (Online)

I would like to preface this post with a big thank you to Anna Guest-Jelley of @CurvyYoga. She was super willing to answer questions and got them back to me in a, much appreciated, timely fashion. Also, I will be continuing to read her fantastic tweets and blog posts. Thank you, Anna!

We decided email would be the easiest way to contact each other. My expectation was to create questions that had multiple parts to guide the interviewee a little. Also, I included the “why,” “if so,” etc. to make sure the interviewee knew to please elaborate upon the questions. I thought that I would be able to get some good direct quotes from using email and it would be convenient for both interviewee and interviewer to complete or review questions on their own time. Well, I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Post Modern Interviewing–email was not the best approach.

This is not to say I thought the interview went poorly. I believe the interview went well overall; however it could have been better if we did it in a different media. I felt that the questions were not answered the way I thought they would. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I feel if we did it in a different way, follow up questions could have been more easily done. I was looking for a little more elaboration as well, which Post Modern Interviewing said was difficult to do through email.

I did get some great statements from her that I will definitely be incorporating into my article! Also, I learned a little more about “Curvy Yoga.” Anna is the founder of Curvy Yoga and author of Permission to Curve. She explains in the interview that she believes yoga is something for everyone. It doesn’t matter what you look like–there is NO perfect yoga body. You cannot compare yourself to anyone, just enjoy your own practice. I also loved that she mentioned swimming as another fitness exercise she includes and explained how it was similar to yoga (movement coordinated with breath). I thought it was very interesting because it’s not the first time I heard this. A few other yoga instructors had mentioned swimming as something they additionally practice. Coincidence? I think not. 🙂

Below is a copy of the transcript between Anna and I through email. I think you will be able to tell the lack of elaboration I was looking for along with some really great, unexpected, responses. Also, I made sure to follow up email her with a few additional questions (not shown). If I had the chance to do this interview all over again, I would. I think Anna has a lot more to offer and we’ve only just scraped the surface!

Yoga Interview Questions:

• Please tell me a little about yourself. For example: interests/hobbies, profession, etc.

I’m a yoga teacher and writer. I teach what I call Curvy Yoga, which is body positive yoga for people of all shapes and sizes. I’m also a puppies’ mama to two silly dogs.

 

• Tell me about what inspired you to get involved in yoga.

 

I started practicing yoga because I had chronic migraines and I was looking for any way to help with pain management or reduction. That did help, but what kept me there is what I wasn’t expecting to find – body acceptance.

 

• Based on my research, it seems yoga has been “westernized” to concentrate on the fitness benefits of yoga.  Do you feel your yoga practice is more “westernized”: concentrating more on the fitness aspects of yoga, “easternized”: concentrating on freeing your mind and connecting to your body, or a mix of both? Please elaborate.

 

Yoga is rooted in an in-depth foundation called the Eight Limbs of Yoga. This is composed of many different parts, only one of which is yoga asana, or poses. I see my practice as being part of that tradition, where poses are only one part of the practice.

 

• If you work-out in other areas of fitness, do you include yoga in your work-out routines? If so, which aspects do you most commonly include?

 

The benefits of a yoga practice, including flexibility and breath, are beneficial for many other forms of movement. I’m a big fan of swimming, which always feels yogic to me because of how it requires mindfulness and syncing breath and movement.

 

• To outsiders, yoga is often stereotypically seen as a lot of chanting and stretching. Do you feel your yoga practice breaks these stereotypes? If so, please elaborate.

 

I do my best to teach in a way that meets the needs of the students in front of me. So for example, if I’m with a group of beginners, I’m going to use accessible language and pose options.

 

• A lot of your blog posts and tweets explain a bit about “curvy yoga.” Most people think you need the stereotypical skinny, flexible body to do yoga. Can you explain the benefits of every type of person doing yoga?

 

Yoga is a way to connect with and move your own body. Those benefits, which can show up in so many parts of your life, are available for and applicable to people of all shapes and sizes.

 

• Who or what do you feel influences or motivates your practice the most?

 

All the incredible people who are practicing yoga in a way that works for their uniquely awesome body motivates and inspires me!

 

• Do you practice mindfulness or meditation? If yes, please describe your practice of it.

 

I practice meditation more days than not; I typically practice in the morning, but it depends on the day. I see mindfulness as a more moment-to-moment practice, so it’s something I try to infuse in my everyday life – noticing my surroundings, focusing on one thing at a time, paying attention to what’s going on in my body, etc.

 

• What do you find are the biggest challenges or obstacles in yoga?

 

I think it’s a challenge to get started for many people, who might think their body isn’t the type that’s okay for yoga – whether that’s about size, shape, age, flexibility, ability, etc. From there, the biggest challenge is often staying with it.

 

• What do you find to be the most difficult posture in yoga? Why?

 

The most difficult pose is whatever one you have a story about not being able to do. There’s a difference between what might not be available to you physically and what your mind tells you you can’t do. The good news is that yoga is a process that can help you discern that line and meet your body’s needs with kindness.

End Transcript.

After the interview with Anna, I realized, “WOW! I need to research some more about Curvy Yoga.” So, I checked out YouTube to see if she posts any interviews on there. SHE DOES! She posts answers to questions from many of her readers.  I discovered Curvy Yoga has now wide spread throughout the country–and even a little internationally!

Here is a video that I believe really expresses some elements of Curvy Yoga and encourages EVERYONE to get out on the mat to try yoga!

This Yogi’s Improvement

T-Rex Hates Chaturanga… so did I.

It’s truly amazing how much time flies.

I started my yoga research in February and have been taking approximately 2-3 yoga classes a week since then; it’s now April! I feel like I have learned so much about this culture I never truly understood. Now, I am not saying I know everything there is to know about yoga–no one could possibly. It’s such an extensive topic. It’s like a huge tree with a million things branching from the topic. However, I do know a LOT more than I did when I just started out. I have felt myself get better and better with each class. Not only have I learned a lot of the discourse and asanas, but I have seen my practice improve from a mere three months. Yoga is used in many different ways: for managing stress/anxiety, form of physical therapy, stretching, working out–the list is infinite.

Rowan Cheerleading Days 🙂

You may have thought, “how can she tell she is getting ‘better and better with each class’?”

Well…I was a cheerleader for Rowan University during my undergraduate study and we were preparing for a major national competition when I received a lower back injury. Since then, my lower back has given me problems. Sometimes I will simply be walking or turning to face someone in my chair and it gets stuck in place or twinges then throbs. Trying to work out has always been an issue.

 

During my first yoga class, I had to modify the postures A LOT! My biggest problem was with chaturanga. I was unable to get the proper flow from plank to low plank to cobra or up dog to downward dog:

Each time I tried to do this flow, my back would twinge, and I would feel pain–even when I am keeping my body in proper alignment. This is NOT a good thing. Originally I thought, “Well…guess I won’t be doing this very much.” Only problem with that is that it’s a major component of every yoga class I’d taken.

Now, however, I can flow through chaturanga without any pain–as long as I concentrate on my body and keeping my alignment correct. All of the yoga postures have strengthened my back to where I rarely feel back pain in my day-to-day life. I am still very careful while working out and make sure that I go into child’s pose whenever I need that additional counter stretch in my back:

Example of what Child’s Pose Asana looks like.

So, not only has my reading sources research shown that yoga can help improve lower back pain, but I have felt it first hand! I have even seen an improvement in my balance and core strength. Talk about a wonderful improvement; got to love yoga 🙂

Namaste.

 

Looking with Lindsey: Yoga Breakdown & Poses

I’m not sure how many of you are aware of the concept of “Lookings,” but this has been the part of my research that I am most excited about. According to author, Alexandra Horowitz, “Lookings” are “aimed to knock [oneself] awake” (7) by having people walk you through a space and explain to you what they see. Essentially, you are seeing a space in a new way–how they see it. Horowitz believes, “…for some, the way they see the world is part of their very constitution, as with a child, a blind person, or a dog” (8). You could learn different things by seeing it through another’s eyes–every person has their own perspective. Please check out this video to see a little of what I’m talking about:

 

My original idea after reading On Looking was to have a yoga instructor–an expert in the yoga culture–walk me through a yoga studio and show me around. Ironically enough, I discovered a yoga studio was simply flooring and walls. The only other things you bring like your mat, blocks, towel…etc. So, that idea was out. On Saturday morning, yogi power yoga instructor, Lindsey, conducted a “looking” with me. At the studio last week, I discussed it a little bit with her. She said she would be happy to walk me through some yoga poses and answer any questions. So, that’s what the plan is. I was excited because I wanted to ask her to show me what muscles are engaged during which asanas.

I met Lindsey after her first Saturday morning yoga class and before the one I usually go to. I rolled out my mat and she said, “Ok, let’s do your–looking!” So she sat down next to me on the floor, and I explained to her a little more about lookings. Once we were ready to start, I asked her,

“Could you walk me through some poses? Please, explain to me what muscles are engaged in each pose?”

She replied, “Uh,” with a little laugh “all of them.”

“Crap.” I thought to myself. If every muscle is engaged then what will I do.

Thankfully, Lindsey knew what to do. She said “let me start by walking you through a typical yoga class; then, you can see during class (after our meeting) what I mean.”

She began explaining to me that there is a certain order to yoga classes. It’s not just let’s do this pose or let’s do this one! There is a structure behind it.

First, yogis need to get their heart rate up. Sun salutations are done first to open up the chest area, get blood to start flowing, and kick-start your heart rate. I asked her if that is the swan dives and downward dogs? She laughed and said “Yes, you can always tell a person is new from their downward dog.” I was intrigued, so I asked how.

She explained that many people, when beginning, either put all their weight on their wrists, are too high on their toes, their back isn’t rounded up enough, or their feet too close to their hands. As she went through each of those bad forms of downward dog, she modeled the bad examples for me. She said sometimes they think it’s like a plank and try to be tough and hold up their plank. Downward dog is a resting position. Then she showed me how to correct each of those problems. She said muscles people don’t utilize in their down dog–and should–are the finger muscles. You should press weight into your finger tips instead of leaning on your wrists. If their up too high on their toes, they need a simple reminder to press down with their heels–even if their heels aren’t touching the ground, try to get them there. If their back isn’t rounded enough, they are probably not keeping their stomach tight. So, to fix that, they need to pull their belly button into their back…or simply tuck their head in between their upper arms. If their feet are too close to their hands, there is a very simple solution, ask them to go into a plank. From the plank, they should push up into their down dog. Moving from plank to down dog, their hands and feet should stay in the same place.

 

These were all things I would never have know by looking at someone in downward dog; it was fascinating!

 

After talking about this and other sun salutations, she mentioned the remaining flow of the yoga class into lunges/squats–a standing section, balancing (aka my worst nightmare), a twisting section to “wring out” your center and flex the spine, and finally–if there is time–a back bend series to really open the chest before the meditative ending in shavasana. All of the different aspects of the class are all done to prepare you for final portion–meditation.

After she explained a few other poses to me she mentioned micro movements. Lindsey explained that there are so many micro movements you can do to engage certain muscles more than others in your asanas. For example, she had me get into warrior 2. From warrior 2, I placed my right elbow on my right knee and put my left arm into the air, palm out. Then she said, “Now, turn your pinky finger towards your face.” WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It was such a minor movement, but I could feel my forearm engaged through my shoulder and my left side. It was great.

My Warrior Two Asana

Then, during her class, I made sure I paid attention to everything she mentioned in the Looking. She even had to adjust 2 people’s down dogs! It was an absolutely fantastic Looking. Thank you, Lindsey for all of your help!

My Downward Facing Dog Asana

 

My Upward Facing Dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love, Light, Namaste 🙂

Looking Jottings:

My fieldnotes jottings during Looking with Lindsey

Interview Schedule

Interview Schedule

Hot Vinyasa Yogi Power Yoga

Instructor Lindsey Rozmes

Today I had my first Hot Yoga experience at a local studio Yogi Power Yoga. Lindsey was the instructor for the All Levels Vinyasa class I took today. She was upbeat and extremely knowledgeable about her yoga practice. She guided the class fluently and flawlessly.  Lindsey taught her class differently than the few others I have been to making it a new–and enjoyable–experience for me. The class went at a faster pace than I was used to and that really made the class flow. Each movement and position flowed into the next making my muscles feel natural during each combination. There were a two first timer yogis there as well that were able to keep up with the pace of the class well due to Lindsey’s instruction.  She called the poses by name, modeled them, and walked around to observe everyone’s practice while making suggestions for minor adjustments in poses. Also, Lindsey’s constant reminders about breath or micro-movement body adjustments enhanced my practice so I could really enjoy the full effect.

The studio practices a Baptise Power Vinyasa Yoga which concentrates on mind, body, and spirit. I was able to contort my body into poses while thinking about them and my breathing. I also was able to connect my mind to the moment and wipe away all my worries for the time being–even my Core II graduate course! A major workout for my body while giving my mind the relaxation it desperately needs. This was also my first experience with chanting. After taking deep breaths in, we sang OM as a cathartic, relaxing release. However, these weren’t things that intimidated me; the “hot” yoga part is what did. The yoga studio was about 90 degrees that had me dripping sweat onto my yoga mat midway through the class.  I thought hot yoga would make me want to pass out. I was wrong. It was fantastic! I drank a lot of water to stay hydrated and took a couple breaks when necessary that helped me stay focused for the hour and fifteen minute class. Other than that initial fear, I felt I kept up with the regular-going yogis pretty well.  A few poses were new to me, but I think I can get the hang of them the next time I go (which will be more than once and will definitely try to attend their Vinyasa and Vino event!).

Namaste!

Add Yoga to Your Workout Routine

One of the questions I have come across during my research on yoga is “What is yoga for? Exercising or Relaxation?” After taking a few different types of yoga classes, I have discovered that the answer is both! Yoga can be used to get a great work-out or for relaxation.

During many of my recent yoga classes, I have felt my heart rate accelerate. Some of the poses are challenging to do, hold, and breathe. That gives your muscles a stretch, and the balancing your core a workout. At my last session at couple came in and said they had just ran on the treadmill and were ready to relax. At the end of the session, they said they are never working out before yoga class again. They said it was a small workout, but in addition to the run, it was too much.

On the other hand, I utilized a little of my yoga practicing after an intense workout with my trainer. My workout had my body sweating, my heart pounding out of my chest, and my legs feeling like jelly. So, I quickly rolled out my yoga mat and did some of the more gentle yoga poses. I felt my heart rate begin to slow. Then I laid down in shavasana–lying still–to connect and listen to my body and its breathing. Then, I felt relaxed. Although my legs still felt like jelly, I no longer felt my body was in control of me. Instead I was in control of my body.

Example of Savasana–“corpse pose”

I highly suggest to anyone to add yoga to your workout routine. Even if it’s just in place of your usual post workout stretches. It will help calm your heart rate and make you feel relaxed–but not sleepy–after a workout.

Namaste yogis!

My First Yoga Class

Today, I went to the store and bought a yoga mat and was also talked into buying yoga blocks.

Yoga mat and yoga blocks used for extra support.

Yoga blocks are used for supporting your body to be able to do certain positions. After my shopping trip, I took my first yoga class at Virtua Center for Health Fitness. The class I took is a Vinyasa Flow Yoga class for all levels of “yogis” (as people taking the class were referred to the newbies). I thought it may be a lot of chanting, breathing, and stretching. I was sort of right about two.

The class was all about knowing your body and controlling your breathing with the stretches. I was concentrating on how my body felt in certain positions and how it felt taking a breath in versus taking a breath out. At first I felt a little silly, especially because I am not very flexible. However, I was easily at ease because the instructor, Karen, was very kind an explained the process as we went along. She told us when we should breath in or out and how to modify a position if it was too difficult. I had to modify many positions–this is where the yoga blocks really came in handy! I was glad I had them to use. The part of the class that was particularly difficult was balancing. However, I still felt an amazing stretch and relaxation throughout the challenging class.

The relaxation was a new one for me. I have been very busy and stressed, and my muscles were very tight from working out earlier in the week. However, I felt my blood flowing, my muscles working and loosening, and a sense of stress relief. I think tomorrow will really test how much of a workout I got from my first class!

At the end of class, Karen said “Namaste” to everyone and said if we had questions we were welcome to ask her. So, I asked her, “what does ‘namaste’ actually mean?”

Karen smiled her response, “‘the light in me honors the light within you’ or since I said it to the class, ‘the light in me honors the light within each and every one of you.'”

So, Namaste!