Preface: Oh. My god. I love black swan yoga. This is my favorite workout top ever. Even if you don't practice (I know, if you don't do yoga saying "practice" makes me sound like I'm in a cult. Just roll with it) you should at least follow them on Facebook & Instagram where they are posting hilariousness on the daily. They are a donation based studio that are awesome & I think a great part of this community (I'm a groupy is what I'm getting at). Anyway. Onto your originally posted program:
I don't know what it is about yoga that makes me sweat so much, but it is borderline embarassing.
Scratch that. It's crazy embarassing, because it's not even when I'm in full flow or towards the end of the class like everyone else. It's like, I roll out my mat & I'm a gross sweaty mess! I even have a towel-like mat that I put over my real mat because I can't stay in one place if I don't have that. Just-a-slippin' & a-slidin' all over the place. Ugh. Gross.
It's gross. I'm gross. & yesterday Mike W's (wonderful) class at the Westgate Black Swan location was no exception. What's the opposite of an exception?
Within the first 5 minutes probably, Mike W was all like "let's do crow before we're all to sweaty to get our legs up there, amirite??"
HAHAHAHAHAHA- slip
Scratch that. It's crazy embarassing, because it's not even when I'm in full flow or towards the end of the class like everyone else. It's like, I roll out my mat & I'm a gross sweaty mess! I even have a towel-like mat that I put over my real mat because I can't stay in one place if I don't have that. Just-a-slippin' & a-slidin' all over the place. Ugh. Gross.
It's gross. I'm gross. & yesterday Mike W's (wonderful) class at the Westgate Black Swan location was no exception. What's the opposite of an exception?
Within the first 5 minutes probably, Mike W was all like "let's do crow before we're all to sweaty to get our legs up there, amirite??"
HAHAHAHAHAHA- slip
This is some fancy woman doing crow on the beach- not sweating like she's in a damn sauna- because she thinks she's better than me?!
Aaaand, here are some elephants in crow- keeping it together just fine. Presumably also thinking they are better than me.
Anyway, enough of that.
It was a fantastic class. Mike W is great.
The only thing that I do not like at Black Swan is that within the last year or so the teachers always want us to start the class by introducing ourselves to a stranger. This. Makes. Me. Uncomfortaaaaaable. Only once has that ever gone not totally awkward for me (it actually led to a nice discussion about queso). But, once in my first & ONLY sweaty yoga class (see above: oh, you're going to make this classroom hotter? How could this possibly be bad for me?) an exchange went like this:
ME: hi, I'm Katy
Yogi 1: Hi, I'm Lindsay
Yogi 2: Hi, I'm Justin
Yogi 1: Hey, have you ever been to this class before?
Yogi 2: No, actually this is my first yoga class ever.
ME (thinking I'm still part of the conversation): This is your first class ever?!
Annoyed glares from Yogi 1 & Yogi 2. Obviously I was NOT still part of the conversation.
Yogi 2: Uh... yeah.
ME: Oh, okay. I.... mmmhmm
goes back to picking nail polish off my toes.
So, anyway. That happened.
But I don't know if it's because I got there too late for it or if Mike W is just a goddamn rebel,but there was no meet & greet & all the awkward yogis in the room breathed a breath of relief (the first of many in the next hour to come).
An interesting thing was that Mike W started the class with shavasana (which is always the last pose[?] of the class). For those that don't practice, shavasana is basically just laying there. I mean, I think you're supposed to be focusing on your breathing or setting an intention or sending out good vibes, but it's really just laying there.
I kind of don't care for shavasana. I get so antsy & start thinking of all the things that I could be doing instead of just laying there. My yoga teacher friend, Kelli (whose blog you can read right here!) once told me that those who hate shavasana probably need it the most. But, Mike W said that we should try to find it in every pose. I had never really thought about that. I think that's a nice thought to think.
See, what he meant is-- that calm & serenity you find by just laying there & relaxing, you need to find a way to take that & try to find that calm within yourself when you're holding some super difficult pose for way longer than sanity would allow.
And I love that. I think that rule could be transferred into so many elements of life. Stressed at work. Find Shavasana. Fighting with your love. Find Shavasana. Stuck in traffic?!?!? Find it. (I know nothing is more infuriating. Traffic maybe when you need it most)
I think this guys doing OK with it:
It was a fantastic class. Mike W is great.
The only thing that I do not like at Black Swan is that within the last year or so the teachers always want us to start the class by introducing ourselves to a stranger. This. Makes. Me. Uncomfortaaaaaable. Only once has that ever gone not totally awkward for me (it actually led to a nice discussion about queso). But, once in my first & ONLY sweaty yoga class (see above: oh, you're going to make this classroom hotter? How could this possibly be bad for me?) an exchange went like this:
ME: hi, I'm Katy
Yogi 1: Hi, I'm Lindsay
Yogi 2: Hi, I'm Justin
Yogi 1: Hey, have you ever been to this class before?
Yogi 2: No, actually this is my first yoga class ever.
ME (thinking I'm still part of the conversation): This is your first class ever?!
Annoyed glares from Yogi 1 & Yogi 2. Obviously I was NOT still part of the conversation.
Yogi 2: Uh... yeah.
ME: Oh, okay. I.... mmmhmm
goes back to picking nail polish off my toes.
So, anyway. That happened.
But I don't know if it's because I got there too late for it or if Mike W is just a goddamn rebel,but there was no meet & greet & all the awkward yogis in the room breathed a breath of relief (the first of many in the next hour to come).
An interesting thing was that Mike W started the class with shavasana (which is always the last pose[?] of the class). For those that don't practice, shavasana is basically just laying there. I mean, I think you're supposed to be focusing on your breathing or setting an intention or sending out good vibes, but it's really just laying there.
I kind of don't care for shavasana. I get so antsy & start thinking of all the things that I could be doing instead of just laying there. My yoga teacher friend, Kelli (whose blog you can read right here!) once told me that those who hate shavasana probably need it the most. But, Mike W said that we should try to find it in every pose. I had never really thought about that. I think that's a nice thought to think.
See, what he meant is-- that calm & serenity you find by just laying there & relaxing, you need to find a way to take that & try to find that calm within yourself when you're holding some super difficult pose for way longer than sanity would allow.
And I love that. I think that rule could be transferred into so many elements of life. Stressed at work. Find Shavasana. Fighting with your love. Find Shavasana. Stuck in traffic?!?!? Find it. (I know nothing is more infuriating. Traffic maybe when you need it most)
I think this guys doing OK with it:
oh, my good god. This picture makes me giggle so much. Get it? Do you get it? I'm sorry if you don't get it. Anyway, back to the class.
It was so super hard you guys! Which is a good thing. I hadn't been to class in a while & I really needed it, but I was spent before the class was even kinda over. There were a lot of balancing poses which is OK. I need work on my balance, but it's so weird. I cannnnnnnnot balance on my right foot. Can't do it. Not for 5 seconds.
There were also a lot of binds. Which I love. I love binds.
It was so super hard you guys! Which is a good thing. I hadn't been to class in a while & I really needed it, but I was spent before the class was even kinda over. There were a lot of balancing poses which is OK. I need work on my balance, but it's so weird. I cannnnnnnnot balance on my right foot. Can't do it. Not for 5 seconds.
There were also a lot of binds. Which I love. I love binds.
Like this one: Now, I kind of stop at the first picture. But when balancing on my left leg & stretching my right leg I can usually straighten that leg for a solid 3 seconds before loosing my balance. So, that's fun. But oh boy. It feels awesome once you get it down. Even if you can't do the full fancy leg point. It's still great for your chest, legs & core. Also, getting your heart rate up! (I got these pictures here. I'm not sure exactly how I'm supposed to give props where props are due. But here are my props)
So, needless to say, that today I am a damn sore mess. My shoulders, glutes & obliques are killing, but in a great way.
Oh! But this morning I went to the gym to get my arm day out of the way. As you may remember, I hate hate hate hate front raises. So I've been pushing myself with them. I'm in the mind set that the more I do them the less I'll hate them eventually. So, anyway today after about rep 3 when I was just wanting to quit & cry because those dumbells are stupid & I hate them & I'm telling mom.. I paused & told myself to find my savasana here. Surely, there has to be some part of me that isn't rejecting this workout. Find that calm & apply it to this situation.
I mean, it didn't really do anything, but maybe I just haven't channeled it yet. Ya know? I just gotta... tap into it?
Anyway, I leave you with this dog who has MASTERED shavasana (which I have said so many times while writing this post that it no longer sounds like a word to me. Not that it's really an every day word anyway)
So, needless to say, that today I am a damn sore mess. My shoulders, glutes & obliques are killing, but in a great way.
Oh! But this morning I went to the gym to get my arm day out of the way. As you may remember, I hate hate hate hate front raises. So I've been pushing myself with them. I'm in the mind set that the more I do them the less I'll hate them eventually. So, anyway today after about rep 3 when I was just wanting to quit & cry because those dumbells are stupid & I hate them & I'm telling mom.. I paused & told myself to find my savasana here. Surely, there has to be some part of me that isn't rejecting this workout. Find that calm & apply it to this situation.
I mean, it didn't really do anything, but maybe I just haven't channeled it yet. Ya know? I just gotta... tap into it?
Anyway, I leave you with this dog who has MASTERED shavasana (which I have said so many times while writing this post that it no longer sounds like a word to me. Not that it's really an every day word anyway)
peace out, bitches
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