Thursday, June 26, 2008

Shaky in Yoga Class

I couldn't barely hold a downward facing dog today in yoga class. My legs were so shaky. The teacher asked if I had been out dancing all night. Ian was pretty wild in gymnastics class yesterday, but no dancing.

When I first found the Pure Yoga Studio, I just wanted to do the Bikram/Hot Yoga classes because I've gotten great physical results from Bikram and I know what to expect. It is the same breathing and asanas in the same order. I knew it would be a serious class. However, because I am limited by the CDC's Hourly Care time constraints between 8am and 3pm, I started taking classes according to time of day (10am or 12pm), rather than style and got to sample many styles. My opinions:
Every class at this studio is awesome. Every class is tough. I wish I could go every day.

Pure Yoga Studio is clean, calming, beautiful and professional. The teachers are very welcoming and the class is not competitive. The teachers try to push you farther than you think you can go, but on days like today, where I couldn't seem to do anything, they work with you where you are. That is the way I think it should be. The teachers are very well-trained and are always learning and growing. They go to conferences and they work with each other between classes. They teach a variety of styles and enjoy each style rather than proselytizing about the superiority of one particular style or studio. They do not compare themselves to other studios in town, they just welcome to you take class and decide for yourself whether it is right for you or not. It is definitely right for me. I still may do the teacher training in August at Magic Pond, but I highly recommend Pure Yoga. I will write more about Magic Pond when/if I do the teacher training.

Back to the original point of this post, I didn't realize how out of shape I had become though. My body is really out of balance and I am weak. I need to have a routine that I do at home everyday so I can really strengthen myself and get the full benefits of yoga. We also did alternate-nostril breathing today which reminded me that I need to neti and do alternate nostril breathing daily as well, because my right nostril is probably 50% blocked.

If you found this post and are looking for Pure Yoga, it is located on the 4th floor of a building located across the street from the Galleria East in Apgujeong. The biggest sign in English is blue and says, "Prouna". There is also a red Cacherel sign but it is in Korean. There is free valet parking, you just give about 2K won for a tip. It is a 15 minute walk from the closest metro stop (or you can metro and bus). Look up directions to the Galleria for exact stops.

3 comments:

Connie said...

How hard is yoga on the knees? My kneecaps do not track properly and I am highly susceptible to sprains. I used to think muscle training would help... I went to the gym, ran a lot, took karate, etc. Eventually was told I'd need surgery, but am not that desperate (yet). I tried Tai Chi, but holding the bent knee positions hurt after any length of time, and caused swelling which caused long-term pain, and I didn't have a good instructor to help me with alternate positions. So, I just do a lot of walking.. which is boring, and swimming.. which I love, but isn't always convenient. I wouldn't mind trying out another exercise I could do at home or at a gym. So, Mrs. Sampler-of-Yoga-Styles... here's some questions that will hopefully inspire ideas for a future blog post (when/if you have time or inclination):

* What should I look for in a yoga class?
* Questions I should ask an instructor before signing up?
* What do the different styles incorporate in regards to aerobic, muscle training, flexibility, etc.
* Are there differences in styles with regards to goals - ie. I'm not interested in weight loss as the primary goal.. yes, it would be nice.. but I would prefer the focus be on whole body health.

Mama Seoul said...

If you have a good instructor who can help you with modifications and you put towels under your knees, there is definitely a way to do yoga. I will do a post to give my humble opinion on the rest. I had a great yoga teacher at CSA in Maadi, but she moved to Cambodia. As you said, I am a "sampler" so I don't know everything, but I will put together a post to give you some resources.

Connie said...

A "sampler"'s opinion would be perfect! Asking a 'pro' would likely be confusing to beginners like me.