Friday, July 22, 2011

A Laugh Out Loud Video Clip featuring Graham Norton and Yoga!

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I absolutely love the great Graham Norton.  I find him to be one of the funniest comedians around.  I was delighted to find this video clip featuring both Graham and yoga!  I just had to share and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!  It features yoga teacher Emily Collins.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Deep Breathing helps anxiety at New Class

Yesterday evening I started a new Hatha Yoga class at the new Yoga4all studio http://www.yoga4all.ie/ .
Anxious not to be late and not sure of the exact location, I eventually arrive twenty minutes early.  There is parking right outside the building which I am immediately happy about.  As usual, this summer, it isn’t a very nice evening and I am glad to park the car nearby.
At first, I am a little unsure if I am actually in the right place.  The only sign I can see is one for ‘Church of the Word’. I assume this is a religious organisation so I anxiously push open the door, visions of being preached at crowding my mind.  I use my yogic breathing to bring myself to my senses and clutching my yoga mat, I venture up the stairs.
The building is silent and echoey and feels a little creepy.  I feel as if I have walked on to the set of Scooby Doo.   I hope nothing scary will happen! Then I see the studio.  I am in the right place after all.
There is nobody around so I tentatively push open the studio door. Still no sign of life.  It’s 5.45pm and the class is due to start at 6pm. I wonder if I got the timing right since the class time had originally been 6.30pm. The studio is large and airy and I like it immediately.  It looks like there will be plenty of space to stretch out and the anti gravity equipment looks interesting.  That will be for a future post!
There are two comfy seats outside the room, so I take one of these and send a few texts. I start to read my book and just before six, I hear signs of life. Three people arrive together and we have a nice chat about the class.  One girl has just started the week before, another has also taken the anti gravity yoga classes and another is a complete beginner.  I feel myself relaxing and enjoy the chat.  More people come and we wonder why we are crowded outside in a small space when the studio is open.  It seems that everyone saw me there and just followed suit!
We all go in together and the teacher arrives.  She is young and agile looking. My insecurity about my age and weight begin but I push them away with a few deep breaths. She asks us to lay out our mats and relax and then the class begins.

I enjoy the class and I am pleasantly surprised at how I manage the postures.  The only ones I have a problem with are the balancing ones.  I am surprised as I had managed tree pose with no wobbles that very morning. The teacher, Tara, is very gentle and smiley and keeps a good eye on us all to ensure we  are doing the Asanas correctly.  I have a little trouble hearing what she is saying at times, but it could be just down to my hearing. I don’t believe there are any poses to help with that! In saying that, with yoga, nothing would surprise me!
I leave the class very happy and vowing I will return to complete my eight classes. For those who are interested the class was at http://www.yoga4all.ie/

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A New Class

Well, since my Tuesday morning Hatha yoga class ended a few weeks ago, I have been attending a class taught by the same teacher on Monday nights. As usual, I am not disappointed with the quality of her classes and have been busy spreading the word.

As a result, I persuaded my friend and her sister to come along to class.  They have done yoga classes elsewhere so were eager to see what this teacher is like.  I am always singing her praises, chiefly because she is fantastic and also because as a woman in her seventies, she is inspirational. You can't blame them being extra curious for this reason!

The evening classes are longer than the morning classes and so, we are learning at a faster pace.  I also find that the evening classes are more challenging for me which is something I am really enjoying.  I am sad to say though, that even though I have been doing yoga for quite a while now, I am still unable for the shoulder stand.  I expressed this sentiment to my teacher at end of class and of course she gave similar wise advice as I received from the wonderful Esther Eckhart over at http://www.yogatic.com/  'Don't be in a rush.  It will come in time. Yoga is about the being and doing not the getting there'

Since these evening classes come to an end for summer next Monday night, I am starting a new class this evening which should take me through the next eight weeks until my normal class resumes again.  If I like it, or it likes me, I intend to do both classes in conjunction  with each other in the future.

I actually got a great deal through the website  http://www.dublinbynumbers.com/ which gathers all daily deals in one place.  I purchased 8 classes for the great price of 39 euros instead of 80 euros and I start this evening. Since it is a new studio,  I was delighted to be able to get a deal to try out their Hatha yoga classes.  The website is at http://www.yoga4all.ie for those who might be interested.

Of course, I am nervous starting a new class with new people in a place I am not familiar with.  I also worry that as a fortysomething first time yogini, I will be the most inflexible in class and will make a show of myself!  However, I have been assured this will not be the case, that there are others signed up who are in the same position and it is a quiet class.

In my saner, yogic moments, I realise that it's better to continue my journey of making changes in mind and body than to be worrying what others think.  As I journey on and try to turn around the years of negativity, drinking and eating too much and general self sabotage that I have done to myself, I hope to keep discovering new and affirming things in life.  And Yoga is definitely top of my list so far!

I look foward to sharing my experiences of my new class this evening so don't forget to check back!

If You Can...................................

Yoga Cat

I came across this recently and loved it.  I think we all strive to be like this especially if we are trying to practice yoga.  I added cat to the last line as I happen to think they are just as enlightened as dogs! Tee Hee!




If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without alcohol,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
Then you probably are,
The family Dog or CAT!