3/19/11

In the last post I made, I made note of the fact that the class sizes had been very small for the past two saturdays with Steve as the teacher. Well, the class size grew this weekend. From what I could gather from conversations, he gradually gathered more and more followers as he substituted for more and more classes.
The practice was pretty much identical to the previous week, but I did notice a slight change in Steve. Since he was a couple weeks in now he definitely became more comfortable with the setting and people. He still practiced at the same time as the rest of us, not walking around the room, but this time he was more vocal, making some verbal corrections to people from his spot at the front of the room. I also feel that even though it was the same practice as the prior week that there was a little better flow to it, which I would also attribute to his growing comfort.
One thing that I have benefited from by doing his practice is my hips have gotten more work, and feel a little more open. Every practice that I have gone to with him as the teacher has had a segment that focused on the hip area.
Since this was the last time I will probably see him, unless he substitutes again I would like to say that he was a very polite and friendly gentleman and I enjoyed having him as a teacher.

3/12/11

This was my second saturday where Steve was the teacher. The class was very small, i think there were only three people there. I also noticed that the class the previous saturday, which Steve was the teacher for was very light on people as well. When I first started going to saturday classes the room was filled from wall to wall. I think this change in class size has to do with the comfort everyone feels with Jen as a teacher. When people choose a yoga studio or class to attend, the teacher plays a large part in that decision. A practitioner of yoga develops a certain raport or relationship with a teacher, and people being creatures of habit tend to not like change. Basically, it seems like when Jen went on break so did everyone else.
Overall it was a good class. He progression and sequence is different from Jens, and he also has us do quite a few different postures that I have yet to do with Jen. So for me having a substitue teacher is a nice change of pace because it mixes things up a bit. I actually wouldn't mind if there was a different teacher every couple of weeks, it would keep the practice fresh and interesting because each teacher has there particular preference in postures.
On a side note, I noticed that Steve like to play the music quite a bit louder than Jen or Alice. It is still the same genre of music though. Also, he plays the music from his ipod while they play them from CDs.

Sivananda Yoga

Sivananda was a nice change from the prior week, which was Ashtanga. It was definitely a milder practice, and as Astanga did, it brought in some postures that I hadn't done before. I feel that Sivananda is a good middle ground of Yoga, its not to slow and boring, where you spend 20 minutes on one posture, and it isn't to fast and challenging like Ashtanga.

Ayurveda

After going through the sheet and checking off the different characteristics I am definitely a Pitta type. Just about every description of a Pitta, described me. Also, as we went through class and talked about each doshic personality I felt that I strongly pulled in the direction of Pitta. At the same time I feel I am more balanced than filling out the check marks on the sheet makes me out to be. In class we talked about how Pitta's can be easily bothered by changes and spontaneity, but I like being spontaneous. I feel that there is a time and place for structure and plans, and a time and place for traveling off the beaten path and being spontaneous. Although I am clearly a Pitta, I am not as overbearing, and feel that I have the ability to be calm and understanding. Overall, I feel that I am a pretty well-balanced individual.

3-5-11

I was not able to make practice this week. I wanted to go on saturday as I usually do, but was unable to because I didn't make it out of work til 9:15AM. I'll make up the day before the end of the semester.

Ashtanga

I definitely find Ashtanga to be a difficult practice. I am a type A personality that likes to be challenged, but I would still shy away from Ashtanga as a practice, especially at this point in time. I feel as though Ashtanga should be a secondary practice. You should start with a practice like Iyengar first, where you will be taught how to do each asana correctly, and where as a beginner you can gradually progress to the more difficult asanas. In Ashtanga you delve into difficult positions right away, and many of the binds it would probably take me years before I was even able to come close to doing them. I also felt that they didn't have enough progression built in to deal with individuals who have never practiced yoga before. There isn't a move that beginners can do in place of the more difficult one to help them progress to the difficult one. One thing I will say about Ashtanga is it definitely heats up your body quickly. I was actually able to get deeper into my downward dog and forward folds than I usually can because my muscles were warmed up quickly. Ashtanaga has a much faster pace to it than I thought it would have as well, it almost feels like your are rushing through the practice. In summation, Ashtanga isn't for the first time yogan, its a practice that needs to be worked up to. Once you get to the level of Ashtanga, it can take you beyond what you thought physically possible.

2-26-11

February 26th I walked into yoga nine and there was a substitute teacher, Steve. Now that I have been going to yoga on a weekly basis and have practiced under multiple teachers I am definitely noticing how each teacher is different, and how much the teacher controls the atmosphere of the room. The general practice was much like all of the past saturdays that I have been to, we did a vinyasa sequence. The big difference was his teaching style in comparison to Jen's. Jen and Alice, whom I have done yoga with at all my previous sessions, don't spend much time on their mat doing the different asanas that they call out. They spend a majority of their time going around and correcting form in each posture, walking between the row of mats. Steve on the other hand spent his whole time on his mat performing every motion that he called out. I have two theorized reasons as to why he takes this approach to teaching. Number one, because he was new to the class and didn't feel comfortable yet. And number two, because he is a male teacher in a class that is largely filled with female practitioners. Jen and Alice have no problem using their hands to fix some ones form in an asana, but as a male touching a female to fix a posture it becomes a little bit more awkward of a situation. This is especially true when from my experience there are new comers on a daily basis, who may not be familiar with the practice or comfortable with the idea of a teacher touching them to correct their form. The next time I practice with him I will see if anything changes in his teaching style.