Continuing with Donavan Wilson's comments on yoga classes in the DC area, he recounts three recent experiences: in a well-established studio, in a small studio operating out of loaned facilities (typical of how many studios get started), and in a store.

"Support Your Center: A Workshop on Core Strength" with Sheree Mullen, March 2008

This was my first class at Willow Street Yoga Center and it lived up to its reputation. Ms. Mullen offered an unorthodox and fun workshop that focused on postures that target the core. Sheree's approach was to try postures in a different way. A few participants fell on the floor in an effort to keep up. No one was injured. The participants ranged from beginner (one male student's first yoga class) to advanced students. Students encouraged Mullen to offer a second workshop in the future.

Gerri Smith, Calm Unity Yoga, December 2007.

Geri Smith manages Calm Unity Yoga, which offers classes a few days in the week. The "studio" is a carriage house located next to the Art Barns in the Kentlands, Gaithersburg. Calm Unity offers blankets, blocks, straps and mats for individuals. I participated in Hatha class (Saturday from 11:30 to 12:45). It was small (6 or 7 people), which provided an opportunity for the instructor to give students more one-on-one guidance. The class challenged me and it was a rewarding experience.

Lululemon Athletica in Bethesda, June 29, 2008

I went to a Sunday class at the Bethesda Lululemon Athletic, a high-end store that sells Yoga-inspired athletic apparel. It provides a free Yoga class that starts at 6. Laura Greene, who teaches at the Sacred Space Yoga in Rockville, is a wonderful instructor with a thick English accent. I enjoyed the class SO MUCH. Each week Lululemon will provide a different instructor. Lululemon's staff wants to provide a class every day! I hope they succeed.

Labels: class, dc_yoga, workshop

Labels: class, core, shoulders, spine

Labels: life style, news, Stephanie

Since I am allowing other people to have a voice on the blog today, I am also going to link to Video on TED.com: Raul Midon plays "Everybody" and "Peace on Earth", a songwriter, musician, and singer with a soulful voice for his complex, stirring lyrics.

You can watch a second video, "All the Answers" and "Tembererana". His personal website and MySpace.

Labels: inspire, music, videos

Donavan Wilson and I have been exchanging e-mails for a while, ever since we both attended a master Ashtanga class at Thrive Yoga and did not introduce ourselves to each other. He has sent me his comments on taking yoga classes at Bally's Total Fitness, two locations, four teachers. Since gyms are where many people get their start with yoga, I thought it would be helpful to include his remarks here. In fact, he's so positive about the experience, I'm tempted to try them out. So this is the first experiment with an outside contributor on this blog (not counting the comments that crop up once in a while).

Bally's Total Fitness, Gaithersburg, Maryland Sherry Rubin and Mireille "Mimi" Lafontant

Mimi: Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm

Mimi's offers a very demanding Yoga class. This class combines elements of Pilates, Power Yoga and Hatha Yoga. She begins each class by asking each participant, "What would you like to work on your body today?" She adjusts the class accordingly to the needs of her students. Mimi's emphasis on core training is consistent from week to week. She pushes her students to there limit, by holding postures very long time. However, with each posture Mimi offers options and modifications for beginner, intermediate and advanced students. Mimi's passion for pushing her students and developing their strength is very clear. You will work up a sweat in this class.

Sherry: Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 and Sunday at 10:00 (all morning)

Ms. Rubin has four years of teaching experience. Sherry's teaching style is a blend of different styles of Hatha Yoga. Rubin injects humor and pleasant outlook into her classes. Unlike Mimi, Rubin does not push her students as hard.She offers modifications depending on the experience of each student. Also, Sherry is very good at correcting students regarding their form. This reviewer can tell that Ms. Rubin has spent years in a Yoga Studio as practitioner. Rubin often demonstrates new postures before students attempt them. Rubin is very user friendly and outgoing instructor.

Bally's Total Fitness, Wheaton, Maryland Peter Gibbon and Diane Brown

Peter: Saturdays at 11:45-12:45

An instructor and Co-Director of the Peaceful Path Yoga Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland, Gibbon has a background in Kripalu Yoga and has 500 hours of certification as an instructor. Gibbon's Saturday Yoga class at Bally Total Fitness at Wheaton is a mixed-level approach. Gibbon covers the traditional postures (Warrior I, Triangle and Plank). Gibbon is walking across the aerobic room to check the form and posture of each student. Also, Gibbon is in front of his class demonstrating proper form. For individuals looking for traditional mixed-level class in a gym setting, I highly recommend Gibbon. Throughout the course of the class, Gibbon injects his brand of humor with a very thick New England-Massachusetts accent.

Diane: Thursdays at 7:30

This review can not capture or describe Ms. Brown's joy for teaching and life. Brown incorporates both Yoga and Pilates into her class. Brown is often wearing a smile and talking up a storm to distract students, in her efforts to push them. Brown's energy and enthusiasm is contagious. She does not push as hard as some instructors. What Brown lacks in pushing, she makes up in an interesting blend of Yoga postures and Pilates moves.

Labels: class, dc_yoga, studios, teachers

Back at Thrive Yoga for a vinyasa flow 2 class with Christine Peterson. She has been assisting Ana Forrest, the widely respected West Coast yoga teacher, which says a lot about Christine's capabilities. (If you've never seen Ana Forest's peformance at Yoga Journal Conference in Boston in 2006, you owe it to yourself to see how far yoga can take you). As far as I know, this was her first class at Thrive, and there were more than a dozen students so the word had definitely gotten out.

In a few words, Christine gives a mean class (and this was a vinyasa class, not Forest Yoga): I took a small hand towel to mop up my sweat; I should have taken a beach towel. Aside from some work on inversions, which was really more prep work, there was nothing really beyond a 2-level class. But she hit a couple of areas in which I am really weak and tight, and then doubled back and hit them again. Shoulders, especially in Dolphin pose and other preps for getting into Feathered Peacock Pose (Pincha Mayurasana). Core, core, core. This blog entry isn't long enough to mention all the poses and sequences that hit my core muscles.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. My experience Monday with more open hips did not turn out to be a fluke. Today, I came very close to getting into Double Pigeon pose (Agnistambhasana). I didn't want to push it too hard because of the stress the pose puts on the knees, but I was closer than I ever dreamed I would be mid-way through my fourth year of yoga. I also went more deeply into One-Legged King Pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana). It's as if I stopped clenching my muscles and that loosening of tension allowed my hips to open up.

Labels: class, core, hips, shoulders, teachers

On Monday evening, I went to a vinyasa 2 class at Thrive Yoga to make up for missing my normal Sunday class. I was met with a teacher substitution: Mary Lou McNamara was replacing Lisa Johnson because of vacation travel. Both followed the Anusara style so there was an underlying continuity between the two. I was breezing through the class without really being tested to my edge when we moved into the seated practice and I was hit by an unexpected breakthrough: Mary Lou asked us to get into Lord of the Fishes pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana). Almost without thinking, I slipped into the pose, which requires me to fold one leg under as a kind of base and the other leg is placed over it, with the foot on the ground -- it requires that both sit bones be on the ground. In the recent past, this kind of contortion was beyond my reach: one hip would be torqued up in the air and I would be completely out of balance. I'd have to extend the bottom leg out before me or put a lot of blankets under one hip. Well, this time, both my sit bones were firmly planted on the mat and my spin could sit squarely over my hips, allowing a smooth even twist when completing the pose. We quickly moved on to other poses, and I could not fully appreciate what had happened.

Let me say that I have not made Lord of the Fishes pose as one of my goals, like full or half Lotus pose. I only practiced it whenever it rarely came up in class, unlike say half pigeon pose that almost always gets thrown into the mix. I recognized Lord of the Fishes as another manifestation of my tight hips, and some day I would move beyond this corporal legacy of sitting in chairs and slumping over keyboards.

Ironically, since coming back from vacation, I have been grousing about how hard it has been to regain my stamina in jogging. My legs seemed dead weight and fatigued. Well, part of this muscular fatigue is probably because the connective tissues between my legs and hips are having to move in new and different ways, while tolerating a lot more range of motion in my hips. As I've said here before, I often feel as if I am teaching myself to run all over again.

Labels: class, hips, milestone, teachers

I've been given access to the Gaiam Yoga Club with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman. I guess, in return, I'm supposed to give feedback about my experience and perhaps write about it here.

The program of videos, podcasts and print media runs for 12 weeks, and is meant for the beginner who is practicing at home. My first impression is that it's a really polished product, with high production values on the handful of videos that I've seen so far. There's a lot of material to be absorbed, even when you're not starting from scratch. Normally, this online service costs $5 a week, billed quarterly (every 13 weeks). So I am being offered the equivalent of $60 to participate, assuming that the invitation was for the whole program. I just wanted to get that out front from the beginning.

What surprised me the most is that given the high profiles of Yee and Saidman on the yoga scene, the backing of a major retailer in the lifestyle business, like Gaiam, and the strong investment already made in the product, I'm surprised that I had not heard about this service before. It was launched in May, but I have not seen much promotion for it, and I do get a fair share of yoga-related e-mails for products, retreats, and other matters. For instance, I was trying to find a graphic, a banner ad or something like that to illustrate this blog posting, and I google the web for the one displayed here. There was no spot on their website that offered graphics or a media kit.

Teresa and I outside the El Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain on our vacation earlier this month.

I took in a Vinyasa Flow 2 class at Thrive Yoga with Lisa Johnson teaching this evening. Although it was a demanding class, I felt really comfortable within my body and the parameters of the class. Lisa is a really thorough Anusara teacher who goes out of her way to explain and demo what she's asking of us. Sometimes, she showed us herself; other times, she had one of the students follow her instructions and she adjusted. We did a lot of prep work for handstands and other inversions, especially getting the arms, shoulders and torso correctly aligned. Lots of work against the wall. Because I have tight shoulders with extremely limited range of movement in some directions, I appreciated the opportunity to explore my edge. Even though I worked up a sweat, the class did not push me aerobically, which was fine with me after yesterday.

So I walked out my the class without any of yesterday's complaints. I'm glad that I did not skip my yoga class because I was afraid of repeating the experience. And now, I'm pushing my bedtime back so that I can jot down these ideas before the trail goes stale.

Labels: class, shoulders

In my previous blog entry, I said that I was "back in stride." I take that back. Yesterday, I went running at midday and barely got through an abbreviated 2.5 mile route on the Mall. Admittedly, the sun was strong and the temperature was several notches above what I've been running in. I was drained by the time I got back. In the evening, I had a commitment to take in a vinyasa one class with my daughter at Flow Yoga Center. Once again, I was really fatigued by the class. I got home, ate a quick, light dinner and then went to bed and slept for eight hours.

I have done this "running and yoga in the same day" thing before and been fine, just what would be expected in terms of physical fatigue. I've even had to calm myself down after a double sesison because my yoga practice frequently restored my energy levels and made me more alert.

I do have an inflamed throat that may be a sign of another sinus infection, which would explain some of the fatigue since the infection would drag on my energy levels. Just confirms that I need to listen to my body and follow its signals.

Labels: class, conditioning, running, Stephanie

Proof that I was actually in Spain (Segovia in this case), not at a meditation retreat in Nepal. My wife can take credit for this photograph.

This weekend I went to Susan Bowen's vinyasa class on Saturday and Sunday. I also put in an hour on the elliptical trainer and the treadmill at the gym so I feel that I have gotten back up to speed on my yoga and conditioning after my vacation break. It may be a while before I am up to full strength because I still feel the fatigue in my shoulders from lots of planks, Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana), and Upward-Facing Dogs (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana). On Saturday, it was a student's birthday so Susan made us do 40 vinyasas to honor her.

This 10-day process to get back into my exercise routine drives home a simple lesson: the mature adult's body takes a long time to adapt to more rigorous and skilled endeavors. I started running nine months ago, but seriously only less than six months ago. I should lower my own expectations about what I can achieve, both in the short and the long term. Instead of thinking about having lost training time due to my break, I should look at the two weeks as an opportunity for my body to relax and chill out. Although I can run three miles, it does not mean that I need to do it, especially given the wear and tear on my muscles after years of inactivity. I need to incorporate ample recovery time so that I don't stress my body too much. Hints of shins splits are a clear warning in that respect. It's not like I'm on a training schedule for a half-marathon (or any competition, for that matter).

I think it's been providential that I got into yoga before running. My gradual learning of yoga allowed me to ramp up the physical demands on my body gradually while enhancing my body awareness. Yoga's emphasis on breathing gives me a value instrument for measuring exertion while jogging. I've been using the ChiRunning technique of Danny Dyer to give me a training method in keeping with my yoga approach. I've actually had to teach my legs and core how to run, and that's included some minor pain as muscle groups have found new uses.

Labels: breathing, class, conditioning, photos, running

If you ever need an intellectual motivation to get you off your butt and into an active program of exercise, read Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey (Little Brown and Company, New York, 2008). I found it an informative read, which gave compelling arguments why you should engage in systematic physical exercise. He mined thousands of scientific research papers to underpin his work in objective findings. He synthesizes the information into 303 pages, but wrapped it in an engaging narrative around it so that you don't fall asleep due to dry scientific writing. He also drew on his own case studies with patients and a few amazing experiments in applying physical exercise to learning environments. Ratey's subheading to the title is "Supercharge your mental circuits to beat stress, shapen your thinking, list your mood, boost your memory, and much more." Sounds as if he's peddling some kind of miracle drug, but it's just plain, ol' sweat, muscles and grunts.

"The prescription ... varies from varies from person to person, but the research consistently shows that the more fit you are, the more resilient your brain becomes and the better it functions both cognitively and psychologically." (p. 247)

To cut to the chase, his formula calls for 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise, usually running or equivalent intensity exercise, six times a week. On two days, he recommends five short sprints (30 seconds max) injected into a normal session (the max intervals seem to trigger the body's optimization). Strength-training helps maintain or build muscle and bone mass, which can be affected by the aging process. Ratey also suggests that yoga, tai chi, martial arts or other similar activities be added to improve balance and flexibility, as well as body awareness and concentration. Obviously, it takes time, discipline and effort to work up to the condition of being able to sustain aerobic exercise for such long periods, but you will be rewarded.

Exercise has an impact on the brain's neuroplasticity, creating new neurons as the building blocks. Ratey covered stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, addiction, hormonal change (menopause in women) and aging in separate chapters. Far and away the best thing you can do for your brain power, mental health and physical well-being is an active daily exercise regime.

Ratey gets down to the complex, inter-related chemical processes and components that create and balance the neurotransmitters that fire up the brain within the human body. Ratey's conclusions are not new. There has been a steady drumbeat of stories in newspapers, magazines and on the web about how physical exercise can radically improve mental performance, ward off illnesses and aging and overcome mental disorders, like depression. He emphasized that it's necessary to engage in physical exercise every day, both to make it a consistent habit and to make the body respond appropriately.

Ratey is a researcher and neuro-psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School who earned a reputation working on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). More information is available on his website and his blog, which links to news stories and features about his new book.

Labels: brain_science, conditioning, health, reading, running

No running yesterday because I took pity on my legs after jogging two days in a row. Instead, I went to Flow Yoga Center to take a vinyasa class with Stephanie, our first class together in over a month. I'm glad that Steph picked a level-one class because my shoulders and biceps were sore from the previous evening's class. The nice thing about level-one classes is that they make you concentrate on the basics -- form, breathing, ease.

Today, I ran with a work colleague who kept up the pace and made me call for mercy two-thirds of the way through. But I put in my time, just as I show up on the mat.

I am sorry to be boring people with whining about how hard it is to get back into the swing of yoga practice and running. It just makes me feel my age and the risk of atrophy. I will try to shift into more engaging subject matter.

Labels: class, running, Stephanie

I got an e-mail message from Christine (:Brahmi:) Romero at St. Mark's Yoga. She will be leading a Laughing Yoga session on Sunday, June 22, 2:30-3:30. This style of yoga has been getting a lot of notice recently so it should be interesting. St Mark's Yoga, located on Capital Hill, will be hosting Kirtan with As Kindred Spirits on Sunday, July 27 at 2:00-3:30. The group has been playing at local yoga studios, as well as up and down the east coast. It has a CD and is preparing a second. More information about the group at their site where you can sample their sound.

Labels: dc_yoga, music

I ran again today at midday, committed to getting my stamina and wind back. I took the full three-mile route on the Mall at an easy pace, but my legs felt like tree trunks, wooden, heavy and unforgiving. I wish I had kept up a more rigorous exercise regime during my vacation, but that's asking a lot. Considering how much time I spent on my feet and walking, I'm surprised that my legs seemed so out of shape.

I finally got my first yoga class in more than three weeks, going to Thrive for a Level 2 class with Dana Cohen. She gives a very athletic class, with sensitive, deep adjustments. It was Dana's last class for a while: she's going on what she calls her "summer tour," and will be missed. When I walked out of the studio, I noticed that my body core and legs felt completely different, unrestrained and balanced. That must be one of the things that yoga does for my body, I said to myself.

Labels: class, running

I ran my three-mile route on the Mall yesterday, finally ample to sustain my pace for the whole distance while welcoming a breather at a couple of stoplights. I did not feel fatigued afterwards, and it cleared up my mind substantially for the afternoon workload. I really think that my employer should pay me for running at lunch hour (well, in a way it does). I still have gone to a yoga class yet. Too many special events (Father's Day), housekeeping tasks (how dirty a house gets in two weeks' absence), and work deadlines.

I now really appreciate the set of habits that I welded onto my daily routine to keep me coming back to my yoga and meditation practice. Vacation relieves the stress of daily life, but it also disrupts the maintenance habits. It's really taken an act of will power to start running again, and hopefully Wednesday evening I get back to Thrive.

Labels: running

Labels: dc_yoga, philosophy