Thankful Thursday rolled around very fast this week, Monday having been a holiday.
But today, I wanted to talk about one BIGGIE that I am thankful for. And I will talk about it in more detail.
2025 is my year to expand and go deep into my yoga practice.
And so far, I am taking this very seriously.
I started taking some in-person classes at Breathe Yoga four years after I stopped (yes, Covid- it’s your fault). And the class that worked out for me was the Saturday morning Ashtanga Half Primary series. That has been going well so far. This class is a set of defined sequence of poses as prescribed traditionally. The poses get harder as they go on. And the beauty of this practice lies in repetition- the meditative qualities that come with repeating something that one knows well. And getting better with the poses, getting stronger as one both, repeats the series day after day, and moves further into the series.
This is the same practice that I have been doing at home in the early mornings. The very beginning of it which involves about 8-10 sun salutations (which can get hard on their own!) as a warm up, and followed by some standing postures. There are some great Ashtanga teachers on Alo Moves and I am learning from them: Mark Robberds and Laruga Glaser
But then, for the holiday Monday, I signed up for a Mysore Yoga class in-person. This was more of a practice than a class. It is not led. Like in a gym, we all go do our own thing together, in Mysore too, we were all on our own journey- from beginner to advanced. And the instructor was there to monitor everyone and their progress. Teaching them the next pose in the series they are working on, or adjusting their postures and giving pointers to do something better- a one-on-one experience in a group setting!
Me being a beginner in this style, my teacher taught me the standing poses and sun salutations- yes the same ones I have been doing every morning at home. But she adjusted me in ways that things just clicked together- I realized how those simple shifts in subtle muscle movements or engagements make a pose feel completely different in a more real way- what an eye-opener!
There is also the emphasis on memorization of the sequence which I did not realize. But it makes perfect sense- people did not have Alo Moves app to lead them on their own practice, but they had to know what to do to repeat it day after day.
Doing the practice at home is amazing because I can always make the time. But going to a Mysore class means I learn the practice properly! The best of both worlds…no?
And going to the group class on Saturdays means I get to see the whole picture of what I am trying to learn in bits and pieces all the rest of the week! Also, doing it with the group energy with a very lovely teacher…
So all in all, in all these three ways of practicing, I am learning, I am growing, and I am thoroughly enjoying my journey. Even though after 5-6 days straight my arms are so very tired from all the downward dog holds! That is where a restorative yoga class comes in from my Alo Moves app.
This is what I am truly thankful for this week: having the resources to get, and the availability of all this knowledge that I am very happy to recieve.