Reflections of a Beginning Yoga Student

Every six weeks or so on Sunday morning I decide to take a yoga class.

Usually, I will trek down to my downtown health club and catch a class taught by an awesome teacher. Often, what discourages me from taking the class is the half hour drive each way – and this effort made even more frustrating that this yoga instructor lives only a block away from me here in Rogers Park.

This morning I decided to avail myself of yoga class in one of Rogers Park’s newer studios, Imagine Yoga (7005 N. Glenwood 773-828-9852) opened just under a year ago.

Over the past few years of sporadically taking classes, I have learned several invaluable lessons about taking a new yoga class; as you will see, I still have a few more to learn.

What I have learned:

1. If you are a relative beginner, try to claim a space in the far back of the room. Our innate need to avoid looking like a fool necessitates we grab a spot in the last row, similar to what we did when we were unprepared for school and you did not want the teacher to call on you. If you are concerned that your mishaps on a yoga floor might lead to the amusement of others, go to the rear of the room. (In reality, most people in yoga classes are immensely kind and helpful, and are considerate enough to be sure that you don’t see them when they chuckle in glee at your foibles.)
2. Find someone to mimic. A great teacher will offer such clear and concise verbal instructions that it ought to be easy to know what you are supposed to do. Perhaps it is because I am a verbal learner, but I need to observe someone else who I decipher early on is a skilled yoga practitioner, and follow him or her (for me, always a “her”) – at least for the easy movements. Heed your instructor’s words when he or she says: “Those of you up for doing more can consider …” and don’t do any more,

What I still need to learn:

1) Bring a towel! I think it happened during a Downward Facing Dog around 25 minutes into the session, when I somehow activated my internal water spigot. Sweat started pouring from my head, and soon enough, my entire T shirt was drenched with sweat. This build up of sweat on my mattress proved to be a challenge as I found myself slipping and sliding on puddles of sweat developing below me.
2) Breathe! Maybe it is the ADD in me, but I continually forget the one adage that all good yoga teachers preach: “Concentrate on your breathing, and you can unleash your full potential.” I know it is true, and for the few minutes when I focus on breathing in and out, I find that I can take my stretches to greater lengths. But soon enough my thoughts start wondering – usually about food – and I realize that I am simply going through motions, following the lead offered by others in the room. Get back on course and start focusing on your breathing once again.
3) Nail your “Downward Dog” position. The one position that nearly all novices try to perfect is the infamous “Downward Dog. This position – sort of like being in a push up, but with your butt high in the air – is the “go to” position that generally leads us to numerous other movements. I think that instructors who enjoy punishing their classes like to hold us on prolonged Down Dog positions. We all like to think that no matter how challenging other poses might be, we know how to Downward Dog. That is why I am always uncomfortable when the instructor is walking near me during this position. “How embarrassing” I think,” for her to correct me on a downward dog.” It would be akin to a youth baseball coach stopping an established baseball player during an at bat, teaching him the basic mechanics of a swing.

Preparing to celebrate its first full year in business, Imagine Yoga Studio is one of several newer yoga studios in Rogers Park, It has an upbeat feel, with friendly instructors, clean, functional facilities, and glistening hardwood floors. The $10.00 fee charged for walk ins is eminently reasonable, and they welcome participants at any level – including klutzes like me. Check out their affordable rates for a series of classes.

This week, this website’s intern, Megan Millard, is submitting a story about local yoga studios, including Imagine, and another new yoga studio further north in town, V Tone Fitness, (1550 W. Jarvis)

Why this focus on yoga?  A good yoga class offers its participants a wonderful approach for coping with life’s stresses; a chance to break away from life’s madness and focus on our inner spirit and wellness. For me, beyond these spiritual benefits, I feel that yoga provides me with a time tested and effective to stretch out various parts of my body and to find inner balance.

Try out any of the community’s opportunities for yoga.

Ommmm!

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