week 5

For the inclass portion of my practice I found it to be quite challenging. I liked it and hated it at time. I like that it was more of a challange but I also hate that I had to take breaks to get back down to normal. There was a lot of focus and trying to do headstands yeah....... not me! For my weekly practice I practiced with Brittany again at Grace and Glory. This place seems like a community to me everyone in the classes talk before hand are all on first name basis and they also welcome you and listen to you as if you're the only one in the room. When I go there I don't feel judged, I feel as if they help me along when I know I can't do certain positions. I am a very shy person and I normally do not talk unless being talked to. While at GG that feeling went away as soon as the front desk host said hello. Something about that place feels like I've known these people for longer than just a few weeks.

Week 4

This week in class we practiced Iyengar yoga. I enjoyed this yoga practice because it was much more relaxing focusing on our breaths and our posture. The instructor Annie walked around to help us get deeper in the position and to also help us if she saw we were having a hard time. Earlier this week i attended a all levels power yoga at Grace and Glory with instructor Brittany. Once again this class was a heated class. First we started out in an OM then started to get right into positions. This was my first classes attending this type of class. In the class you can tell that there were people who have been doing yoga for a long time and people who were like me, only recently starting. There was not breaks in between positions. We just flowed right into the next position as it was one long position. Overall, I liked the Iyengar yoga best this week. For me, I like to do yoga as a relaxation tool not so much for an exercise.

week 3

As we practiced bikram yoga in class on Thursday, it was different than the one I practiced. I again did bikram yoga at Grace and Glory with Brittany in Northfield. The bikram in class on Thursday was not as intense as the one at Grace and Glory. The instructor that came into class, he name was Kris. Kris went through the poses nice and slow and didn't rush through. At Grace and Glory, we rush through them as its just one big motion. I can not keep up and it's hard enough with sweating bullets slipping all over the mat. On Thursdays class it was more of a strengthening practice to me. At Grace and Glory yoga is interpreted at exercise, in my opinion, there isn't much time to "relax" and focus on our breaths. Sure maybe once I get the positions down and can understand what they are talking about then sure maybe it'll be relaxing. But for my, bikram yoga is a form of exercise. I would prefer doing Kris's form of bikram. Still need to practice more!

week 2

For this weeks yoga session, I went to a place around me called Grace and Glory yoga in Northfield. I probably should of done my research on Bikram yoga, since we were discussing it in class I thought I'd give it a shot. WELL! come to find out they set the room at 100 degrees with humidifiers scattered around the room. Turned fans off, closed all windows and doors and off they went with their practice. It was much harder for me personally than my last weeks session. This was more of a "workout" than before. It was a lot of strengthening positions and I am not the one who can balance on my hands with my knees tucked under my armpits. My instructor Brittany first had us lay out our mats and sit down and start to om. Then jumped right into the practice. She came around and would push us deeper into the position. As she was walking around she was talking and to be completely honest I had no idea what she was talking about. All I was concentrating on was how hot I am and how these positions are incredibly hard.

What makes this place a sacred place would be the vibe they give off to each person. When you first walk into the studio you kind of get this sense of calming. Everyone coming into the reception to sign in is friendly with each other. I felt very welcoming on my first time they asked for my information, why I wanted to try yoga, if i have ever tried before, and if I have any medical conditions they need to be aware of. When you walked into the room where the practice takes place the lights were dimmed the fans going very slowly people laying on their mats, eyes closed, in pure relaxation. For my next week's class I think I'm going to try something a little different a little less exercise and a little more meditation. :)