The second class that we took this week was led by Andrew Eppler and was Ashtanga yoga! This class was really enjoyable for me and by far my favorite I have taken so far. My first impression of this practice was that it was definitely more fast paced than Iyengar was which I enjoyed. The poses were quite dynamic and I felt it was a good challenge for the body.

    I noticed that Andrew put a large emphasis on warming up before getting into the grunt of the class. I felt this was very beneficial and allowed my muscles to loosen up before getting into the more difficult poses that came later in the practice. I am not sure if this is just something that Andrew promotes or if all Ashtanga pracice's allow for a good solid warmup, but either way I found it very helpful. As the class progressed and eventually came to an end I noticed a lot of lower back relief and I felt very good and nimble. This feeling carried with me throughout the remainder of the day and I just felt good overall. I definitely can see why people practice Ashtanga and as Andrew said, should be practiced every day. I did however have a somewhat tough time pacing my movements in accordance with my breathing, I would assume that It would take months or years of constant practice to be able to master this aspect of Ashtanga.

    I really enjoyed Andrew as an instructor, he allowed me to really enjoy the class. I was very pleased with my state of mind upon finishing the class and would definitely want to take another Ashtanga practice in the near future. I found it extremely beneficial for not only my physical body, but also my mental state and I feel it is hard to come by practices that enhance both of those aspects of life. I feel that it is a very special thing to have and am very glad to have participated in this Ashtanga practice.

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