On Thursday this week in class we participated in a Bikram style yoga instruction. The class was led by Diane Polli and lasted around 90 minutes. This was my first time not only participating in a Bikram class but also hearing of it, this patented style of yoga was one I was unfamiliar with. from what I understand, the practice consists of the same 26 movements for each class and has very devoted followers who practice this type of yoga. 

    I personally felt the difficulty of the intended movements were above what I am currently capable of. I quickly found myself getting sore and unable to properly perform the movements. the muscle stretch and constant tension was enjoyable and beneficial for my overall physical benefit but again felt myself unable to be able to keep up and properly perform the movements. I also found it to be quite difficult to understand exactly what it was we were supposed to be doing just by listening to Diane without her performing the movements herself as an example. if I was to not look over the 26 movements prior to the class I would have been very lost.

    All and all I enjoyed the class and felt like I got a better understanding for Bikram as a whole and gained a respect for anyone who practices this style of yoga on a regular basis. I would be willing to give Bikram another chance and participate in another class further down the road once I have gained more basic knowledge and physical strength to allow me to better keep up with the class. I am looking forward to taking another style class next week and interested to see what it will bring to the table in terms of physical and spiritual outcomes!

Comments

  1. Laurie GreeneOctober 6, 2020 at 1:27 AM

    next time, pin me to your screen. I am always doing the practice with you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

 For this weeks yoga class, I decided to take a 25 minute class that was focused around opening up the body to loosen muscles and prepare you to start your day. the instructor of this class was named Kassandra. Right away at the beginning of the class I felt very welcomed and relaxed. Kassandra's tone of voice was very passive and welcoming. The class as a whole was very enjoyable and easily to keep up with.     I would say this was definitely a beginners style class, the movements used were pretty straight forward and I had no issues performing any of the movements that were included. the pace of this class was slower and more relaxed than the class I took last week. I felt a lot more comfortable participating and keeping up with the flow of this class. along with that, Kassandra not only stated the name of the movements were doing, but also explained how to perform them and what things to focus on when doing the movements. I found this to be very helpful and I feel I got a lot mo
Read more

End of Semester Conclusion

            Over the past few months, I have participated in many different styles of yoga in several different settings via virtual classes. I have learned a lot more than I expected and my skills have progressed significantly from where I was in September. I never knew how many different aspects played a role in the yoga community and practice as a whole. The instructor, the setting of the studio, clearing for sacred space, mind/body spiritual concentration versus exercise concentration are all elements that could drastically change the atmosphere surrounding a yoga experience; and that is just to name a few. I practiced basic flexibility classes and classes focused on gaining physical strength.   I also took classes that followed a specific yoga philosophy such as Iyengar, Vipassana, Ashtanga, Meditation, and many more. It seemed to me that every new class I took had a slightly different focus and taught me something new that I previously was unaware of. Whether that be a new outloo
Read more