Curative

[Chicken soup; 7pm, 1/26/08]

Still recuperating, bit by bit. I was dragging all week, but Thursday night I went to a make-up yoga class for two hours and it felt good. It was a more advanced class, but after class the teacher suggested I might prefer it, since I'm experienced enough, and it's a smaller class than the one I signed up for. It occurs to me that I've been doing yoga sporadically for more than 25 years. But I'm happy to take a beginner's class anytime, especially at a new studio. I'm not interested in advancing to harder poses, just in doing the yoga, getting stronger and staying flexible, and maybe stretching, literally, a bit more, incrementally.

I think the teacher at this place is very good technically, and I like him, but it's pretty straight Iyengar (very precise, with lots of verbal correction from the teacher) without any of the spiritual aspects that I'm used to from the Kripalu yoga I did for years and the Anusara I did most recently that I absolutely loved. I've been unable to find Anusara classes nearby, unfortunately, though I've seen classes offering "Anusara-like" yoga that I've considered checking out. As I mentioned to a coworker last week, I don't go to church and that spiritual aspect of my yoga classes was it. I've also been thinking lately (in the exhaustion of my cold) of going out to Kripalu sometime for a couple of days for a yoga retreat. I haven't been there in years.

[Soup fixings, more or less]

I got together with my walking group today around mid-day for a walk followed by lunch at Punjab in Arlington, which was excellent. I missed last weekend's walks and it was nice to get out again. Tomorrow afternoon my friend J is having a get-together at her place, which should be fun. Otherwise, I'm planning more curative R&R for the remainder of the weekend.

Comments

[Dave]

Glad to hear you're definitely on the mend.

[maria]

Yum... I can almost catch the aroma of the curative soup from the tantalizing picture! Glad to hear you are feeling better.

I used to practice Anusara yoga, too ... but now I am "hooked" on Iyengar. Perhaps because of the bounty of great Iyengar teachers we have around here. this morning, I went to my Iyengar class with an aching shoulder and came home feeling as if I got wings.

[mm]

Lovely soup. Glad to learn you're getting better.

It is important to find a style, and particularly a teacher, of yoga that suits. And that can take a while, I know. I'm with you on the spiritual aspect ....

A retreat sounds so good.

[leslee]

Thanks, Dave.

Maria: That's interesting. Maybe if I keep going to this class it'll catch on for me.

MM: Thanks. I'm sure I'll keep the retreat idea on the back burner for awhile. So much up in the air right now.

[joanna]

I've always wanted to try Kripalu's workshops--wish that i wasn't so far away! What do you like best about them?

[Leslee]

Hi Joanna: I haven't been there since I was in my 20's. I'm sure it's changed. And I was at a different stage in my life! I'd get something it now, I'm sure.