Having practiced yoga only since May, I in no way try and pretend that I am a seasoned “yogi”. However, having now moved to Queenstown, working at Lululemon, and practicing yoga on an (almost) daily basis, I do feel like I’ve gained a sense of what its all about. And it’s good. Whether you want to tone up, increase flexibility or gain a new understanding of an innovative yet age old form of relaxation, yoga is undoubtedly an awesome way to do so.
Now don’t get me wrong, I was skeptical at first. I thought it would be too slow for me, that I would get bored from being in the same positions for so long and that I’d quite simply loose interest. Normally I love anything high paced and active; running, dancing, snowboarding, anything that keeps you on the move, exhilarated and constantly thinking. So you can see how yoga may have seemed like a foreign concept to me. However I have been proved wrong on all of these fronts – not only because my perception of yoga was very different to the reality, but also as I wasn’t aware of the ability I had to focus inwards and concentrate that energy into a yoga practice.
My first experience was at LIPA, where one of my tutors, who had recently completed his yoga teaching course, was providing complimentary yoga classes. The idea was to help us to de-stress during our final year of uni, as well as reduce general aches and pains that may be acquired from working in a theatre setting. A pretty forward thinking motion in itself. I enjoyed the classes, but I wasn’t able to let myself be fully present during them due to my hesitation and preconception of yoga not being “hard” enough – oh, how wrong I was. However, after the third class I started to look forward to Shavasana (the resting pose) and I became able to relax and stop thinking about everything else that was going on in life – even occasionally completely falling asleep – which granted, is not exactly what you’re meant to do, but it sure was relaxing!
So when I was heading out to Morzine, France last summer, I decided that it was time to take it up. But where to begin. I didn’t fancy throwing myself straight into a group setting so classes were off the list, but I did have an awesome balcony on which my yoga mat fit perfectly. YouTube it was! I found “Yoga With Adrienne”, and she changed my life... Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but genuinely the best YouTube yoga channel I have found so far. To top it off, there, glowing in front of me on my screen was a playlist called “30 Days of Yoga” – what better way to start.
Once you open your mind, and allow yourself to take a small amount of time each day and dedicate it to yoga practice, it swiftly becomes a part of your life that you don’t want to lose. Having completed my 30 days of yoga, I moved onto other videos and playlists with Adrienne, and my balcony in France became a place I went to almost every morning to start my day off right – and sometimes evenings and afternoons too.
I now go to a number of classes in Queenstown, and enjoy experiencing new teachers and their unique styles of leading a yoga practice. But for me, I’ll always love having that self direction of being able to choose when to pop out onto your balcony (or lounge/bedroom/deck/garden) and take a little time for yourself with the ease of being in your own home. Which is why I have now sent the Yoga with Adrienne link to many a friend, my Mum, and even the boyfriend. And once you’ve made you’re way through the first 30 Days, there’s so much more you’ll want to try.
So in the question of “To Yoga or not to Yoga” I would say the answer is obvious. And it turns out there’s no need to worry about getting bored, there’s always Bikrim Yoga, Acro Yoga, Anti-Gravity Yoga…
The Link:
https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
**WARNING**
You'll end up wearing stretchy pants all the time just incase you decide to break out your new moves at any given moment. You'll also end up wanting to be Adrienne's friend.
Now don’t get me wrong, I was skeptical at first. I thought it would be too slow for me, that I would get bored from being in the same positions for so long and that I’d quite simply loose interest. Normally I love anything high paced and active; running, dancing, snowboarding, anything that keeps you on the move, exhilarated and constantly thinking. So you can see how yoga may have seemed like a foreign concept to me. However I have been proved wrong on all of these fronts – not only because my perception of yoga was very different to the reality, but also as I wasn’t aware of the ability I had to focus inwards and concentrate that energy into a yoga practice.
My first experience was at LIPA, where one of my tutors, who had recently completed his yoga teaching course, was providing complimentary yoga classes. The idea was to help us to de-stress during our final year of uni, as well as reduce general aches and pains that may be acquired from working in a theatre setting. A pretty forward thinking motion in itself. I enjoyed the classes, but I wasn’t able to let myself be fully present during them due to my hesitation and preconception of yoga not being “hard” enough – oh, how wrong I was. However, after the third class I started to look forward to Shavasana (the resting pose) and I became able to relax and stop thinking about everything else that was going on in life – even occasionally completely falling asleep – which granted, is not exactly what you’re meant to do, but it sure was relaxing!
So when I was heading out to Morzine, France last summer, I decided that it was time to take it up. But where to begin. I didn’t fancy throwing myself straight into a group setting so classes were off the list, but I did have an awesome balcony on which my yoga mat fit perfectly. YouTube it was! I found “Yoga With Adrienne”, and she changed my life... Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but genuinely the best YouTube yoga channel I have found so far. To top it off, there, glowing in front of me on my screen was a playlist called “30 Days of Yoga” – what better way to start.
Once you open your mind, and allow yourself to take a small amount of time each day and dedicate it to yoga practice, it swiftly becomes a part of your life that you don’t want to lose. Having completed my 30 days of yoga, I moved onto other videos and playlists with Adrienne, and my balcony in France became a place I went to almost every morning to start my day off right – and sometimes evenings and afternoons too.
I now go to a number of classes in Queenstown, and enjoy experiencing new teachers and their unique styles of leading a yoga practice. But for me, I’ll always love having that self direction of being able to choose when to pop out onto your balcony (or lounge/bedroom/deck/garden) and take a little time for yourself with the ease of being in your own home. Which is why I have now sent the Yoga with Adrienne link to many a friend, my Mum, and even the boyfriend. And once you’ve made you’re way through the first 30 Days, there’s so much more you’ll want to try.
So in the question of “To Yoga or not to Yoga” I would say the answer is obvious. And it turns out there’s no need to worry about getting bored, there’s always Bikrim Yoga, Acro Yoga, Anti-Gravity Yoga…
The Link:
https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
**WARNING**
You'll end up wearing stretchy pants all the time just incase you decide to break out your new moves at any given moment. You'll also end up wanting to be Adrienne's friend.