Monday, August 8, 2011

flight of the Rachael.

I participated in my first yoga workshop on Saturday, and loved it!

It was hosted by Halifax Yoga, and run by Kathryn Budig. I've done a few of Kathryn's Yoga Journal podcasts (free on iTunes! check it out!) and liked her style of instruction. When I saw an ad at Lululemon for the workshop, I jumped at the opportunity!

Here is how the workshop ("Flight of the Yogi") was described on the Halifax Yoga website:

"This workshop is geared towards both fledglings of arm balances and full grown flyers. We will explore the foundation of arm balancing, the technicalities of leaving the ground on our hands and the playful mindse needed to maintain the balance. We’ll begin with bakasana (crow) and explore other poses such as flying pigeon, side crow, grasshopper, eka pada koundinyasana, handstand, forearm balance and many other variations. Beginners will learn how to enter these poses, advanced practitioners will learn new entries and possibilities."

This appealed to me for one big giant reason: It is not socially acceptable for an adult to walk around doing handstands and cartwheels. But that is one part of my childhood I have refused to let go of, and this is a way to "get the kid out" without looking like a show off!! I love to play with yoga, and everyday classes don't focus this much on balance poses.

I tried a forearm balance pose at my apartment one night, in an attempt to "prep" for this workshop. Keep in mind, I have never done any forearm balancing before.... so I promptly fell on my head. That scared me, and I realized it was kind of a stupid thing to do, without supervision and proper instruction. That ended my attempt to "prep"!

I asked a friend if she'd like to go with me, and I'm happy she said yes. There was some partner work, and though yoga seems to be a very open and friendly activity, I was glad there was someone I knew with their fist between my thighs rather than a complete stranger.


Let me tell you, three hours flew by!! I'm not going to do a full recap (because I've been typing long enough!), but let me just say if you have the chance to go to a workshop by Kathryn (she lives in California), DO IT. She is funny, humble, straightforward, and encouraging. I even went out the next day and bought two foam bricks to use at home - hopefully I will continue to play with these poses (now that I know how to do them properly!).


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