Well, it's Wednesday, and I was able to participate in quite a challenging class today! The instructor really mixed things up and had us all over the mat. We did traditional poses (down dog, plank, warrior, crocodile, chair - ugh, triangle, pyramid, etc), but not in the "traditional" order.
For example, we were in Mountain pose, and stepped far back into a high Warrior 1. Later on, we got into plank, lowered into crocodile, then pushed up again into plank before down dog - mixed up, for sure! The focus was definitely on balance, though, and the biggest "doozy" of all was lifting from Warrior 1 into a standing side twist on one (!) leg. I was proud of myself for mostly following along and doing my best.
This was quite a difference from Monday's class, which presented challenges of it's own. But the challenges on Monday were the same ones they were last Monday, and the Monday before that, because the instructor seems to follow a tried and true sequence that works for her. It's almost formulaic. We do a few sun salutations, some Warriors (1 and 2), Triangle, some half-moons, some Warrior 3, Tree, Camel, Gate, and Boat. If she's feeling sassy, she'll throw in a Bridge, Pigeon, or Crow, but that's pretty much the extent of the variation.
Now, each style of instruction has its benefits. I like the Monday class, because I know which poses are going to make an appearance, and sometimes I know the order they're coming. Sounds a bit boring, but it's better than a tape because she does get us into some challenging poses - poses I haven't quite nailed yet. Knowing that these poses are coming up in the practice gives me security in that I'll definitely get another chance to work on them, deepening my practice! To her credit, the instructor *does* vary the way she gets us into poses. Sometimes she brings us in from the bottom and others we come down from the top, and that variation is helpful. Maybe we have trouble in the pose from one direction, but we get a second chance in the other direction.
Wednesday's class is a Vinyasa class, and I love the way the instructor builds us up to the flow he's decided on for the day. I usually know the poses...but I rarely know the order he's going to use. "Mixing it up" has a lot of benefits for deepening my practice in another way. When I don't know what's coming, I am forced to listen intently; my focus is there, in the moment. I don't have time to worry about who is wobbling around, I don't have time to check the clock, there's really no time to think about anything else but the practice. I'm truly "in the zone".
So, let's weigh in on which style of instruction you prefer, and why!
No matter why you practice, practice to purify (purify the body through asana, purify the mind through focus and intention, purify the soul through meditation) - paraphrased from Patanjali
ps - I've done it! I've done at least 45 minutes of practice everyday for 7 days. This garners another post in the coming days...
No comments:
Post a Comment