Yoga session with the flatties!

So as you all know my my last session of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga was last week..but because I loved it alot I thought why not transfer my knowledge and skills I had developed over the course of four weeks and teach my flatmates. They were constantly asking me what I would do in these classes after explaining to them they sounded intrigued and wanted me to teach them some poses. I thought this was a great idea as I was able to transfer my knowledge on to them. The roles of myself participating in this occupation had changed as I was no longer the participant I had evolved and had taken on the role of becoming the teacher. For this yoga session I set up the lounge of my flat moved all the couches aside to allow room. One thing I realized I didn't have was the yoga mats but I improvised and used cushions as pillows for our heads when lying down. My flatmates only wanted a short session to begin with so I set aside 30 minutes to go through the basic poses.

I began by explaining what my understanding of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga was to them, then I demonstrated the sun salutations poses that consisted of upward dog, downward dog, balances, warrior one and warrior two, the crocodile and the hops between poses and the correct breathing as that is one of the things that I feel I have mastered! Doing the balance poses I still am a little shaky but I feel I have progresses alot since the first session. It felt really good to be passing on my knowledge to my flatmates and sharing my personal experiences from the sessions. All in all they enjoyed the session and I had alot of fun teaching them!!

Last Session

This was the last session of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, which is quite sad! I have thoroughly enjoyed this type of yoga. This session we were based in another room due to another group using the Envision Lounge we normally use. It was quite a disappointing turn out from all the participants for the last session as only four people turned up, but none the less it provided an opportunity for the instructor to spend more one on one time with participants.  The session started by us following the set routine of the sun salutations, then the stretching/balance poses then relaxation at the end. Normally at the beginning of sessions we would automatically begin the poses but this session all the participants were socializing with one another which I thought was rather cool and eased the atmosphere making it more enjoyable. Even though we were in a different room I found the atmosphere for my last session to be really enjoyable due to the fact the environment was peaceful, relaxed and had a nice ambiance as everyone was there for the same purpose of participating in yoga and getting as much out of the class.

Some benefits I have discovered since taking up Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga are that my deep breathing whilst doing the poses has vastly improved, as I have learnt the correct breathing techniques that can be applied to any situation in my daily life for example whether I'm stressed or want to relax all I need to do is focus on the correct breathing! I feel I have become more flexible and have noticed that I am able to hold the poses for longer periods compared to when I first began this class.

It was sad to think this was my last class but I would definitely like to continue with yoga as personally I find it refreshing, relaxing, you learn great breathing techniques and the obvious physical benefits of stretching, toning and increasing strength but there were a lot of mental benefits. I feel I have developed more knowledge around the terminology and poses. I would like to keep applying the poses that I have learnt over the course of weeks and just keep practicing what I have learnt with other OT buddies whom also took the class. I believe at Clubs & Soc's they also have yoga classes one evening per week so I would be keen to head on down to those and continue to work on my yoga skills that I have developed thus far!! All in all I have thoroughly enjoyed this type of yoga and it was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to others who may not have done yoga before!! :)

Here is an article with some of the benefits of doing yoga..enjoy

http://www.altmedicinezone.com/yoga/benefits-of-yoga-to-keep-your-mind-and-body-stress-free/

I attended another yoga session on a wet wintry day, quite proud of myself for doing this!. Upon arriving one of the first things I noticed when stepping into the room was a burst of heat on my face, the yoga instructor had cranked up all the heaters in the room. Once we had set up our yoga mats I got talking to some of the other members in my class as I find we don't really get a chance to do this throughout the sessions. It was really cool listening to what these people study and why they have chosen to partake in yoga. I noticed it was a smaller turn out of people this week.

I really like this style of yoga as each session you follow the same sequence so you know what to expect. I find knowing the sequence it allows me to concentrate on my breathing and focus. Whilst doing these poses I found i was sweating alot this was due to the fact that the room temperature was too hot from the heaters, which I therefore found it hard to concentrate and was continuously thirsty!. It could have almost been like bikram yoga in temperatures of 38 degrees..it took a while for me to adjust to the temperature. Hope next week the room is at a reasonable temperature.

I really enjoy the relaxation poses in the last 15minutes of the session as I find these poses lying down, eyes closed are very therapeutic, relaxing and help me calm and put all my worries aside. When waking up I feel totally relaxed and like a new person! Bring on the last session!!