Yoga in Brooklyn

@Park Slope Yoga

2.15pm - Open Yoga with Lauren

Even the signs were really colourful!

Directly across the road.
These guys lost 9 members of their squad
from the 9/11 attacks.

What a cool studio. Lots of signage out front which so it was really easy to find! Despite making the trek all the way to Brooklyn. The first thing I noticed in this studio was the colour. So much colour! Loved it. The walls, the mats, the toilets, the carpets, the staff. All so colourful! Oh and also the space. I can see why many celebrities, including Sarah Jessica Parker (from Sex and the City...we did the tour yesterday) are making the move to Brooklyn. It really is a beautiful area with all of the brownstones and none of the people. So yeah, the studio itself was very spacious, had floorboards and even had skylights
with hanging plants!

Teacher:

Yay for colour!

The teacher Lauren, was a lovely, lithe, statuesque, dancer type who was very friendly and welcoming, shaking my hand as she introduced herself. I've always wondered about this. I shake people's hands when I meet them because I think it's just polite to do so, but wasn't sure in a yoga environment. I think I've decided that I will shake people's hands when I grow up and become a teacher now. Hmmm. Yes, I will.  Here teaching technique again, was very verbal and she was constantly adjusting people which was great! I learnt so many new adjustments in this one class alone.  Again, well on the way to overcoming my fear of being touched. During the Wheel (see photo here), she apporoached me from the bottom of the mat where my feet were and put her hand between my legs to support my lower back and then pushed my hips to the sky. Her other hand was on my belly. It was very effective, despite the intimacy. I'm okay though! Don't worry about me! Baby steps!

Sequence:
If you could just get "Light On Yoga" which is basically the bible of poses for any yoga teacher and say, righto, let's just do one of each pose, that's pretty much the class! I cannot for the life of me remember exact sequencing that I can write here, because I was basically in survival mode.  My body was just so fatigued, particularly after my accidental yoga class plus run this morning, plus epic walking around doing touristy things for the past few days! So yes, she began with a flowing vinyasa, with which I chose NOT to do the vinyasa each time, I just stayed in Down Dog and tried to rest. Then we did wall stuff, then inversions. One of the coolest poses, in addition to Tolasana (Scale pose), a pose which I still can't do...damn you no core strength..., Salamba Sirsasana (Headstand) with tripod arms, again, I suck at this one, oh and she did this against the wall with tripod arms and pushing our elbows towards the middle of the room which was so handy and one particular pose which I've never actually been taught, but always see really good people in pictures doing: was Astavakrasana (Eight angle pose) then going in to Eka Pada Koundiyasana (no idea what this means).  It was AWESOME! Of course, I didn't for the life of me even come close to doing it, but at least I had a go and now I vaguley know the techniqe for getting into it. Oh, for the record, she came into this set from Svarga Dvidasana (Bird of Paradise)...PHEW!

Overall a great class. Really challenging and some amazingly advanced students. I felt like the beginner. I also started questioning my choice to be a yoga teacher seeing as I can't do half of these advanced poses. Ah well, cross that bridge when I get home back to reality :-s  Speaking of bridges (man, what a good segue), we walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge which was amazing! Another thing to tick off the bucket list! Yay for bridges!

Coffee: Tea House, Union St, just underneath the studio.

Thanks Brooklyn.