Yin Yoga in Brisbane

@Fitness First Indooroopilly                   10.30am - Yin Yoga with Lynne

A really boring photo of the entrance to my gym.
I think it's time to start taking photos of actual yoga.

This is my regular gym and my semi-regular yoga class. As I am commitment-phobic, it has always been difficult to find one yoga class and stick to it.  Much like a job...and a man...

Anyhoo, Lynne is just sensational. I know there's always a stigma about "gym" yoga teachers, there are many blogs about this topic in fact. But, Lynne is fabulous and totally like a proper yogi with bells and everything! She teaches in other studios around the traps anyway...

She teaches on Wednesdays and Fridays at my gym, with the Friday class being a gentler Yin Yoga.  The poses were beautifully sequenced and as Lynne explained to me at the end, the concept is to receive energy by using body weight for poses such as Ardha Uttanasana (Half forward bend) a pose I've never actually down before or Ardha Chandrasaana (Half moon) , rather than taking energy in stronger poses like Virabadrasana II (Warrior 2).

After handing out eye pillows, which I thought was lovely, and having a quick chat with most people about injuries etc, she began class in Savasana, which I don't think is that common. Is it?  I'm not really sure. I vaguely remember doing it in a class a few years back.  I thought maybe it was more relevant in a gym perhaps, seeing as people (like myself) may have just done a cardio type of workout beforehand and needed to calm the body before practising this lovely restorative yoga.  I know I should have been relaxing, but since beginning this blog, I'm really not getting into these classes as much as I would like and am merely thinking of what I'm going to write about!  Pretty sure I can't take a pen and paper into class with me like at yoga teacher camp!  Thankfully, that was the one and only time my thoughts wandered during Lynne's class.  Her instructions were clear and her demonstrations were perfect. She has everyone's yoga mats in a circle facing inwards where she is simply part of the circle and then walks around to make small adjustments. It is lovely and a good way to avoid the gym mirrors!

One of the coolest variations we did, was go into Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide legged forward bend), but only halfway (so perhaps throw in an Ardha in the name somewhere?) and then we extended our arms into "down dog" type armsm releasing with each exhale. It felt so good!  Towards the end, we did a bit of core work in Navasana, a pose that I've done in pretty much every class this week, so my abs were really crying out! Little did they know that the worst was yet to come in Aerial Yoga tomorrow morning!

We ended in Savasana, just like the beginning, which somehow rounded out the class quite nicely. Something I may consider for my fictional yoga teaching career.

Sequence: 

• Ardha Uttanasana                     (Standing half forward bend) x 3
• Ashva Sanchalanasana              (High lunge)
• Parivrtta Parsvakonasana           (Revolved side angle)  x both sides          
• Prasarita Ardha Padottanasana  (Wide legged half forward bend)
• with down dog arms, lunge left to right, back to centre, clasp hands behind back, breathe.

Quote: "Your intention in yoga is the only thing that matters, not whether you can physically do the pose or not."

Coffee: Muffin Break, in the Food Court, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. The coffee here is sometimes hit and miss, but I love the owners, a lovely older couple who always have a chat. The husband always makes the coffees and after chatting to him over the past couple of years, we've bonded over our old jobs, teaching. He actually used to be a School Principal. Amazing!