Yoga in Penrith.

@ Lila Yoga                                       9.30am - General Hatha Yoga with Carmen

MINI PIANO ACCORDION HARPSICHORD THINGIES! Argh! They were so cute and I had no idea why they were there. In all my years of yoga-ing, I’ve never seen MINI PIANO ACCORDIAN HARPSICHORD THINGIES! But now it all makes sense.  Our teacher, Carmen, rocked one out as she was leading us into our first Om, the sacred syllable no less, and as she introduced it, she played one chord, then up a third, then back to the original chord to ensure we all Ommmmed in tune. Genius!  For those tone deaf in the class, probably not so useful, but for those musical types, it really made a beautiful, resonating sound. What fun!

Carmen was a lovely teacher, full of vibrance and energy right before the class, chatting away to all of the students who were obviously regulars.  That's what I've found thus far with these lovely rural/country studios. Everyone knows everyone else.  There's an instant feel of community spirit.  Even as an outsider (although I did go with my best yoga friend from Yoga Teacher Training), they make you feel welcome.  Anyway,  as soon as class started, Carmen morphed into this calm and serene yogini, whilst also being really articulate and straight forward with her instruction. In fact, from memory, the only thing she demonstrated was Bidalasana (Cat/Cow) and the rest of the class she instructed verbally. I have never experienced this actually.  She really knew her stuff. She mostly stood at the back of the class and slowly moved amongst the students, all the while giving clear instructions on getting in and out of the poses, without demonstrating any herself. 

After class, there was a morning tea (I grabbed a Bliss Ball...yum!) which further cemented that real sense of community. I think I want to teach in the country when I grow up and become a proper teacher!

Sequence: Setu Banda Sarvangasana (Bridge pose) then tuck hands up and push hips further to sky then lifting one leg straight up and pushing up into Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand) / Halasana (Plough) / Bend knees to rest on either side of ears and hug back of thighs. Finish with Matsyasana (Fish pose) with extended arms.

Coffee: Jazz Apple Kitchen, Glenbrook.