Yoga in Berlin

@ Spirit Yoga

17.45 - Level 1 Yoga with Marion

Check out the wicked lights!

What an awesome studio! The colour scheme was pink and purple which was so cool. They even hadpurple props to match my mat which was nice of them.  Had a bit of trouble finding it because the sign,with the big arrow as you can see in the picture was actually instructing you to go around the corner. Again, I was so rushed in preparing for this trip that I didn't even brush up on basic phrases in ANY language. I just seem to be able to get by through acting, body language and just sometimes making up German sounding words and saying them confidently in the hope they mean something. The good thing about most people I've encountered here is that most just laugh at me and then thankfully, break into English.   So I sat on the front step under the sign for about 20 minutes, until a lady with a yoga mat walked past and around the corner. Phew, I was saved. I totally just followed her, keeping a safe, casual distance of course and found the lovely entrance with a pink sign! I've noticed that the majority of yoga studios have had green as a colour scheme, depicting earth/nature I guess. I liked the whole pink/purple thing. 

The receptionist spoke English which was good and I paid my money and waited. Again, all of the students were already waiting. German people are always early! It's a cultural thing apparently. So refreshing seeing as I'm also an early person. The room itself was just amazing, big windows, high ceilings and these amazing "moon" lights that were built sort of imbedded into the ceiling. It was just so cool. Berlin is such a trendy city.  I didn't speak to the teacher beforehand, for 2 reasons. I really wanted to experience another class in a different language without any help to see how I fared and also, when I was at Yoga Yoga in Paris, I remember the dude saying that he'd teach the class in English instead of French because most were foreigners. I distinctly remember the reactions of the French lady (remember the one who got angry at herself?) and she looked around, made eye contact with me and seemed very annoyed that I had caused the class to be taught in English. So, basically, I was too scared to tell the teacher that I only spoke English. Anywaaaaay, off she went and again, I struggled through it listening for the key words (links, recht, inhale, exhale etc) and seemed to manage. The only tricky part was when she was going around doing adjustments.  Every time she adjusted me,  she would say something so which I would just nod wisely and say "Ahh, danke". Pretty sure I got away with it. 

Lovely entrance, pink sign!

Sequence:

Overall the class was excellent. It was a Level 1 class which is about all I could handle today as my body had just about had enough of the perils of travelling. It really is taxing on the old body. Lugging bags, eating weird food, sitting for long periods on overcrowded trains. Plus, it meant she spoke pretty slowly. Plus, there was little chance I would get kicked out as per London experience. I can't really remember any specific sequences because I was concentrating so much on not looking like an idiot and was also just trying to enjoy doing a class again. It was nice though and it felt good to be back on the mat. Today was a good day. I also just ate veges and fruit, no wheat or meat and felt a million times better for it.  Where was I, oh yes, Marion was a nice lady and used a combination of demonstrating poses on the mat, verbal instructions and walking around adjusting and giving positive reinforcement like "wunderba", which I think means wonderful? One thing I really liked was that she also moved to the back of the room to demonstrate varying levels of Locust (Salahbasana) which really mixed things up a bit. Also, it could have been because there was a dirty big pole in the middle of the room and not everyone could see up the front. Either way, because I was at the very back, I ended up now being in the front row. Panic quickly set in. OMG, I wasn't going to have anyone to watch!   I actually really had to fake it and look like I knew what the hell she was saying!  This is where it got embarrassing.  Bluffing your way through a foreign language yoga class can only last for so long.  She got us into Locust pose, lying on our stomachs face down, with our arms and legs up off the mat and our lower backs engaged and told us to inhale/exhale. I was really into the pose, looking down at the floor concentrating on my breath when little did I know, everyone had come out of the pose!  Marion was already beginning to instruct the next thing. I then heard her voice directed at me saying something, then she repeated the same phrase, just a little louder when I realised she was talking to me!  I quickly looked up at her and then around at the class whilst still holding the pose and realised that EVERYONE was looking me, the idiot in the front row who was still in the pose! I went bright red and quickly came out of it in a totally "I was just caught up in the pose" kind of yoga way like I was meant to do it all along. Blurgh.  It was pretty funny though. 

At the end of the class I told her that I didn't speak German and she told me I should have told her at the beginning so she could have given me instructions in English! Maybe I will tell the teacher next time then. She then went and nicely explained (in English) the part that I missed out on about tilting your pelvis forward during Mountain Pose, or Maybe Downward Hund, which I thought was so nice and thoughtful of her!

The next day, I was supposed to go to a class at Sun Yoga, which is the number one place in Berlin according to this list that I'm using as a guide: Top 10 Yoga Studios in Berlin, but, quite frankly, I didn't really feel like it. I am trying to be kind to myself and I guess sometimes it's harder to choose NOT to do something.  Also, my Mum totally Skyped me as I was packing to leave so I wouldn't have made it on time anyway. Blah blah blah…is anyone still reading this? I am falling asleep just typing this. I just love writing so much that I seem to just get carried away with things and just dribble crap. 

Oh, almost forgot! When we walked out of class, there was a plate of fresh fruit all cut up and a jug of water. What a lovely touch!

Fruit! At the end of class. Brilliant!

Dogs:
I know this is a yoga-specific blog, but I just really wanted to talk about dogs and a karma kidn of thing.   I definitely believe in karma and I definitely think everything happens for a reason. As I was sitting ton the step under the yoga sign wondering if this was really the studio, a guy walked past with this beautiful dog. I was just sorta sitting there wistfully on the step contemplating life, feeling a bit sad, when this dog stopped and just stared at me. The guy yanked it a bit on the lead, but the dog wouldn't budge. I then used my never-fail doggy voice, first saying "Hello" and then remembering that none of the dogs here speak English, to which I quickly corrected myself by saying: "Guten Tag". It then immediately come closer and licked my nose. The guy apologised, in German, but I said, "Nein, gut" which in my head, meant "No, good!" For some reason, the dog just wanted to cheer me up maybe. I then patted it and was laughing and saying how beautiful it was.  Dogs definitely have a sixth sense. I don't know. Either way, I smiled straight away and felt grateful that I'm a dog person. They really do make me happy.  In fact, as I sit here typing this, I've just burst into tears over the joy they can bring. I'm just thinking about my old dog, Winston, a beautiful Miniature Schnauzer who we were lucky enough to have in our lives for 14 years and had to be bout down last year.  He was amazing. 

This is the sign above the step I was sitting on.

Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to take a picture but, I have now seen it as a sign. I am most definitely getting another dog when I get home and my intention was to get a rescue dog from the RSPCA.  But, there was something about this dog that I just loved. I knew it was some sort of Hungarian breed from memory, a Hungarian Vizsla to be exact.   It had a beautiful sleek, rusty brown coat, almost like a chestnut horse and big brown eyes that just looked into mine.  I'd always wanted a chestnut horse so this could be the next best thing!  I was smitten.  Oh, for those who don't know, when I was about 10 years old, my parents gave me "The World Encyclopaedia of Dogs" as a Christmas present.  I proceeded to then take notes about every dog breed, memorising everything from coat type, to shoulder height to medical ailments. I then got them to test me on it. Talk about NERD! As a result, I know pretty much every dog breed and my obsession with dogs continues 15 years later. 

Who am I kidding…25 years later :-s I am old. 

Coffee:

McCafe at McDonalds on Kurfürstendamm, Berlin. Nothing else was open on a Sunday. Shit coffee, amazing place! Looks like an 18th century building that was renovated. Check out my little corner where I typed this blog. 

Best Maccas ever!