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Will a New Yoga Class Liberate You?

by Sandra Mitchell
mom, yogi, communications & marketing pro

Sandra Mitchell“Athletic” and “graceful” aren’t words you’d use to describe me. I’ve never completed a cartwheel in my life. My son has to work to not laugh if he sees me run (I can’t blame him; it isn’t pretty). I’ve taken and hated many fitness classes. Even my first go around with yoga was shaky thanks to a Kundalini teacher who supposedly put herself into a “trance,” complete with twitching and rolling eyes, while doing staff pose.

After a dozen years as a yogi, I’m still inflexible. Thinking the more I practiced, the easier it would get, was way off target. Age and injury trounced me and I find myself sweating and trembling just as much now as I did when I began in my late 20’s.

To try yoga again, it took a serious case of insomnia and a couple years to get past the impression that Kundalini teacher left on me. But I found the right yoga teacher and everything clicked. I was quickly hooked and began my home practice early on. I did the level one session with my Iyengar-trained teacher over and over. Why wouldn’t I? It was perfect for non-sporty me. The class was, in a word, safe.

If you’re someone blessed with strength and flexibility, increasing the physical intensity of your yoga practice may not seem like a big deal. But trust me, for those of us who are embarrassingly uncoordinated and wickedly unsure of our physical competence, it’s a really, really big deal.

I imagine, for those of you who are flexible and athletic, that it’s the pranayama and meditation that keeps you unsure of a slower practice. I’ve heard from the physically adept group that sitting still and quieting the mind is difficult, and that savasana makes them crazy.

However, even I, after several rounds of my level one class, found myself wondering: Why do head stand prep when I might be ready to practice the actual head stand? Would I benefit from more meditation? Oh, I was curious, all right.

I faced my trepidation, challenged myself to take the level two class, and fell in love with yoga. I mean, it’s a full-fledged love affair. Like any relationship, to get more, I had to give more.

I no longer practice with my first Iyengar teacher. Now, I am taught by a cadre of knowledgeable instructors here at Cascade Yoga, where I have been a student for about five years.

I’m even part of the studio’s marketing team. When the team plans the class schedule, we always talk about what classes best meet students’ needs. We painstakingly go over the numbers, assessing class size. Some classes work, some don’t.  

One thing the marketing team notices is that the beginning classes remain blessedly full, but we wonder how many of these students are ready to move up to an intermediate class, and, conversely, how many students are ready for the slower classes.  

I’ve tried all the classes offered at Cascade. Some classes still intimidate me and I can hardly begin to do some of the poses, but I go anyway. You’ve seen students filing out those intermediate and advanced classes red faced and sweaty, but somehow pleased.

It’s all part of the process, though, the discomfort and hard work – even in the gentler classes, just maybe not on the physical level. If we didn’t get something out of it, I’m pretty sure we’d stop going.

By now, your teacher has said over and over, yoga isn’t about the pose. There’s no hierarchy to yoga. It’s why the studio doesn’t offer classes in levels. Putting your leg behind your head doesn’t get you any closer to enlightenment.

In all classes, even the more advanced ones, there are people of all shapes, sizes, and ages. We use props when we need, we pull back into child’s pose when we need a break, we modify or sit out a pose that will aggravate an existing condition. The practice truly is for all.

If you’re in class and you’re wondering what a more advanced version of a pose might feel like, or if you can do it, it might just be time to try a new class. Or if your mind is racing, taking control of your practice, maybe step back a class.

If you’re still uncertain, talk to your teacher to get an idea of what you can expect; see if your teacher thinks you’re ready.  Be sure to disclose any injury or illness to your instructor before class. In class, do what you can. Remember, if something causes pain, stop. No one will judge.

Remember, it’s okay if you need to step back from your physically advanced practice. Sometimes gentle yoga is exactly what you need. Illness, injury, stress, sleep deprivation, or just an off day likely means you need to dial back your practice. Try not to let ego get in the way of what your body really needs.

After I sustained a serious back injury, I had to take a break from my physical practice. When I returned to the studio, it was to the gentle classes. After all those weeks I spent not practicing, it was hard to not just jump back in.

But I came to realize during my gentle yoga classes that I wasn’t in a position to risk further injury. My body forced me into a slow and mindful practice. A true gift, really. So, while attending a gentle yoga class may seem like moving backward, I think recognizing what my body needed was really a step forward.

Here’s what I remember most about my first advanced class: When I finally turned myself upside down in handstand – a pose I practiced over and over before I finally got it – I felt positively liberated.

A new class may leave you feeling liberated, too, in more ways than one. Whether it’s the empowerment of an inversion or the stillness you find in a gentle pose, I believe it’s the very essence of you stripping away the layers, to finding that something, whatever it may be, the yogi in you is craving.