On Wednesday I took a class at Yoga Nine with a male instructor. Right from the beginning, I felt comfortable and had a feeling I was going to have a great class. I really enjoyed it and remained engaged the whole time, mainly because it was very physically demanding.  Also, there were only three people who took the class, so the instructor really focused on proper positioning and adjusting. We practiced inversions and a few postures that called for intense focus, like headstands, crow and a few others that I have never tried before.

It is evident that yoga in the West has become a "pop culture" because it is part of the work out fad that is happening today. People want skinny and toned bodies, so they take hot yoga or other types, in hopes to lose weight and "look fit." This physical marketing of yoga can be due to the many uncertified instructors and studios there are nowadays who take any physical practice and call it yoga. Most of them don't even understand the meaning or origin of it, which is why the West has turned the traditional religion of yoga into a pop culture movement.

I took Yoga Flow with Joyce on Tuesday. She conducted it as more of a technique class, considering we spent most of the time perfecting Chaturanga into upward dog into downward dog. She taught us how to properly transition without over-extending your shoulders.

At first, I thought I was going to be the only one in the class because I showed up just on time. However, about 5 minutes later, two more people walked into the studio and warmly greeted me. It was then that I realized that having a sense of community while practicing is very important to me. Though it was only us three, It felt right hearing everyone's ujjayi breath sync as we started the class.

I recognized myself becoming disengaged about a half hour into class. My thoughts were wandering and I was becoming impatient. I realized this was probably because it was a slower class and less challenging than Yoga Flow Plus, which I normally take. However, when I tapped back into the present moment and heard everyone's breath, it helped me to focus and become more mindful. Community is truly a huge part of the ritual process of yoga because it creates a like-minded, high-energy environment.

I practiced at Yoga Nine on Thursday night, after the Ashtanga practice in class. It was a little challenging to do both in one day because Ashtanga was more difficult that I realized it would be, even though we did a modified version of it. I have been going to Yoga Nine just about every Thursday for the past month, so it is becoming a habit or ritual for me.

The ritual begins the separation period as soon as I step into the studio, take my shoes off, and put my stuff in a cubby. Immediately I am welcomed into a quiet, serene, dim-lighted atmosphere where it feels completely different from the outside world I was just in. For me, the transition period begins when I push myself deeper into a stretch, even further than I previously believed I could go. This was very apparent Thursday night because I was very tired and sore already, but I kept focused and in tuned with my breath which helped me to engage in each position maximally. Reincorporation happened when I left the studio and got back into my car to drive home. Being in a peaceful state of mind, this is when I reflect on my day and try to sustain the same feelings and attitudes that are present when I am in the studio practicing. Though it is hard because they are often interrupted with external forces out of my control, I try to keep this mindset throughout the rest of the weekend and following week.

This week I took a Pranayama class on Monday which consisted of only breathing exercises. I realized that the hardest part for me was trying to inhale for 10 seconds, but the exhalation for 10 seconds was easy. I really enjoyed the different exercises and I felt like it was the best precursor to the Yoga Technique class after words. I felt in tuned with my breathing as I started that class, and witnessed the heat build up inside me fairly easily considering I had been still for the first half hour.

On Thursday in class we practiced Iyengar Yoga with Annie, which focused on the details of each posture and movement. At night during the evening class at Yoga Nine, we used the yoga belts and ropes as an aid to get deep into certain poses. On the inversions, it was challenging to manage my breathing and that is when I felt the most heat building up inside me, even though I was enjoying it!

I think there were similarities in both classes on Thursday because we held each pose for a few breaths and got really deep into them. With Laurie we focused on the precision of the warrior postures by making sure the hips were perfectly squared and using ropes for resistance. It felt great to do the back bends with the belt supporting us; I could feel my vertabrae stretching and elongating. My favorite part of the class was the butterfly inversion into the handstand because I love to be upside-down. Overall, I think that was my favorite yoga class that I have ever taken.