Here's my yogic history in a few paragraphs:
I've been riding my bicycle along Franklin Blvd. as a commuter for nearly 20 years now, and eight years ago I started work at SMUD. About that same time, I had fairly chronic lower back pain presumably from riding. Perhaps it's better described as muscular soreness, not pain really, but there were days sitting at work where constant fidgeting simply couldn't relieve the discomfort. I knew my next door cube mate had been attending a company sponsored yoga class and seven years ago I asked him about it, and showed up one day.
It was held down in the basement of our oldest building in our cafeteria after work on Wednesdays. I do not remember my first class. In fact, this is why I wanted to start this blog -- precisely to archive things that I would otherwise forget. All classes were led by Ali, who today still leads employees through a basic yoga series twice a week.
What I do remember about that class -- about 15 people who attended regularly and mostly my female co-workers. In that basement cafeteria the seed was planted. The class was a great introduction to yoga...and little has changed over the last eight years. A varied sequence each week, Ali will typically begin in Tadasana, move through modified Surya Namaskara, a few standing sequences, some floor work perhaps, and she will always end the class in an 8-minute Savasana, usually while providing mental relaxation queues as we're resting.
That kept me going for about 5 years, never more than twice a week. I built my own wooden yoga blocks in my workshop, developed my own little routine at home to practice on my own here and there, and more or less never "improved." I was riding my bike 80 miles a week, and every week I'd bring the same tightnesses (sic) and weaknesses to class; however, I did learn the process.
Between 2011 and 2012 my illicit drug addiction grounded me from all exercise and I gained 50 additional pounds. I stopped all drug and alcohol use two years ago tomorrow, and at that time I told myself to lose a few pounds before going back to class. In hindsight, I would never recommend that to anyone -- one is never too fat to practice. I began 2013 with a moderate bike and yoga routine.
But everything changed on May 20th, 2013. We were on vacation in Key Largo, I had been practicing on my thin little mat in the beach motel parking lot at night, trying to avoid attention, that sorta thing. I guess I wanted more. So via the web I found keylargoyoga.com, which happened to be a 5 minute walk from the motel. I absolutely remember that first class -- a harder vinyasa flow than I had ever experienced and at the end I was lying on the mat, exhausted, sweaty and I had instantly, and I do mean instantly, fallen for vinyasa. (From their web, Lauren Ferrante was the teacher who led that class). I received adjustments which I had never had before...and it was on.
Within a week of returning home, I discovered One Flow vinyasa yoga studio very close to work and I now practice five to six days a week there, at my Monday work class, and in my own backyard (or living room on rainy days). I would characterize my practice as an Ashtanga variant -- I will often attempt and sometimes complete the primary series at home, will always get in the Ashtanga salutations and standing series before Ali's class, and then my One Flow practice is my shake-things-up practice where I get a varied sequence every time I get on the mat, and as importantly, One Flow has given me an awareness that yoga extends far beyond the physical practice.
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