30 Days To Wellness Challenge
Congratulations to our winners Matt Morgan and Amelia Kretschmer and track their progress below as they join Mattson Rainer in the 30 Days to Wellness Challenge!
Day 25
Matt: Ashtanga – As Taught by the Jedi
I took Ashtanga Flow today with Sara. I was just going to submit a short review that went something like this:
“Ashtanga today…….ouch.”
…..and that was going to be it. Other than maybe saying hello to my grandmother in Massachusetts who I hear has become an avid reader and is contemplating taking up yoga herself. (Hi Gram!)
I do believe I hit a wall on this one. I was done at least 15 minutes before anyone else. And by “done” I mean exhausted, can’t finish, no more! I liked it though…liked it a lot. This was a faster pace sort of “power yoga”. Precise breathing while moving from one pose to the next, extending and holding…not much stopping. We would concentrate on some specific poses. Headstands, arm stands and some feats of levitation to which I did not achieve nor do I quite understand yet. I will never look at a Bird of Paradise plant again the same way as the pose of the same name twisted not only my body but my mind. I played my “first time in this class” card a few times today and just watched. Great practice though…I felt like I had a very good workout which must have been apparent as I was still lying on the floor as the last student left today.
Ashtanga…it’s an anagram for “Satan Hag”…weird coincidence as that’s what I was thinking of Sara at one point when she said “Okay, two more poses and we’re done…” This was at the same point when my left leg had handed in its resignation. It just stopped moving. I might as well publicly apologize to Candice right now for my comments on her counting techniques Monday (and Happy Birthday by the way). Put it this way…if you want to live longer just hang with Sara. Time slows to a crawl when holding a count with her. She is a Jedi though…her and Marcie both…they can levitate. I’m pretty sure the Force is with them. The only things they are missing are light sabers.
By the way…I can’t help but see yoga in everything I see these days. I was watching the Olympics earlier…it’s in everything! Earlier in the Women’s Insane Giant Jump Thing…I swear a girl was in the Warrior pose in the starting block. It’s all over the place in ice skating also. It’s in Spurs commercials not to mention Charles Barkley’s “Reclining Legend” pose commercial. I’m thinking Yoga is the new thing to be doing…best get ya some.
Matt
Sara:
It was great to have Matt in class. And it wasn't outwardly apparent that his body put in it's resignation letter before class ended. Matt, like Amy, has a great spirit and they come to class with an empty cup, just waiting to be filled. It's all about the journey, the quest to find your true self!
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Day 22
Amy:
Hey Everyone,
Ok well it's the fourth week and I am still excited about going to Yoga! Saturday morning was a good practice where I got some more technical experience on some of the poses. Sunday afternoon was um....intense. We did Yoga in a room heated to 92 degrees. What crazy people do this?! Um, me! It was fun and a good workout but very difficult because of the heat and I was sweating like crazy. I would definitely do it again though, I felt great afterwards. Monday was a good practice as well. I am learning more and more each time I practice. I do not see a big change in my body right now though. But I definitely feel better, stronger, more energized, and more intune with my inner self. Maybe physical changes will take a bit longer to achieve...
All in all though, I still love it and would recommend this to anyone (male, female, young, old) it is awesome and I guarantee you will love the experience and practice!
Amy
Matt: Candice the Destroyer and Time Travel through Yoga
Candice….you seemed like such a sweet soul….why hath you forsaken me? Man am I sore today…heck…I was sore last night. Starting to realize a couple things. One, if you take a break it’s like almost like starting all over again. I use “almost” because last night in Candice’s Vinyasa class it dawned on me that I’m getting the poses down…and getting better at them if I do say so myself. I was like “this move”, “that move”, followed by “that other move”. I was moving good…in my mind at least. I felt a lot more comfortable…doing my own thing in my own space. Yet I do believe after taking some days off my new found knowledge and familiarity with the poses was not going to spare me the soreness I have in my neck, back, and knee right now. It’s not that bad…but noticeable. The other thing I’m becoming more keen on is the workout as a whole. When I first started, the whole workout seemed convoluted…pose after pose all while trying to learn them. Now I am starting to see the pattern….instructor calls a pose or a series of poses, then there are what I will refer to as “holds”. “Do this, do that…now HOLD!”…..This is the hard part…or maybe where the workout comes into play. This holding pattern can be brutal…My take on this is that the instructor probably has a count in their head that they use. Example….they (“they” being anyone other than Candice) would say something like “Warrior 3…now hold…” So now they start counting in their head “1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi….” And so on till the hold is released. Well Candice…bless her sweet sounding, nymph like soul….has the ability to be a hard core muscle thrasher. I am totally convinced that the count in Candice’s head is more like “ 1 Biloxi, Mississippi, 2 Jackson, Mississippi, 3 Bienville National Forest, Mississippi….” And so on. I figure this must be a good thing in the long run…no pain no gain.
Last night was also like a “This is Your Life” game for me. It was a trip through time….Yoga Time Travel? Yes, it’s totally possible and let me explain how. First let me ask this question? When was the last time you got a really good look at your feet? I mean a close up GOOD LOOK?…For me that was last night. I mean…my feet have always been there but with all this stretching and twisting going on this month I can now get a lot closer to my feet. My first “time trip” was only back to a couple days ago when I stubbed my toe in the bathroom. I stubbed it hard. Ever stub your toe so bad it just about knocks the wind out of you? That was this time for me. Well…as I was leaning over, inches away from my toe…I got a much better look…wow…I totally mangled my toe…perhaps even needed a stitch. I mean, it hurt and all…but now I have a much closer look. I didn’t want to look any more so looked at over at my right foot. There directly on the bottom of my foot was my huge “Y” scar from a Coke bottle I stepped on in 6th grade….wow…did that take me back. I remember it like it was yesterday…hadn’t seen or paid attention to that scar in awhile. At some point Debbie, my wife, had signed the cast I was put in for that injury. I guess it’s not too often I’m checking out the bottom of my foot. Flash forward a couple years to the faint scar on my ankle I got from a motorcycle crash when I was 12. Scar was faint…but again…I can get closer now. Ahh yeah…what a wipeout that was. Oh look! Over there! It’s the pencil lead mark I received from dropping a newly sharpened pencil in my foot in 4th grade! I got that pencil sharpener for Xmas …first pencil I sharpened fell out of my hand in right into the top of my foot…that’s the Xmas I learned about “lead poisoning”. It was a walk down memory lane I tell ya. So my advice to anyone…take some yoga…stretch your back….get to where you can bend over and really check out your feet…then get yourself a life preserver so you do not drown in the flood of memories. The stories my feet could tell. If only they could talk.
Never had one, but I think I am now open to the idea of a pedicure.
Matt
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Day 21
Matt:
Take your mom to yoga. It's the right thing to do. I mean...she carried you for 9 months right? Well…hopefully she did. Least you could do is take 1 hour and 15 minutes out of your hectic schedule to take your mom to yoga don’t ya think? I took my mom to Mickie’s “3.14159265 Latte” class last week and you know what I discovered? Mom’s really dig yoga. They dig the class, they dig the work out, they dig the people…mine dug my cool yoga mat…but hey, if you don’t have a cool yoga mat like me I’m sure your mom will find something else to dig. Like maybe the cool cork blocks or even the dreaded red towel. My point is this…and it’s simple…mom’s dig yoga. Mother’s Day is too far off….but if you’re a procrastinator, like me, you can start planning now and that would be perfect…but really…a Ray of Love will shine on you like no other when you take your mom to yoga.
Can’t take your mom? Take mine…she’ll go with you. She digs it.
Last week was busy for me…missed some days. My day with my mom should count as two days though…maybe even three as I had my daughter in Little Yogis at the same time. My point is this is my last week…February flew by….(for some reason February just seems shorter to me than other months)…. …I plan on finishing strong….5 days of Yoga this week!!!
If you see me say “hi”….if you see my mom tell her what a wonderful son she has not to mention his cool yoga mat…see my daughter tell her you can now see where she gets her good looks from….see my wife say hi to her also but don’t mention anything about what I said to mention to my daughter.
In Yoga I Trust,
Matt
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Day 19
Amy:
Hello All,
Well it is the third week and life has set in for me at this time of the month, keeping my schedule almost too crazy to attend Yoga practice as much as I really want to. However, my body has been craving to go to class and this week I was able to attend Wednesday night (Gentle Yoga) and Thursday night (Vinyasa). Gentle Yoga is very relaxing and a great way to get in touch with your body. I really enjoyed the class. Thursday nights are still my favorite though! Oh and once again, I did a backbend! Yay!
I have been hearing the term "Yogi" lately and I think it means someone who likes Yoga or practices Yoga on a regular basis. I think it sounds really funny because I can't help but think of Yogi Bear, but after these three weeks and my new addiction to Yoga I guess I kind of want to be a Yogi! Haha I know it sounds silly! Anyway, I am planning on making up for my missed days of Yoga in the beginning of the week by practicing all weekend. The great part is that I can't wait! :)
Until next practice,
Amy
Sarah:
I talked to Amy after class tonight and she was radiant! Beaming with joy in fact. She has reached the point where her body craves the movement and her mind the focus. Why do we want to do yoga anyway? Because it helps keep us present, aware, awake and alive! And yes Amy, you are a yogi- one who engages in the practice of yoga. Remember- yoga isn't just about the movements, we practice yoga every minute of every day when we are present. Continue to be joyful!
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Day 14 - Two Blogs from Matt. He has a recap of last week and a look into this week.
Matt:
Yoga and its Practical Applications to Plumbing
Let me start off by recapping last week. I was able to attend class everyday except two. I don’t think I ever had time for any sort of soreness to catch up to me. This week I attended Kanani’s Hatha Basics on Monday and Mickie’s Vinyasa on Thursday. Today I can feel a few “points of interest” due to what I feel was my sporadic schedule this past week. I am finding that my favorite part of any class is the that cool down period at the end…Ask a Little Yogi because once again I can not recall the phrase, but I know this “period” has a proper name. I will refrain from assigning it a new name (see “barstool pose”) to avoid future confusion and will make it one of my goals to know this by the end of the month. Whatever it is called it is great. I have thought about what it would be like to just walk in at the end of a class and participate in this part only….really. What I came up with though is that it wouldn’t be the same. What makes that “cool down, relaxation period” so great is not just coming in with the day’s tensions built up mentally, but to also work the body up to the same point …pushing yourself to the point where mentally and physically you are just ready to let go….and then you let go…. just lie there….eyes closed….relaxed….then someone comes by and either rubs your temples, slightly stretches your legs, or rubs some really relaxing smelling stuff over your forehead. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…..but I digress. That’s my week 2 basically…have become a big fan of chilling out at the end of any class.
So stay with me here…there is Yoga involved. This past Christmas I bought my wife a garbage disposal. Now before you have me tar and feathered understand this. She loves it. We live in an older house…she hasn’t had a disposal in 9 years. Now I totally encourage composting but really for no other reason other than being able to wash down the ritualistic, leftover cereal bowl goo left every morning by our kids…I got her a disposal. A really nice one I might add… The Crown Jewel of Disposals, one (1) Horsepower of blade slashing mayhem yet quite as a mouse. So my brother-in-law and I set out to install this last Saturday right after my Core class with Sara. So mind you…I was warmed up, ready to go. My first task was to clear out everything under the kitchen sink. Don’t know what your “under the sink” looks like but we have a shrine to Billy Mays under our sink…at least 20 different bottles of “cleaner for this” to “polish that”…none of which is any match for having 3 kids. So I get in position…feet shoulder width apart….bend the knees (in a major squat now)….reach to the right, grab two bottle off anything….shift and reach to the left placing the bottles over and out of the way. I was moving this stuff about 6 feet away with every repetition. I impress myself easily.
Space cleared out, install is a go…This is when I invented a new yoga pose. I call it “The Wicked Plumber”. See, I had to install a switch to turn the darn thing on. From underneath the sink, the switch has to go way back up and behind everything…this is not the easiest place to reach…and if you ever done any work underneath the sink…well…it is a drag. A lot of bending and twisting involved. This is where I decided to apply my new mad yoga skills. Basically the pose I was in, and that I used, is like this: Your on your back, knees bent….come up to a half crunch….put both your arms up over your head elbows near your ears…now hold…for what seems like forever. Now this may sound like other poses but this has one major difference. In some poses I have heard it explained that an imaginary light emanates from the spine up through the top of ones head in order to help achieve straight, upright positions. Well…with the Wicked Plumber that light is not imaginary…it’s an actual flashlight… and sticks out from your mouth, behind your ear, or where ever else you can manage to hang on to it. You can occasionally lift one foot used to kick anyone within reach.
This weekend is Couples Yoga and Heated Room….stay tuned!
Couple’s Yoga
So here it is…week 3 already. My how time flies. Last Saturday Candice guided us through a “Couples Yoga” class. What a great way to start off Valentine’s weekend. So for my wife Debbie and I, what probably should have been some sort of intimate, cosmic soul mate ritual really turned out to be a series of “ who can go the longest without blinking” and “who can stare at the other the longest without laughing” games (I continuously whooped her at both). Much to our relief we were told that laughing was all part of the experience so everything was good. Sara, with Ted, and Mickie, with Lance, were both participants in the class and were great models for the poses we were learning. It was a full class and it seemed like everyone had a great time. The “couples” part of yoga was a lot of fun. Some of it was just spotting your partner though much of it was more like a heated game of Twister...and I like playing Twister with my girl…I like it a lot. Sometimes one partner would pull a leg, press a hip, or use their leg to contort the other into a type of hyper twist. Some pushing and shoving going on but again, a lot of fun. I think I enjoyed kneeing my wife in the glutes as she lie on her stomach the best…somehow this was supposed to help her more than it did me. There was some pretty crazy two person yoga going on…really impressive stuff. The instructors with their partners were really fun to watch not to mention a few of the more experienced couples who attended. It was a blend of “impressive” mixed with “funny”. I think if your wife\girlfriend\boyfriend happens to be a yoga instructor you can probably will yourself to pull of the unimaginable…or suffer trying. We managed to pull off this Double Crow type of move….what it looked like was that we basically turned ourselves into a “human bench”.
Again, my favorite part of any class seems to be the cool down portion. This particular cool down turned into “Adult Nap Time” as I’m fairly certain at least two others joined me in a brief snooze. Thank goodness Deb was there to KICK ME back into consciousness…a move she knows all to well as I tend to (allegedly) “breathe loudly” when I sleep. Yeah, but…I’ve never heard myself do that.
Couples Yoga was fun…I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Matt
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Day 12
Mattson: OK. I realize I haven't blogged in a while and there's a reason. Can I fall back on the old excuse that work got in the way? Yes. I missed Yoga all last week due to the radio world calling me a little more than normal.I had a good week but missed Sara and the great group over at Two Rivers Yoga. Today's thought is this. Yoga is always there for you. What do you do when you fall off the stage....I mean...horse. We get back on,right? Having missed a week set my physical accomplishments back a bit but my confidence remained. Today's challenge was not the yoga, although it was very challenging, but the notion that every day can be a new day. Could I get back up for yoga, or any exercise for that matter, after missing so many days off? Yoga teaches you to live in the present. Shake off the past accomplishments and failures and don't worry about the next ones. Live and breathe for today. And that's what I did today. I put on my workout clothes, got in my car and drove to Two Rivers, grabbed a mat and began stretching and warming up. That's what today was about to me. Not worrying about doing well, but, rather to quote Nike - Just do it. It's easy to make excuses. If you torture the logic long enough, it'll tell you anything you want it to. I can come up with 5000 reasons NOT to exercise but all you need is 1 reason to do it. Your physical, mental and spiritual health.
I remembered the poses today but had a harder time than my second class, mainly because having missed so many days in a row put my body back to where I was day 1. No big deal. Keep moving forward. Keep active. Stay focused. Let the worries go free. And take it easy on yourself, which is another benefit of yoga. You learn that , in fact, you are a beautiful soul and life is about what you put into it. Not what you can take out of it. That's today's yoga thought. I'm not looking forward to my 4th class. I'm looking forward to my next New class. See ya on the mat.
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Day 9
Amy: Hello Everyone,
Well, I practiced Yoga Mon-Thur this week and today I believe I will be taking a break! Pilates on Wednesday night and Vinyasa on Thursday both with Micki was intense! She is awesome and if you havent been to one of her classes yet, you need to go! Last night I did a back bend for the first time in my life. I am pretty young and in relatively good shape, but I have never been able to do a back bend. After my muscles were warmed up I tried it and it was difficult at first, but I am positive that I can do it again and probably better next time. These classes are awesome. I truly enjoy going. I have a friend that goes to Texas State and she was sharing her Yoga experience with me last night. She said her instructor was very snobby and irrated with her when she couldnt quite get a move down right. I was shocked to hear her say this because the experience at Two Rivers Yoga couldnt be more different. All of the teachers are very willing to help and it really doesnt matter what level you are at when you come. What I love about Micki is that she says there is no judgment or competition, where you are at is where you are at. It is so refreshing because you can focus on you and not worry about if you are the best/worst in the class. So after this week, I definitely feel stronger and more energized (we do alot of breathing!). My muscles and abs are very sore though. :)
Until next time,
Amy
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Day 7
Amy:
Hello There,
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Day 6
Matt: Core Power
Have to say I was a little hesitant about this class so I padded it with a day off before and a day off afterwards. “CORE POWER”…just sounds like it would tear me up. Actually it was a great class that I was able to hang with…granted I took quite a few liberties with the “if you can’t do this try this instead” type moves. This class is what I would have told you my perceptions of yoga in general would be. I think coming to a weeks worth of classes beforehand really helped me out. Becoming more familiar with the pose names really helped with my flow when I knew them and did not have to cheat by sneaking a peak at what my neighbor was doing. Couple things I just can’t manage to pull off yet…sitting with my legs stretched out in front of me and touching my toes (shorter legs would be a big help here), getting my palms to touch in the Eagle pose (my head will explode if I try and explain this…Google it), and holding the “barstool pose”. Granted…I need work on everything as I’ve only been doing this for a week…but c’mon…the “barstool”…I should be a natural at this. I’m not sure if that is its actual name, perhaps I should ask one of the kids in Little Yogis as they know them all….anyways. At some point during class the pose is to move from a standing position squatting to sort of a sitting position…as if you were sitting on a barstool….then hold. Unfortunately there is no actual barstool to help assist with the hold. Name a bar in town…any bar…I could probably give you an accurate estimation within an inch to how high this “squat” should be….but as far as holding it? Maybe I need a 12oz weight in each hand to counter balance? I plan on improving and practicing this move a lot for no other reason then to go to a bar next month, ask someone at the bar if the seat next to them is taken (but really there will be no barstool there), then act is though I’m pulling up a chair and basically mime the whole thing. I can’t wait. Maybe I’ll get a chance to offer my chair to someone who is looking for a seat? “ Here, take mine….”
Sara was the instructor for the class and my feeling is that no matter your experience level, you can make it through this class. She will help you and at your own pace. There were definitely some more experienced students on board for this class but I did not feel threatened, nervous, or made to feel as if I were slowing down the class (which is exactly what I thought would happen). There is definitely a feeling of support from not only the instructors but from other people in the class which is an incredible incentive.
On to Week 2….
Matt
And a note from Instructor Sara: I think we can officially rename "Utkatasana, or fierce pose" to "barstool pose. Done. In all seriousness though, Matt, Amy & Mattson are doing GREAT! I always tell new students it takes about a week of steady practice to start feeling comfortable, and then you can get down to work! I've been practicing yoga very earnestly for over 6 years and continue to have days where I feel like I'm still in the "training wheels" stage of my practice. We are all always students :)
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Day 4
Amy: So I completed Day 4 tonight at Two Rivers Yoga. I participated in Yoga class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I had a great experience at all of my classes. Each time I go I feel better about my technique and more intune with my body. Not only do I feel like I get a good workout but it is a great time to relax, unwind from the day, and recharge my body and mind. I love the mental aspect of the workouts. I do not at all feel like it is a chore going, I truly enjoy the time I have in each class. I am looking forward to next week, where my goal is to be at Yoga class 5 days, one more than I was at this week.
Until then,
Amy
Oh and in case anyone is wondering, YES I was sore in some weird places this week!
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Matt: Hang’n with the Little Yogis
So I decided that after three days of intense “totally new to me” yoga stuff I would take it easy and recruit my daughter to get me into the “Little Yogis” class. With a name like that who wouldn’t want to see what that was all about? Makes me laugh just saying it to myself…”Little Yogis”…ahhh…that’s funny. I was a little off on my assumption of “taking it easy” because it was not long before my old friend “Pool of Sweat” was there beside me again. I have an 8 year old daughter who is always up for something new and when I told her about it she was pretty excited to see what it was all about. Because I was coming from Austin I had my daughter dropped off at the studio and I met her there. I was about 5 minutes late. They must have covered something for every second of those five minutes because by the time I started in I was already behind…and there was my daughter…busting out poses she had never heard of before every time one would be called out. “No Dad,like this…” I still can’t figure out how I missed so much in five minutes? Seemed to be a good turn out…maybe 10 or so of your typical out of control, over excited, short attention spanned, bouncing off the wall group of kids. (I only harp on them because they all made me look bad as they knew all the names of the poses and I still don’t….I had to cheat off a 7 year old by watching what she was doing). In all seriousness the class was a lot like the regular adult classes as far as poses and direction…but definitely light hearted enough to maintain the interest of the kids. In fact…I actually learned some new poses while in this class (“Inverted Lotus” and one other I can’t remember the name of….where’s that 7 yr old when I need her?). Melissa and Sara were the ringleaders and were really great with the kids…my hats off to anyone who hangs out with a large group of kids, under 10 years old, on purpose. The kids really knew there stuff. That was very apparent during “Yoga Freeze Tag”…basically when you get tagged you freeze in a yoga pose. They were “freezing” in all sorts of poses…downward dog, tree, warrior stances, that other one I can’t remember, and then that other one I can’t remember. I played it off like I was an adult and not playing because I was an adult….truth be told I felt lame that I could only remember The Tree stance to use if I got tagged (this was at the beginning of class…so I just wasn’t there yet…my mind was still in “long commute mode”…again…must have been a heck of a 5 minutes I missed). My daughter loved it. She had such a good time. I was a little worried for her being that it was new; she didn’t know anyone, etc. As it turned out she did know a boy and girl from our neighborhood and she picked up on it so fast. She had the biggest smile on her face running around playing Yoga Freeze tag...it was really awesome…I never forget smiles like that. It was a really great day for her. She was invited to the Math Club at school and pulled of an Inverted Lotus all in the same day. Both of which she reported to her doting grandfather on a phone call when we got home. I’m really glad she liked it and hope she wants to come back…she says she does. With all the “electronic mindtraps” kids are exposed to these days I think Little Yogis is far beyond a great idea and a breath of fresh air when it comes to thinking of something for your kids to try.
I was curious what the perception of what was going on in our room was from Mickie’s “Pie Latte” class next door. It probably sounded like I was bouncing Little Yogis off our shared wall. Well that’s about it…going to leave out the part where I totally got showed up by a little girl less than half as tall me called “Pickle”.
Day 4…Over and Out,…..Matt
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Day 3
Mattson: I just finished my second Yoga class and I can tell you I'm just as tired as I was after I finished my first class. But today's tired is different. Monday I felt tired because I had no idea what to expect. It was harder than I thought and much of the class I felt I was trying to keep up, making me much more mentally tired. Today, I felt much more confident in my poses, therefore giving me more ability to concentrate on maximizing my exercises, as opposed to making sure I wasn't the one guy in the class slowing things down for everyone. Today I was able to make sure my legs were straight and my back stretched while still properly breathing. Remember to breathe. When you don't have to concentrate as hard on breathing, your mind is free to either focus on your form, or better yet, let your mind become clear. Monday, I had to watch every move the instructor was making before I could do the exercise. Having to watch the instructor blocks the mind and flow of the exercise. Today, much of the time, I was able to just listen and know exactly what to do. Again, allowing me to focus on form and not " what the heck is she doing?"I got way more out of today's session, for that very reason. Yoga is about you, not your instructor. But it can't be about you until you know what to do. Right?
I am still sore from the first class, but it's that "good" sore we all know. That type of sore that you know comes from doing something positive for your body. That kind of sore that when someone says " How are you doing today?" You can respond by saying "I'm a little sore from my workout".
There are only two responses for your statement:
1. "Hey that's great, I work out too " or
2. " Good for you, I really need to start working out as well."
Those are the only 2 real responses you will get and both make you feel good. Nothing like a pat on the back.
Today's challenging pose for me was "the Crow". Place you palms on the ground. Bend your arms so that you can rest your knees on your elbows. Slowly raise your feet off the ground and balance. I didn't quite nail it today but I'm going to get it by the next class.
Yoga builds strength, agility, confidence and, ultimately, peace of mind. At least, that's what I've determined so far. Class 2 is better than class 1. I have a feeling class 3 will be better.
By the way, some folks have asked me where Two Rivers Yoga is located. It's in the Gruene Lake Village. The new area in Gruene between Gruene Hall and Tavern in the Gruene, on Gruene Rd. From Gruene hall, go about 1/2 mile down Gruene Rd towards Common and take a left into Gruene lake Village. It's towards the back.
See you on the mat!
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Matt: You say Pilates, I say Pie Lattes
Where does this word come from anyways? The girls at work are always trying to get me to set in on their “plates”, “pladies”, “pie latte” class at lunch all the time. To be honest I don’t know if I avoid them because I don’t know how to pronounce what they were doing or because the obvious “it’s a bunch of girls in there doing ‘yoga’ with no other guys around” thing. Well, all bets are off now…not only do I know how to pronounce Pilates (named after the German guy who came up with it turns out) but I know a little bit more about it. First thought that comes to my mind related to my coworkers…your doing this wrong. For the life of me, now that I’ve sit in on a class, I can only assume that this is pretty much impossible to perform correctly without an instructor there to check your work. There is a lot to think about when trying to get these moves down. My observations were that the whole thing centers around the position of the spine and using muscles you never knew existed. The example I gave my wife was for her to go to one side of the room then walk over to the other side…without using her legs. That’s Pilates to me…perform a movement without using the muscles you think you normally would. Requires a lot of thinking and concentration…reminds me of chess in a way. So I was probably more tired from thinking last night than I was from performing the movements. I did get some good stretches in and my legs were shaking by the end of the night but my brain got the biggest work out. One thing about thinking heavily…it makes me tired…really…I slept like a hibernating bear last night. Which for me is awesome because I am typically an insomniac…I just don’t sleep much. This morning when my alarm went off I was in such a deep sleep when I awoke I thought I was Pablo Escobar ordering a pizza at McDonalds…I mean, I was out of it. Someone should be fined for me having to get up this morning and ruining one of the greatest nights of sleep I’ve had in awhile. Maybe it was the Pilates…maybe it’s the accumulation of 3 days of classes…not sure…but I’m looking forward to the next alarm less morning when I can totally reap the benefits of a good night sleep.
Mickie taught the Pilate class last night and she is way cool. Having to explain to people how to use the inner muscles needed for Pilates (muscles I don’t think we ever use besides for breathing, digesting, and all the other auto functions our bodies handle) cannot be easy. But alas, Mickie knows the right way to explain something totally foreign to you. Through gestures and descriptions she can get you to find a way to use a muscle deep inside that you never thought you had. I’m looking forward to testing my theory about Pilates and deep sleep again here real soon.
Have a most wonderful day, (yawwwwwn)
Matt
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Day 2
Matt: “Vinyasa with Marcie”….OK…so Vinyasa is basically breath synchronized movements consisting of (among others) movements referred to as “Downward facing dogs”. I believe they call it “downward facing dog” movements because after you’re finished, if you were a dog, you would be facing down from exhaustion. Or maybe it’s because you are “dog tired” by the end of the night. We were constantly moving from one pose to the next or sometimes in repetitions. Though some of the more experienced folks in the class made this look easy, for me it was a real workout. I mean really...at one point the sweat was literally flowing out of my body. It reminded me of doing calisthenics for an hour switching to pushups to take a break. Don’t get me wrong…I thought it was a great workout…course I lost more water weight than anyone in the class (sorry about that folks…I’m a “sweater”). Marcie was so nice and just like Kanani the night before she was very methodical in her delivery of what steps need to be taken to achieve the next muscle stretching movement. She also had a very perceptive read on the students. For example, at one point during the class I was thinking to myself “oh my god…how much more of this can I take?! I am so going to have to stop soon…*gasp*…*sweat*…*sigh*”… then right out of the blue I hear Marcie say “It’s ok, we’re almost done” as if she were watching me directly…perhaps she was. That sort of gave me second wind and enough to finish. Granted this is only my second day and I was pretty jazzed I made it through the class without stopping…but I couldn’t have taken much more and there were some advance moves that I am going to have to work up to. In all fairness I was warned that this class would be a little more intense than Hatha. Tonight’s session took me back to my high school days when we would have practice and you would be afraid to ask what time it was in fear that there was actually A LOT more time left on the clock than you would have hoped…not because I didn’t want to be there but more because I thought I would wear out before time was up. Thank goodness my machismo kicked in and I was able to play it off like I wasn’t going to quit about 10 minutes before we actually stopped.
Taking this class has made me realize that I am a total dead man this weekend when I attempt Sara’s Core conditioning class or even the heated room workouts later this month. I did manage to pull off this arm stand move without shattering my forearms so I’m going to take that to heart as some sort success into my next class.
Day 2 and still digging it,
Matt
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Day 1
Mattson: I attended my very first Yoga class last night at Two Rivers Yoga. Before we even started I felt comfortable with the place. Sara and her staff obviously love what they do and it shows. I can tell they really care about their clients, and not just because they are very nice people, but because they are not afraid to push you to the limit. I get bored easily when I'm not pushed by a challenge. I actually tend to quit things that are easy. I'm not sure what you're thoughts are about yoga, but I really didn't know exactly what to expect. I knew there was a lot of stretching but didn't know much after that. I was very happy to learn that yoga truly is a mind, body and spirit exercise. Those who think yoga is "weird" or "for girls" don't understand and probably feels that way because they are afraid they can't do it. And fear is a negative energy that yoga can eliminate. Life is about balance. Work, family, friends, civic duties, personal time. We all have to balance out many things in our life. As physically challenging as yoga can be, it's also about relaxation. I hadn't felt so physically tired and relaxed at the same time in a long while. After my first class, I realized the heart of yoga is breathing. All the physical aspects are a nice benefit, but, for a guy like me, remembering to breathe properly is very important. The first step in eliminating the negative powers of stress is learning how to breathe. Sound easy? How many times have you been so stressed out that even breathing became difficult. It's happened to me many times. Yoga class is also a nice time to meet people whom you may not otherwise meet. Quite often those with similar goals and outlook. I left the class with a tired body and a clear mind. I look forward to class number two.
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Matt: This was my first time in a Yoga studio let alone trying Yoga. Yoga always sounded kind of cool to me…the whole mind, body, spirit thing…I mean, I’m a spiritual kind of guy, I’m in touch…at least I think I am. Though I don’t work out as much as I think I do, when I did go to the gym I would run on the treadmill as fast as I could for ten minutes then lift weights for 40 minutes. Can’t say it has been exciting for me much at all and has really become a boring workout. Honestly I haven’t been to the gym since November as I typically declare November- December “blow off” months and pretty much don’t do anything healthy…due to the recent situation in Red China and the Toyota recalls I have extended this year’s “blow off” to February. So this must be fate.
My wife will tell you I’m a big dork…and here’s why. My wife has always talked about trying Yoga and with our daughter‘s recent enrollment in Yoga for college credit my wife entered the “Yoga Challenge” contest hoping to get a chance to try it out herself…I only entered as a jab at her telling her I was going to snatch her prize away without even trying (I’ve been pestering her since 6th grade…she’s used to this). So last week, the day before her 40th birthday, Two Rivers and KNBT called and informed me that yes, that I had indeed “Punked” my wife by snatching away her Yoga aspirations. At this point I started to question my maturity level but also had to wonder what had I got myself into. Well, as my wife tells me now, it is time to “walk the walk”. In response I can only think to quote the great P. W. Herman who once said “I meant to do that”.
So….here we are …I’m doing a “Yoga Challenge” …for a month. Who would have thought it? Trust me…”challenge” is the perfect description for what I’ve got ahead of me. Being a “physical slacker” the past 10 years has become easier and easier and inall seriousness I really am looking for something to inspire me, motivate me, and make me feel good.
I stopped by Saturday morning to meet Sara and kind of scout out the place. To be honest I was a tad apprehensive. Two River’s new studio in Gruene is really nice…it’s all brand spanking new and it didn’t take me long to figure out that Sara was not going to hurt me but rather she and her staff were going to help me and that this had the possibility to be a very rewarding experience.
So tonight was the recommended intro class “Hatha Basics” taught by Kanani. It was a great introduction and Kanani was so good…I mean…I have no yoga experience what so ever but the way she can walk a group of people through the whole process was really incredible. I told my wife it was like a really intense game of “Twister” but way more detailed. “Put your hands here, lift with this side of your foot there….breathe….breathe…” She tells you everything you need to know…walks you right through it and doesn’t leave you hanging without telling you what you’re going to do next. The breathing…wow…I can already tell that breathing is the key and I’m looking forward to learning more about it. You can actually feel the movements become easier if you breathe when Kanani tells you to. Seriously, life would be easier for all of us if we could all have Kanani with us all day helping us breathe. Sort of a rush to be made more aware of something we all do every second of the day. I also learned some positions tonight …very cool. Not as easy as it looks. In fact, as I’m typing this I’m feeling it…down in my calves. The “cool down” at the end of class was just what I needed today. I don’t know how Monday’s are in your world but mine usually don’t get past the “TODAY JUST SUCKS” mark. May be cliché, but the end of Kanani’s class was very relaxing and really took the edge off of what is usually the end of a stressful day. Double shot of Yoga on the rocks please…in a tall glass. Ahhhhhhh…..
So this is my first report. I plan on trying to take as many classes as I can this month and get as much out of them as possible. Tonight was very exciting and I think I’m going to like Yoga a lot. Stay tuned……
Oh yeah…and BTW…I went and bought my wife membership for her birthday …makes a great gift…and keeps one in good graces.
Thanks again to Sarah and her staff at Two River’s Yoga and to KNBT for this experience…
Cya,
Matt
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Amy: Ok, so Day 1 is completed! I have never been to Two Rivers Yoga before, so here are my thoughts for the studio/session. The instructors at Two Rivers Yoga are very friendly, welcoming, and extremely helpful. The studio is beautiful and a very relaxing place to workout and have some time to myself for reflection and growth. I know that many people are under the impression that Yoga is not a workout to really be taken seriously, but I was really stretching, moving, and working muscles that I do not otherwise utilize in my routine workouts. If you do not have a memership to this studio you are really missing out! I've already told my friends and family members about Two Rivers Yoga. They told me in response that this is only Day 1 and they will think about memberships if I finish the thirty day challenge....so now I am more determined than ever!!
Thank you all again for this opportunity and I will stay in touch with my review.
- Amy
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Check back here soon for more updates on Mattson's and our winner's progress in the Two Rivers Yoga "30 Days to Wellness Challenge.
