I recently started doing a work-trade with a local yoga studio, Yoga Oasis.
After putting my name on the waiting list in January, I finally got a spot in March, and it is consistently the high of my week! Basically, I clean the studio one a week for an hour and get three free classes. It feels too good to be true--even cleaning the studio feels like a gift. I get the space to myself, to listen to music and clean; after a long week at work, the peacefulness that emanates from the studio is just what I need.
What is it that I love so much about yoga and Yoga Oasis (aka Yo)?
1. Yo teaches Anusara yoga: "Anusara means 'flowing with Grace,' 'flowing with Nature,' 'following your heart.' Founded by John Friend in 1997, Anusara yoga is a school of hatha yoga which unifies a life-affirming Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness with Universal Principles of Alignment"
2. During yoga classes, I simultaneously feel immersed in community and very alive internally. It is clear that the studio makes an effort to make yoga as accessible as possible--you don't need to pay to rent a mat, or to use a block, they have a punch card if you take the bus or ride your bike, and they will pack the studio so that as many people as possible can be in the class (see photo below from the Arizona Daily Star). Just last night, the teacher let someone bring their dog in because they were travelling and had no where else for the dog to go! Sometimes, as I watch people come into the studio, I feel a little like Jody Sawyer from Center Stage when she goes to the other dance studio; it's like people are coming home.
3. Yoga is the best stress reliever, meditation, work out--all around complement to life that I've found for myself this year. Throughout the day I end up putting the stress of the day in my body, and while my bike ride home can help me relieve some of that, it is when I'm in yoga that I find the most peace.
4. The teachers are incredible... and that's probably an understatement. Darren Rhodes, the studio director and student of John Friend (the founder of Anusara yoga), is down to earth and so talented. The Arizona Daily Star called him "one of the most visible anusara yogis in the world", and in 2008 Yoga Journal named him "one of the top 21 yoga teachers under 40 who are shaping the future of yoga". He made the below poster, in which he performed every asana in the Anusara syllabus in two days. It can be purchased at Yo, or at this point really anywhere in the world. Thousands of people of bought and millions have viewed it. In the below video you can see a clip from the making of the poster.
And this guy teaches two classes a week at my studio.
5. I have nights like last night, which gave the name to this post! When I got home I was very tempted to stay and hang out with my housemate Jen who was baking a delicious loaf of bread (have I mentioned living in community spoils you? or has at least spoiled me?). Nevertheless, after wavering a bit, I went to class. The day was already going well, and yoga ended up being the icing on the metaphorical cupcake (the actual cupcake, Jen's friend had sent us and I had after class). There was a dog, Darren taught, the class closed with some live music, and I was able to get deeper into a lot of my poses than I have before--I even did the mermaid. Okay, so there weren't live mermaids as my title may have mislead you to believe, but how fun is it that a pose is called the mermaid?
It's Friday and I'm going to class again tonight- can you say awesome end to the week? I'll close with the infamous words of Rachel Black, "fun, fun, fun, fun, looking forward to the weekend".
rebecca black erin, rebecca black. pay attention to the pop culture. :) if you can even call it that.
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