yogashalapdx

Day 5: Today was a new day, a new teacher and I was ready to learn something new. When I walked into class I was quite surprised on how many people were here today, it was definitely a full house. I felt more comfortable with more people around so that I could see different ways of doing the same thing. When class started, my teacher Char told us that today we would be focusing more on back bends rather then front bends. Which was fine with me because I wasn’t really familiar with either one. This class was also very easy going, everyone went at the same pace. Although some people like me who were not so experienced and couldn’t do every stretch or bend tried easier ways of doing the same position but different style. In between each five minute pose we would take a two minute break just to get our breaths together so we were not over working ourselves but still stretching in areas that needed to be stretched. I like my new teacher a lot because as she teaches she also walks around to make sure everyone is doing the position right or at least to the best of their ability. And if you weren’t she would fix you herself or tell what you need to do until you got it right.

Day 4: Today I walked into class with a different perspective. Not really knowing what to expect. Being that I have a new teacher I know things will definitely be different.When class began I was excited to try a new style of yoga. I must say this was my favorite class by far, it was very easy going. I can truthfully say, I relaxed myself and it took a load of unnecessary things off my mind. I sat on my mat, closed my eyes, and soon felt myself meditating. I did a lot of deep breathing and stretching my core area, which needless to say, felt good. My teacher Tanya was very calm and told us to go at our own pace if we could not keep up with her, surprisingly I could. My favorite part of class was when we would  lay on our backs with our knees to one side and our heads to the opposite side. When I first laid that way my back cracked really loud which made me think that I really need to start stretching like that more often even if I’m not in class. At the end of this class I had a new thought about yoga; that if I just stick to one style then I ‘ll never know what the rest of my body can do.

Day 3: This is my third day in yoga and the best day out of all three days. Today was so relaxing and not so much pressure on my body.  When I walked in the room my teacher Nathan told us to lay on our mats, close our eyes and breath deeply, filling our lungs with as much air as possible before we would breathe out. We did this for about two minutes and then we tried another technique to help our minds relax. As we lay on the ground with our eyes close for the first 10 minutes of class, today’s thoughts and yesterday’s feelings were clearing my head. I feel like I have an advantage in Nathans class being that his voice is so soft and fragile among the music as he gives us directions to being more relaxed and telling us different ways to clear our negative thoughts. He told us to focus on nothing but the moment, so I tried although I didn’t fully succeed. The rest of class was just like my previous classes with him, we went over different postures and positions. I enjoyed this class the most because my body didn’t become tired. I was able to keep up without taking breaks, becoming restless or sweating. I have now realized that it’s always good to sit down, close your eyes and breathe deeply even if its only for two minutes.

Day 2: My second day in yoga, I walked in the room with a smile on my face ready to learn something new. I grabbed a mat off the shelf, found my place and began to do my own stretches. I wasn’t as nervous as before because I knew what to expect, well sort of. Although many things were running through my mind, I tried to focus mainly on yoga. My teacher Nathan walked in the room and wasted no time. When he came in we got right down to business and began to slowly stretch and work our way up. This time around he gave me a few pointers about using my core, proper hand and feet placements and to relax certain body parts more. By looking at other people I noticed that it’s not all about flexibility but more about balance, concentration and how comfortable you are while doing it. Also this time I feel as if I got a little more into it, by the middle of class I was sweating. Nathan repeatedly told me “take breaks if you need to”, but in my head I felt like he was saying you can do it, keep going, so I did. By the end of class I was very hot sweaty and tired but surprisingly I felt better then what I did the first time. My favorite part of class was when we would sit on our legs and put our heads to the ground with our eyes closed. It felt amazing; I was relaxed yet still stretching my muscles. I feel like this new experience can only get better from here especially when my body really adapts to participating in at least one class a day.

Hello, My name is Jayana. I go to Jefferson high school and I am in a program called SEI (Self Enhancement Inc.). Every summer they set up a load of high school students with jobs around the community. This summer I was lucky enough to become an intern at Yoga Shala of Portland. I am new to yoga and don’t know very much about it. Before I became apart of the yoga environment I didn’t really bother to find out the details and where it originated. Since my first class I have been interested in studying and learning more about it. Like many other beginners when you think of yoga the things that come to your mind are usually that it involves stretching, focusing and being quiet. From my first experience I learned that it does require those things but mainly dedication. I was nervous when I entered the room; my palms were sweating and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I grabbed my mat and sat down when I looked around I noticed people twice my age doing things I didn’t think I was capable of. Around thirty minutes into class I noticed that I wasn’t feeling relieved or stress free. I know it was because I kept looking around to make sure I was getting every move right along with doing it at the same time as every one else. I also did not know the yoga terms my instructor was using as in warrior or happy baby, so my only way of getting them was to look around and observe what everyone else was doing. I basically wasn’t focusing on my self and what I needed to do to make sure I was relaxed. All in all it was a good experience and I would advise everyone to try it, even if you are a beginner it’s not as scary as it seems.