Buddha's Lap of Luxury: Exhale Spa, Core Fusion Basic Class

Today I decided to try the Core Fusion Basic class at Exhale Spa in Midtown. This untraditional class combines techniques from ballet, Pilates, and yoga. The club music and fun atmosphere made me feel like I was taking yoga on ecstasy (Disclaimer: Do not worry mom, I have not taken ecstasy before, but I have watched enough Oprah to know the effects this drug has.)

The core exercises were intense and the bar work forced me to use muscles I did not know I had.  I think I am a pretty fit person, but halfway through the class my legs were shaking!

Afterwards I made conversation with a woman in the class. When she found out it was my first time at the studio she told me I had to try out the Hammam. The what I thought? Even though it did not sound Kosher I decided to follow her. The Hammam is actually a Turkish bathing method. As l laid on the warm stone surface my body melted into a deep state of relaxation and I continued my Shavasana from the end of the class. I followed this with a cup of “earth” tea in a dimly lit lounge area.

The Core Fusion class combined with the spa experience was truly a treat. I felt like a lady of leisure. Leaving the spa I saw a statue of a Buddha. Instead of sitting in a meditative seated position, the icon rested on his side. I felt like this Buddha, taking a break from my normal yoga practice to indulge in the spa side of yoga.

Yogatude: Sandy Springs Yoga Sunday Class

What makes a great yoga class? Is it the teacher, the poses, the atmosphere, or simply that the student is in the right frame of mind? I am not quite sure, but today I went to Springs Yoga’s 4:00pm mixed levels class and it was great. I decided to go to Sandy Springs, because it is about 5 minutes away from Trader Joes, and Sam and I planned to do our grocery shopping afterwards.

As we held our poses the instructor shared little pieces of wisdom with us. Now, maybe if I had not been in the proper mindset I would have been too distracted by my grocery list to listen closely; however, this was not the case today and as my hands firmly grasped the ground in plank position my ears also grasped onto his words.

He kept stressing the importance of acting with your highest attitude. That in a challenging yoga pose, or situation, we must take on a good attitude. This idea became even more powerful when the instructor ended the class with a quote from Victor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor:

“Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”

As I walked through the aisles of Trader Joes I could not stop thinking about how true this quote was. Our situation in life is not always under our control, but our attitude and thoughts are. It is easy to have a positive attitude when you are grocery shopping with your boyfriend and things are going good, but it is even more important to be able to have a positive outlook when life gets tough.

Growing My Practice: Jai Shanti Yoga

This afternoon I felt like I needed a nap more than a yoga class, but I was determined to try out the 4:30pm moderate yoga class as Jai Shanti Yoga. So, I decided to get some liquid motivation at the San Francisco Coffee Roasting Company, located next door to the studio. However, I did not take the Friday afternoon traffic into account (a rookie mistake only made by those new to Atlanta) and my plan to slowly enjoy a large cup of coffee was thwarted.  Instead, I was forced to order the smallest menu item still potent enough to provide my much needed caffeine fix: an espresso. I’ve never had an espresso and before today I had thought that they were only ordered by super chic, stuck up coffee house regulars. It was delicious and the more I think about it, great for yoga regulars; providing energy before a yoga class without lots of liquid is a must to prevent interruptions, if you know what I mean.

As I finished the rest of my miniature cup of joe, a piece of artwork caught my eye. It was a tree made out of carved wood and feathers. I quickly snapped a picture and then bolted towards the studio.

My rushed pace was slowed down by the calming movements of the class. We started on our backs and ended it standing for our final pose vriksha-asana, tree pose. I immediately thought about the tree sculpture I had seen earlier and wondered why the tree had become a reoccurring symbol in my day. In the tree pose one must be stable, balancing on one leg. Your upper body may sway like a tree’s branches in the wind, yet your lower body must be stable like a tree trunk planted firmly into the ground. Could this be a lesson sent to me by the yogic gods or had I had too much caffeine? Either way it was a great reminder to strive to be like a tree, both flexible and stable. 

Fro-Yoga: Springs Yoga

Today I continued my yoga journey through Atlanta with the 8:15am level 2 Anusara yoga class at Springs Yoga. The studio’s website states that it is located on 4920 Rowell, “around the corner from TCBY.” A yoga studio next door to a frozen yogurt store? Now that is my kind of a studio.

Springs Yoga is a very simple studio. There are no meditating Buddha statues or burning incense to be found. The only piece of yoga paraphernalia in the yoga room was a small plant and a statue of the Hindu deity, Shiva. Shiva represents supreme consciousness in the Anusara philosophy.

As we moved through the poses, the teacher urged us to “find our breath.” This made me giggle at first. Had I lost my breath? I was still alive so obviously I was still breathing. A few minutes later he repeated, “find your breath,” and that is when I realized I was not being conscious of my breathing. The body is capable of unconsciously inhaling and exhaling, but we also have the ability to take control of our breath and use it to relax our body and mind.

As I left the studio I was immersed into a sweltering heat that is May in Atlanta. I needed something to cool me off. Since it was still the morning, frozen yogurt seemed inappropriate (and TCBY was not open. Yes, I admit it, I checked). So, I went to get an iced coffee at the Posh Café located a few stores down. As I sipped my drink it came to me that life is like the breath. You can live unconsciously, just going through the motions of each day, or you can awaken to each experience and find your life. 

The New and Improved Monday Morning: Sunrise Yoga at Kashi Atlanta

A couple weeks ago when I was still in graduate school, Monday mornings made me cringe. But not today. This Monday I jumped out of bed with exuberance, ready to start my week with the 8 am Sunrise Yoga class at Kashi Atlanta Urban Yoga Ashram. The studio is located on 1681 McLendon Avenue, right across from Candler Park.

Like a good student (or nerd) I arrived early for my first class. I ended up having to wait on the front steps of the studio for the other students and teacher to arrive. The teacher finally appeared, but the other students did not. Although many people pay big bucks for private lessons, I was not thrilled about it. I was worried that I would spend the class feeling self-conscious and rendering me unable to relax-- the main purpose of my yogic practice. I was delighted to find that this was not the case. The teacher emphasized the breath, not just the action of inhaling and exhaling, but the noise you can create through mindful breathing. I was able to quiet my mind, and yes, you guessed it, relax! 

After the class I rewarded my hard work by going to a cafe less than a block away called, Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party. 

I sat outside on the patio and I enjoyed the after effects of my yoga with a warm cup of honey ginseng green tea. Maybe it was the delightful atmosphere, or my yoga high, but I couldn't help but smile and tap my foot to the the catchy 20's style music being played. As the bottom of my tea cup became more visible I was sad that this experience had to end, and at the same time excited to take on the rest of the week.