Hi guys, I'm Joanna, and I live in Warsaw, Poland. I started this blog to share my journey of practice of Ashtanga yoga. I hope you enjoy it. Please share your experiences in comments, I would love to hear about your point of view.
I've been always an active person. Throughout my childhood, I was doing multiple sports like horseback riding, ballroom dancing, soccer, tennis, etc. It seems that it was a part of my body and mind hygiene to constantly keep on moving. While in my late teens I got interested in dance in particular and started taking up ballet and then also contemporary dance. I completed Merce Cunningham Studio International program training in September 2011, and back in Poland, created my own dances and pieces. My main tools of work are improvisation and instant composition.
I had contact with a yoga before, though it was never and intense and committed practice. I did some Hatha yoga, a little bit if Antigravity yoga (the one with a silk hanging out from the celling), then a little of Ashtanga and a tiny little bit of Kundalini. So I did nothing really right actually, and always stayed a little confused about how should yoga work and what can it bring.
When I did Asthanga though, even for a short time, I felt a positive shift in my mood, but the place I took the class, seemed not really a right place for me, without people committed to Ashtanga in its clear form. So my practice didn't continue there.
I heard from my friend about Astanga Yoga Studio, in Warsaw city centre and I decided to give yoga another go. I loved it from the first class. First week I took only led classes, to get the sequence into my head and revise the allighement the basic postures, and then I went to Mysore class, although a little aftraid that i won't remember the sequence but I also loved it.
The studio is very bright and has uncluttered atmosphere, friendliness is in the air and - first and foremost, the teachers, are truly passionate about Ashtanga yoga and are in constant training themselves.
First, I thought ok, I will try. And I loved it. It's been only 3 weeks and I'm going to Mysore every day. I'm not going to stop. Why? Here are some benefis of doing Ashtanga yoga, that I listed. These don't have to be true for everybody, but they are true for me at this very moment.
1) After the practice, I'm much calmer, there is no stress accumulated; my body and mind feels cleansed, all the obstacles move away.
2) I'm smiling though the day....
3) I'm energized and alert throughout the day. I'm not sleepy or lethargic. My senses are open.
4) Some of my nervousness and nervous habits had disappeared or are becoming more conscious and less bothersome. When I realized that yesterday, I couldn't believe it. And also what's interesting about it, that when there was a moon day and there wasn't any practice, one habit returned, just for that day.
5) I rise early. (This seemed impossible when I looked at the schedule and was like, oh 7am hymmm). I would usually get up around 9am, such a time waste! Now i get up between 5:30 and 7:00 am. I'm also working on having positive associations with the mornings. (Thats one of my personal issues..)
6) I discovered where the tensions are in my body and how it can possibly reflect in my mind and vice versa and started to work through them (although I think it might prove to be a very long process).
7) I became a conscious vegetarian, out of a need that came deep from the inside (at least that's what I thought it was). I am still having a fish once a week so I'm probably not a full vegetarian yet, but moving there. Also I hadn't had a particular need for sweets in a last couple of weeks. As it is with meat, I just didn't feel like eating it, but it was also caused by awareness of ahimsa (non violece).
Its all pretty big for 3 weeks and I'm sure there is more. I'm completely hooked on ashtanga yoga right now! I will keep you updated on how does it go.
I also want to mention that I sometimes wondered why hadn't I loved yoga before? It was probably a right time for me, right place and right people. I'm grateful that light of yoga is brightening my path, right now at this very moment :)
Some cool links:
Are you in Warsaw and considering taking up yoga? Here is a cool school with dedicated teachers
Astanga Yoga Studio
For videos, articles, and wise yoga talk and inspiration visit Kino MacGregor page KinoYoga
Enjoy and comment your own experiences!
Joanna
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