Kathleen Pringle, owner of Stillwater Yoga in Atlanta offered a fun-filled workshop last weekend that focused on how we can help each other in yoga. Partners yoga is not a couples thing in the strict sense of the word, although many couples attended. It's more about lending a hand and learning to support each other in stretching, extending, flexing, rotating and contracting the body.
I brought a friend who was relatively new to yoga. Many of the attendees had never been to a yoga class at all. The incredible thing about Kathleen's partner yoga class is you don't have to be experienced to benefit.
Kathleen has been studying Iyengar Yoga for over 30 years and has been teaching students since 1983. She studies regularly with the Iyengars at their institute in Pune, India. She is also heavily involved in the training and assessment of up and coming Iyengar teachers.
For those unfamiliar with this type of yoga, the teacher training in the Iyengar method is easily the most demanding process in the yoga world with extensive Introductory, Junior, and Senior Level course work.
How that kind of experience and training translates into a workshop with both beginners and more advanced practitioners is very eye-opening. Kathleen knows how to teach. She speaks a language everyone can understand, if they are willing to listen. Surprisingly, all the students in the partner yoga workshop were willing. We all listened and learned.
Kathleen guided us with clear, succinct language and demonstration through a series of poses -- from Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog) and Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle) to more challenging asanas like Ubhaya Padangusthasana, a pose that involves sitting and lifting your legs in a "V" shape, while holding your big toes. Her keen sense of human tendencies enabled her to anticipate wrong actions and pre-empt any possible mishap.
The results were amazing. Each new pose was like getting a present and discovering how wonderful it was. Whether you were helping or being helped you gained something. The advanced practitioners and beginners both felt the benefits. There was a perfect balance of challenge and play, especially with the synchronized movements (think Esther Williams meets Circ de Soleil and smile).
I feel for at least a moment even the novices, who may have been nervous about venturing into a yoga class, got a taste of what aspiring yogis are seeking: freedom from mental, physical and emotional pain. Hopefully, it will encourage them to come back for more. Who knows for sure, but sometimes all it takes to change your life is just a little help from a friend.
For more information on Kathleen Pringle and Stillwater Yoga please visit stillyoga.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment