It’s First Time Friday!
This week I tried a new type of yoga at a new studio. The studio is Nandi Yoga located in San Mateo, CA. They offer a variety of yoga classes including Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Jivamukti Yoga and more.
It’s always a good feeling when you walk into a studio and it smells clean. The walls were decorated nicely with one of my favorite mantras. A lot of yogis can fit into a class comfortably because of the large, open space.
Jivamukti Yoga is a class with yogic philosophy, spiritual teachings, chanting, music, asana (physical poses) and meditation. The purpose of the class is to find liberation.
I was very interested in Jivamukti Yoga as I have never taken that type of class before. Jeremy, the instructor, handed out booklets with different chants. The class sang along at the chant Jeremy chose while he played the harmonium (reed organ). He then read a passage from a book, The Bhagavad Gita. This book is not bound by a religion, it is a book to assist humans in freeing themselves from the workings of the mind and body and to be able to live happily in the present moment with the truest self.
Some poses included in the sequence were: warrior 2, extended side angle, triangle, forearm balance, headstand, handstand, standing extended hand-to-big-toe, a few twists, savasana and then a seated quiet meditation.
The class was structured similarly to a vinyasa flow/ashtanga style. We flowed throuh poses with each breath but then held certain poses for at least 5 breaths. Throughout the class the teacher talked about the spiritual path, human behavior and how to find freedom from our minds and bodies.
Class ended with savasana and then a seated silent meditation. During the meditation it was our turn to go inward; set intentions, remind ourselves of why we were here, ask for answers, etc.
I enjoyed the class and I would like to go back to Nandi Yoga Studio to try another class or two.
If you live in the San Francisco area I suggest trying some classes there too.
I hope this inspires you to try something new today or this weekend.
Share in the comments below what you are going to try for the first time this weekend. Select the option to “Notify me of new posts by email” as well!
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Thank you for stopping by and reading my post!
~Namaste~
-Danielle
