Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Maaaaayaaaaa

Day 255 of practice.

Worked on some nice, juicy slow mayas today. At least, that's what they should be. Sometimes I think that Mayas, Taxims and Snake Arms are only put in beginner classes with the idea that if you start them right at the beginning, you might maybe not suck at them by the time you're tackling all of the other advanced moves. They're certainly not easy, at least, it's not easy to make them look pretty.

I really need to focus on being able to sink deeper into my knees. I have really short hamstrings and achilles tendons, and ever since I stopped going to the gym that made me do a zillion squats several times a week, they've really tightened back up. My hamstrings especially have been bothering me a lot lately, and it's embarrassing how bad I am at doing levels right now. I think it's time to go back to doing squats at home, as much as I hate them, and lots and lots of stretching, which I do like.

In awesome news, it has been raining A LOT and the temperatures are down, so heat is no longer a barrier to dance practice. I just have to balance my desire to dance with my desire to work on the yard while the weather is nice and the ground is soft!

5 comments:

  1. Yoga, yoga, and more yoga. But not Bikram.

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  2. I miss the crazy pseudo-Bikram classes they used to offer at my former gym. It was fun and I always felt SO good afterwards. But I can't see myself ever going to a real Bikram class. I liked this because although it was hard, the attitude was really laid back and no one was a Yoga snob or anything. The teacher started it because it was the only way she could get her Dad to stretch. LOL.

    So anyway, what sort of yoga do you think is best for a dancer? I'd kind of like to take Yoga classes again, but I don't know what to look for. I don't want anything especially spiritual, because I'm a skeptic by nature.

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  3. Something like Ashtanga or Hatha yoga is a good place to start. It will re-introduce you to some of the pose and you'll see an increase in flexibility fairly quickly.

    Vinyasa style classes move quickly from one pose to another so they are good for building stamina and strength.

    Yin yoga is one of my all time favorites. But it may be a bit too intense for a beginner or someone who is really tight since each pose is held for 3-5 minutes. Most of the poses are passive, meaning that they are done while sitting or lying on the floor. It does increase flexibility fairly quickly since you're not only stretching the muscles, but the connective tissues as well.

    The only reason I don't recommend Bikram, or hot yoga, is because you're doing the same sequence of poses over and over. I got real bored with that real quick And you're not given the opportunity to work on a specific area of tightness. And it's hot, which I think is rather pointless in Az. If I want a "hot" yoga session all I have to do is turn up the air for a little while.

    Shop around! Most yoga studios have a variety of classes, so if there is one handy to your house you can sample everything that they offer.

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  4. Yin sounds like something I would want to work up to.

    See, the reason that you got bored with Bikram was the same reason why Chris and I liked it... It was very easy to drop in and know that we would already know what to do, and if we had to miss it for a few weeks, we knew we weren't missing out on learning something.

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  5. That's exactly why I don't like Bikram yoga.

    Working the same muscles in the same way doesn't allow for people to work on specific areas, so a person could end up with stretchy hamstrings and tight hips and groin. It also doesn't give students the tools they need to create an effective home practice.

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