I have several clients who are interested in yoga, so I thought I would write a bit on why I love yoga, as well as talk a bit about where I do it....
My job is standing-intensive. One doesn't realize this fully until you do yoga. :) In that sense, yoga is ESSENTIAL to my performance as a stylist.
I do yoga because it makes me aware of where my body is in space. It brings my consciousness back to the building blocks-- breath, muscle, movement, heart. When I finish with a yoga class, I carry it with me throughout the week. I remember to tuck my pelvis forward when my back hurts after a long day on my feet. I remember to slide my shoulder blades down my back to help my arms release and move better around a head of hair. I feel more grounded in my work; I breathe slower and deeper.
I also do yoga because I have found no better way to obtain and maintain strength. Using one's own body weight as resistance is an experience in intensity that working with weights and machines can't duplicate. The first time you truly feel your arm muscles engage in a pose like plank is exhilarating. I feel powerful as well as fluid.
I practice yoga at The Yoga Center of Minneapolis in the warehouse district on 3rd Avenue North. It is a lovely, airy, natural studio with a very calming and grounding atmosphere. I chose that studio because they offer a class aimed at larger women and men that is designed to keep the psychics of your body in mind when you go through poses and breath work. It's inspiring to see women of all sizes being so strong and flexible and graceful. It is essential in a yoga class to feel completely comfortable in your own skin, and being a bigger woman it is encouraging that such a place exists.
The Yoga Center also offers classes that range from deep meditation to the most vigorous of yoga flows. Countless workshops and events are offered, and the studio strives to really build a community out of its practitioners.
If you are looking for a yoga studio, I can't recommend The Yoga Center enough. Visit their website and look around-- you will most likely find something that speaks directly to you. :)
