Some years ago I took up Ashtanga yoga. I liked it: it was good aerobic exercise, a really good work-out, helped me strengthen muscles which cycling neglected and increase my flexibility. Oh, and my teacher was a lot of fun and very low on the hippy-woo-bullshit quotient.
Unfortunately, my teacher Met Someone and moved away, and for the past five years or so I've been trying to find a replacement class.
First I found an Ashtanga class held at the office, but it was a comparatively expensive class, and the teacher was a competetive sadist who could do handstand-press-ups and would challenge people to do ever more difficult things until we were all in pain or falling over or both (one guy required medical attention). Unsuprisingly, that class was cancelled due to lack of members after a few months.
Then I found a different class at the office - a predominantly Iyengar class. Now, the principle of Ashtanga is to keep moving, to keep breathing, and it doesn't matter if your posture ain't perfect, just keep trying and do whatever approximation you can manage. As I understand it, the principle of Iyengar is not to move at all, not to strain your body, spend half the class lying down recovering from doing sod-all, and if you can't do a pose then don't try* - instead wedge yourself with foam blocks and belts. Oh, and the teacher was really into every hippy-woo going: homeopathy, detox, "cleansing" which involved swallowing acres of cheesecloth and pulling it back up again to remove the "toxins". Oh, and breathing exercises with your little finger stuck up your nose and "now breathe into your stomach/legs/brain/other non-lung body part".
Anyway, the Iyengar class got a bit political with the treasurer disagreeing with the secretary, toys being thrown out of prams and such, so the price went up and the classes got worse, so I've been looking around for somewhere else.
Then I found
this place, and noticed that it offered Ashtanga lessons, and isn't far from home. Plus, I found a Groupon code that made it £2.90 per class.
I went to my first class last night. I thought that given it's been a while since I've done Ashtanga, and my shoulder still needs to build up strength following its operation, I'd go to a "beginner" class to get a feel for the place before going to the "Intermediate" class which I ought to be able to keep up with.
Ow. Ow ow ow. That was one intense work-out. The four miles or so home took me an age and I was worried that I'd not be home before dark (I didn't have a rear light with me). Even this morning I've got no strength in my legs and Tim had to tow me to work on the tandem.
It's a fantastic class, hardly any hippy-woo at all, and
exercise rather than breathing/meditation. They're even requesting volunteers for their "fertility yoga" class** because they want to do a proper study into its efficacy, which cheered me - most hippy-woo practicioners don't bother to
test their hippy-woo. Although how they're going to do a double-blind test intregues me.
Anyway, I'm definately going back to this place, though I think I'll be sticking to the beginners' class for a little while before daring to try the Intermediate!
*A bit like my grandma's attitude to swimming, which is why my father can't go near water without four buoyancy aids.
**No, I'll not be volunteering.
