Free Yoga Day

This weekend was the fifth anniversary of a local yoga studio called The Yoga Source and they had an anniversary party on Saturday to celebrate. They offered 4 free yoga classes along with a yoga bazaar which featured all kinds of things yoga related. I am always ready for free yoga so my yoga friend Ruthie and I decided to check it out.


We got there early and signed up for two of the classes that were being offered. One of the classes available was a Hatha class. Some time ago my yoga teacher and mentor Juliana had told me she wanted me to check out other classes and teachers. It has been years since I took a yoga class from anyone other than her. She wanted me to spread my wings and try other yoga instructors so that I could enjoy a different yoga experience. I signed up for the Hatha class given by Mary so that I would be a mindful student and follow Juliana's sage advice. Ruthie had just gotten out of Juliana's Saturday's Hatha class so she signed up for a NIA class which was going on during the Hatha class that I was taking. We both signed up for the Kundalini class that was being offered right after both the Hatha and NIA classes.

As we were waiting for the free classes to begin we were walking around the bazaar and looking at the merchandise. Who did we see? Juliana!! She had decided to come and see what was going on at the anniversary yoga party. Everyone there came up to her and hugged her and wanted to talk to her. It was like she was the rock star of the yoga world. Well, she is certainly the Paul McCartney of my yoga life. I was hoping that she would take the Hatha class with me but she decided on the NIA class that Ruthie was taking.

When the time came Ruthie and I split up and I went into the Hatha room. There were about 15 or so people taking this class with me and the yoga instructor was very nice but she was no Juliana. I did enjoy the class but I didn't get as much out of it as I do when Juliana is teaching. The first thing that Mary did was put on music which is okay with me but it was so loud that I had trouble hearing her cues. The asanas were pretty much the usual but Mary seemed to be in somewhat of a hurry. When Juliana guides us she allows us time to expand and deepen while in the postures. There was no time for that in this class. I found my mind wandering and it was hard work to stay in the moment. When it was over I was glad that I had done it but the one thing that I learned was that I was right when it came to my love for Juliana's classes. There was no comparison.

When my Hatha class was over the I found Ruthie and we set up our mats in the Kundalini room. We were talking and waiting for it to start when a tall woman came in the room dressed in long white robes and a turban on her head. Ruthie and I made jokes about it but settled down for the class. After two minutes we both felt guilty for making fun of our amazing teacher's garb. It was a lesson in "don't judge a book by it's cover."

There were quite a few people like Ruthie and myself who had never taken a Kundalini yoga class before so I think this class was geared towards beginners and newcomers. When I turned around to see how many people were there I noticed Juliana sitting close to me. It was a real thrill to take a class WITH her instead of FROM her.

In Hatha yoga an asana can be held for one minute, five minutes or even more. This Kundalini class had us in almost constant motion. It was definitely not you mother's yoga class. LOL.

The teacher guided us through and ended the class with chanting and singing. She had us close our eyes and sing along with music that was playing. I didn't know the words when I started but I soon learned them and was singing loudly with the rest of the class. It was a wonderful class. It gave me a sense of peace and happiness which was similar yet different to my usual Hatha classes.

When it was over Ruthie and I ran over to Juliana and told her how much we enjoyed it. It turned out that Juliana taught Kundalini in the past and was willing to guide us though our own class on Wednesdays . Ruthie and I decided on the spot to take some Kundalini classes from Juliana. We are both very excited about it.

I told Juliana that I had taken her advice and had practiced Hatha yoga with different teacher. She was glad that I had spread my yoga wings even though I made it quite clear that I won't stray again until she absolutely makes me. We both laughed about that.

All and all it was a wonderful day. I got to practice with new teachers and I also got to try a new kind of yoga. The best part of all was that I got to spend time with my good friends and favorite yoga people, Juliana and Ruthie. Namaste.