class substitutions

there are times when yoga has to take a back seat to more important things. like jobs and kids. and much-needed rest.

in late january, i had posted my planned two-week yoga schedule. things started out according to plan, but by the second week, i ended up having to allow for last-minute schedule changes -- a job interview, my shifts at the KCRW pledge drive, and a couple of functions at my daughter's school. i also realized that all the strenuous classes i had been taking were finally beginning to take their toll; i was exhausted and needed to take it easy for a while.

i also wanted to take advantage of all the new class credits i had on my sacred movement series, thanks to my sister and a promotional coupon (see previous post). so for eleven classes, including a workshop, i ended up parting with no more than $32 and a couple of donations. my wallet's quite happy.

so here's where i ended up, along with the reasons for the changes:

date	teacher	studio	cost	notes
1/25	missy costello (sub for tom morley)	maha yoga	pass
1/26	bibi mcgill	yoga house	FREE	swapped hatha for ashtanga
1/27	ducky punch	yogamatt	pass
1/28	meaghan townsend	maha yoga	$20 workshop
1/29	will duprey	santa monica yoga	pass
1/30	saul david raye	shakti's elements	donation
1/31	hala khouri	sacred movement	pass	swapped due to school function
2/1	kyra haglund (sub for brad keimach)	sacred movement	pass	swapped to get some rest
2/2	brian campbell	forrest yoga	$12 KCRW rate	swapped due to job interview and school function
2/3	jamie elmer	sacred movement	pass	swapped due to KCRW shift
2/4	off
2/5	terra green gold	power yoga west	donation	swapped due to KCRW shift
2/6	matthew reyes	lululemon athletica	FREE

here are some brief comments on this batch of classes:

missy costello at maha - filled in for tom morley, who was out of town. her style is similar to tom's (as well as that of other maha teachers like steve ross and matthew reyes), with music a bit more mellow but just as loud.

bibi mcgill at yoga house- see jan 27th post

ducky at yogamatt - she took over matt's evening classes when he took over steve's evening classes at maha. there was only one other student in the class with me, and he was a relative beginner. so the class turned into a level 1 class, which was just fine for me because i was still sore from the ashtanga class the night before. note to self: i need to find out what ducky's last name is!

meaghan townsend at maha - the arm balance workshop was more advanced than i had hoped it would be. most of the students in the class could already do handstands and various arm balances, so i was left behind trying to successfully get into crow pose while the rest of the class was doing more creative stuff. argh.

will duprey at santa monica yoga - every class with will is like a front row ticket to cirque du soleil, and this one was no different. his class regulars are long-time yoga students, so they can easily get in and out of more difficult poses. all i can do is watch in awe and hope that one day i, too, will have a practice as good as theirs. for this class, we spent a lot of time working on our belly-to-chest breathing, so the class was pretty laid back. ahhh...

saul david raye at shakti's elements - talked non-stop throughout the class, either about the poses or about the meditation of the day. the level of his classes, though, were just right for me -- not to easy nor too hard. the room was packed, yet he was able to go around and adjust students as needed. it's amazing how many people have the time to take a yoga class instead of work on a weekday morning!

hala khouri at sacred movement - this was a level 1/2 class and it seemed that many in the class were closer to 1 than 2. she had us spend a good amount of time warming up our bodies, which included swaying and gyrating to music as we pleased. i've never been one for these freeform trance-like sessions, but since i was experiencing stiffness in my shoulders and lower back, it sounded like a good idea. and eventually felt like it, too.

kyra haglund at sacred movement - filled in for brad keimach, who was ill that morning. kyra used to assist max strom in a number of the classes that i had taken with him last year, and many times she had tapped on my shoulders to remind me to keep them back and down. when she walked into the room this time, i had mentioned that i was starting to feel pain in my shoulders and was hoping that she could see if i was doing anything wrong. of course i was focusing on them the whole time myself, so when the class ended, she mentioned that i was doing a much better job shoulder-wise than i used to. i guess all these yoga classes have helped improve my form. yay for me!

brian campbell at forrest yoga - one of the forrest yoga teachers whose class i wanted to take, so i was glad to finally get the chance. his style, while probably excellent for most, wasn't quite doing it for me. maybe it's because i'm getting set in my ways and he did things differently. oh well.

jamie elmer at sacred movement - another disciple of max strom's whom i used to see in his classes. she pretty much took over most of his time slots and somewhat mimics his style, but since her class was much smaller than max's used to be, i'm assuming that many of max's former students are doing exactly what i'm doing -- trying to find someone as inspiring and challenging as he was. she will have to work very hard if she wants to try to fill his shoes. i wish her the best.

terra green gold at power yoga west - a late-night sunday class with live music! very cool. there appeared to be more men in the room than women, but it's probably because it was the only studio in the neighborhood that offered a class after the superbowl game ended. terra looked VERY young; i figured she was a college student working nights to pay her way through school. i was surprised to later find out on the website that she's been teaching for nine years now. talk about yoga keeping one youthful!

one thing's for sure, i'm definitely NOT missing the class at lululemon tomorrow night. not only is it FREE, but it's one of matt's hip-hop yoga classes. very athletic, but very fun. and assuming i have any energy left after class, i'll drop by the KCRW pledge drive wrap-up party a block away. that should be something to look forward to!