going brazilian

the word "brazilian" can mean different things to different people.

for the slaves to fashion, it conjures up painful flashbacks of masochistic aestheticians armed with hot wax and cloth strips. ouch!

for the foodies, it causes mouths to water over the endless array of skewers laden with beef, pork, lamb, and other meats. yum.

and for the musically-inclined, it brings back sweet memories of quiet nights under quiet stars with jobim, gilberto, lins, and many others. ahhh...

as for me, it means all that, and more. in fact, i've also had this thing for the sound of brazilian portuguese. on a varig flight many, many years ago, i faintly remember swooning once the flight attendant started announcing the emergency procedures. to each his own :)

so it was no surprise that the moment i read maha yoga's email on their new yoga class featuring new teacher adriano sarmento and brazilian lounge music, i dropped everything i had planned for the day and headed out to maha for the lunchtime class.

and when i got there, things couldn't have gone any better.

since adriano was a new teacher, the class qualified for the "new teacher" rate of only $10, which easily beat the KCRW discounted rate on their revised class prices. what a deal!

since adriano was originally from brazil, he brought to the class his wonderful brazilian music playlist, including tunes i had never heard before. mmmm....

and since i was the only one who showed up for class, i once again found myself taking a private class at a group rate. which, based on my prior experiences, could have been good or bad. but in this case, it couldn't have gone any better.

first of all, adriano's background has been as an ashtanga teacher. from what i understand, he assists and/or subs the morning ashtanga classes at maha. so when it came to alignment and the proper way to do asanas, he was on top of things. for downward dogs, he was constantly rotating my upper arms and pushing my hips up and back. for warrior 1s and 2s, he would push down on my thigh until my knee was bent at a perfect 90 degree angle, also making make sure that my drishti was correct for each pose. for the binds that he challenged me with, he provided assistance with blocks and straps when i had trouble grabbing the appropriate body part. for the forward bends, he helped lengthen my torso so that i could affect a deeper bend. even i impressed myself with what i was doing :)

all the while, i was flowing to music by bebel gilberto, thievery corporation, seu jorge, and others whom i may have recognized if i hadn't been breathing as hard :(

and for the final savasana, he tugged at my legs, arms, and neck so that i got maximum stretch and relaxation while in the pose. he even folded up a towel and placed it over my eyes to block out the light in the bright room. being pampered after a tough workout was simply divine!

so would i go back and take another class? heck yes! especially if i get the same personalized treatment and he gives me a copy of the tunes he played in class (which he said he would the next time i show up). that alone is incentive enough to get back as soon as possible...

by the way, adriano teaches at maha on tuesday and thursday afternoons from 12:45 to 2:15. as of the last time i checked, maha still hadn't posted their updated class schedule online, so unless you've read their latest email update or picked up a copy of their new schedule from the studio, you'd never know about this new find. so enjoy the small class size while you can!