Style is the mind skating circles around itself as it moves forward.

- Robert Frost

Practicing yoga is a great way to find a part of you that you never knew existed, or has been missing for a while, or one that you don’t ever really get a chance to unleash in our crazy world. At least that is what I have found through my own yoga practice. There are types of yoga classes and styles that I prefer and then ones I don’t. I used to wonder how this could be as much I truly love yoga and all that it encompasses, but as I continued to practice and listen I learned the answers.

One of my friends and I used to ride to the studio together and then seperate once we got there to take different classes, she Bikram and myself either power or flow. One day in class it came to me why I didn’t care for the Bikram over the flow (vinyasa style) and it had nothing to do with the actual poses. You see Bikram is a set series of 26 postures, each done twice in a heated room and flow is whatever the teacher makes it when they teach, each class being a little different depending on the teacher and their style. So, when I realized, gosh – my day to life is very structured and my friend Nicole’s hers was not, hers was very creatively open each day as she worked in sales. Her schedule was hers to schedule as she wished and mine was not. Therefore, when I went to practice yoga I wanted a more creative style and she wanted a more structured one.

Later as I learned more about Ayruveda and the principles that encompass it, I realized that with my pitta doshas (being a natural red head) I already generated enough internal heat that I really didn’t need extra added heat with a heater in my practice. Maybe if I lived in Chicago (in the winter) that would be different, but in Florida it was what it was.

Those of you who are new to yoga, or just experiencing all of the elements you can, you might find that there is a particular style that you enjoy practicing more than another and you might not. But, don’t let what you choose be determined (just like anything else in your life) by those around you. You decide! It’s your practice!

All that being said, many of you have asked as I have given you Yoga Vibes free class passes to try a class on their site, which classes I like the best and can I recommend some for you – well of course – I can and here they are, but please remember they are all about the styles that I like- Vinyasa Flow & Yin. I have to be honest though, I haven’t come across a single yoga class on Yoga Vibes that I didn’t like. However, it seems when I sit down to choose one and see how my body feels in that moment I choose according to that feeling. Actually, now that I think about it, that is another nice thing about Yoga Vibes, you aren’t locked down to what classes are offerred at the studio you are practicing at the time you can practice.

So here goes (in no certain order of course):

• Christina Raffa (shoulder opener)
• Denise Payne (level 3-4 class, poses you have never seen before)
• Elinore Cohen
• Chrystal Rae Almeida
• Erin Jacquez
• Erin Morgan (both classes)
• Gabriel Azoulay – yin
• Ingrid Yang – energetic flow/power
• Jene Rossi
• Jennifer Beyt Coffin
• Joan Hyman
• Kathryn Budig (handstands!)
• Teen yoga class
• Laura Schneider
• Rolf Gates (all)
• Sadie Nardini (live class)
• Sage Roundtree
• Shayla Worsley (great hips here)
• Shawn Shaw
• Issac Pena (different type of flow – one of my most favs)

Classes I haven’t taken, but are on the list to take soon-

• Joe Taft’s Anusara – this class fills up in Asheville, NC
• Faith Hunter

What is your yoga style?

Yoga Vibes is a hot, relatively new yoga web site (it launched in August) with live recorded yoga classes of all types, levels, from all over. The classes you buy stream live directly to your computer while you practice making you feel like you are in the class and with the energy of the class.

So far, my favorites are:

• Kathryn Budig
• Laura Schneider
• Shala Worsley
• Rolf Gates

Soon, you’ll have your favorites too, what are they?

I have blogged about them before. Click here to see that post. But this time, is different. I really, really, really want you to try Yoga Vibes. Here are all the reasons why:

1. You have never done yoga and are a little skeptical about going to a studio as a newbie. Not that you should worry because any studio would welcome you with open arms.
2. Let’s say you are a hard core yogi and the classes you can go to during the time you can practice are not quite hard enough or challenging enough for you in the areas you are working on in your practice.
3. Let’s say you planned to go to yoga, but got stuck at work and couldn’t leave and didn’t want to miss a practice all together.
4. Or maybe you want a type or style of class that is not found in your area.
5. Humm…maybe you want something different than the teachers you have been taking classes from have been teaching.
6. You want to practice with a teacher that lives across the nation and of course, we all know, travel ain’t cheap.
7. Ahh…yes, you are a yoga teacher, looking for some creative new sequences to use in classes, new tricks, new cutting edge vibes of energy.
8. You want a quickie class – 30 min. or an hour.
9. You want to save some money be it, travel, class pricing.

Can you think of any more reasons to take a Yoga Vibes class?

So, if you haven’t had the opportunity to take a Yoga Vibes class yet, I am offering –>

to the best, most creative, fun, freestyle reason to a take a Yoga Vibes class for yourself.

Get your vibe on and show me what you got!

I ended up taking Denise Payne’s Power Yoga class. I take Power yoga all the time, so it was like signing up for what I always do when I chose it. Little did I realize what I had gotten myself into. You see, I was beginning to feel that I was mastering my yoga practice, working on handstands, is my newest challenge and I am practicing it each and every day, getting better and better each and every day. So, I was feeling, sort of like, “Once I get this pose, I will be complete in my practice.” Of course, that was all ego, and I had to remind myself that I already have everything I need in my practice.

The class began with Surya Namaskar A and then B. No biggie!

Then began the journey-

Downward Facing Dog jumping into Bakasana (Crow/Crane) pose

- 5 times back and forth.

If that didn’t already poop me out on a Friday night when I was already tired, but then came the following poses of course taught in a flowing, nice, charismatic sequence:

Astavakrasana

Eka Hasta Bhujasana

Bhujapidasana

Titibasana

Kurmasana – Sleeping Tortoise

Eka Pada Sirsasana

Bhairavasana

Kasvapasana

Salamba Sirsasana II – by way of Sirasana (Headstead)
Try this one at home for fun!

Eka Pada Koundinyasana

And I saved the best for two last, of course!

Dwi Pada Sirsasana

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana

Headstand and then you keep your head on the floor and walk your feet around your body.

Try that one on a Friday night for fun.

I love a good challenge and although I have to admit at times during the practice, my eyes almost popped out of my head and my mouth out loud said, What?! (I was practicing at home). I still managed to at least try each and every one of the shapes.  Some obviously turned out better than others. I am sure many of you can do some or even all of the shapes, but it was indeed a deep challenge for me, but one that I loved and will cherish for some time to come.

Thanks to Densie for a great class! I especially loved your humor as you taught and my eyes bugged out.

So the moral of the story is that the journey of yoga is one of a lifetime. Just when we think we have mastered something, one pose, twenty, met our goals, calmed our mind, shined our spirit our yoga practice will show us something new, something more magnificent and something worth returning to the mat for each and every time we practice and with that I say, “Practice, practice all is coming” (Pattabhi Jois). Namaste!

What is your hardest, most challenging element of yoga that you are working on in your practice?

Pictures courtesy of Yoga Journal.

You see, I already teach full time (high school & middle school), then I teach at HCC (community college), then I teach yoga  – now 5-6 days a week, am a Yoga Vibes Ambassador, work out at the gym, and practice yoga for myself.  Crazy schedule, so scheduled that I have to schedule everything else because it is so tight. As the new year approaches, I am in a pickle, do a lessen my schedule by teaching less yoga (my true passion), I just don’t know what to do.

My good friend Loraine says, “Tiffany you have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of others. Honor yourself first.” Although the more I think about teaching yoga is something I enjoy so much, it isn’t really not like work at all and I get so many great benefits from it.

Humm…in time the answer to the question will be revealed, do I keep it tight or make it loose?

If any of you haven’t already checked out Yoga Vibes, DO IT! There are awesome classes from teachers from all over the nation and all levels and types of classes. Tell your friends, who got stuck in traffic and missed their class, had to work late, but needed to get their yoga fix, or just those friends (people like my husband) who aren’t real into yoga as they don’t really know what it is or what it does and their ego worries them about looking silly in class. It is great to do when you travel and aren’t in an area to take yoga, or even at the airport on a layover.

Stay tuned for updates as I continue to take classes on there due to my busy teaching schedule and tell you all about it. Check out some of my reviews from classes on their site I have already taken. Although I do love them all.

One of my favorite things that she said during the practice was,

“When we pay attention on our inhalation we journey from our spirit to form, when we are at the top of our inhalation, we are savoring the time we spend in the human body, when we exhale we return from our human body back to spirit form and when we are at the bottom of our exhale we are in the time spent in connection to the divine.” Deep stuff.

What I love about the Yoga Vibes site is that you can take class from great instructors from all over the world and only pay $10 for most of the classes. You even have the ability to take them over and over for a period of ‘I think’ two weeks. Way better that those crazy videos and even better they are teaching a real class in the video so it moves like a real class does.

I really did have my own yoga teacher in my own home, other than me of course!

So, I normally don’t practice from home myself, due to various distractions like my two dogs and their need for non stop attention from me since I work so much, but just because I never seem to get a good class when I do it. Even if I do my own thing. In time, I am sure my home practice will improve as my dogs get more and more used to my being on the mat and not getting up for their every beck and call. As the late Pattabhi Jois said, “Practice all is coming.”

Until, next time. Namaste and to all a good night!