From Vanity Fair:

 

June: Dharma Mittra, known as the elder statesman of yoga in America, performs Niralamba-Shirshasana (Hands-Free Headstand Pose) on Hudson Street in New York City, for June’s Yoga Portfolio. Photograph by Michael O’Neill.

Looks like I have a new goal for the New Year.

More photos from Vanity Fair here.

When I started working out at Fitcorp I used to hit the elliptical (the device shown on the right) twice a week.  I’d put a magazine on the top, crank it to resistance 8, and read the magazine while jogging away at 160 strides per minute.  At first I ran for 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, then up to a whole half hour.

When I got to a half hour I noticed that I could run just under 3 miles.  I always tried to get to 3 miles - around 2.79 I’d start running as fast as possible, with 30 seconds to go, and end up at 2.95 at the half hour mark.  Eventually I figured out that I had to keep at least 160-170 strides per minute for the full half hour to run a full 3 miles, and since I’d always get completely out of breath around 1 mile I could never keep up the pace.  Usually after a mile I’d slow down and would end the session out of breath, staring at 2.95 on the monitor.

Until tonight.

I’ve been taking spin and pilates classes on a weekly basis, and keeping up yoga when I have time.  On tonight’s elliptical session I noticed that I was running faster and easier than ever before - I passed 1 mile breathing strong at the 9:30 minute mark, and kept running strong to 3.2 miles in half an hour.  After 30 minutes and the 5 minute cool down, the monitor read:

Miles: 3.74
Resistance: 8
Calories: 574

I still can’t believe it.  Not only had I exceeded my goal, I had exceeded it so easily that I need to find a new goal to strive for.  I hadn’t thought that the spin, pilates, and yoga classes were making such a difference, but it’s clear that it’s pushed me WAY beyond my physical limits in a short amount of time. 

If you want to experience incredible results, I recommend the following classes:

• Pilates - Rachel Bairstow leads a physically challenging but incredibly fun pilates class on Monday at 6:30pm at the Summer Street Fitcorp.  Rachel’s enthusiasm is infectious even when she’s leading seemingly impossible exercises (one legged push ups on a pilates ball, for example) and you end up doing a lot more with your core (the muscles in your stomach) than you ever thought possible.  And a strong core is the foundation for a LOT of other exercises (like spin or yoga). 
• Spin - Patrick Rooney blends pop songs, the Karate Kid, and healthy pirate “yaaaar”ing to create a memorable spin class that offers an incredible workout under the guise of an incredible fun time.  I have no doubt that slogging through Jay Z’s “Encore” at level 6 contributed to my success on the elliptical.  Patrick teaches spin at 5:45pm on Tuesday at the Summer Street Fitcorp, and 5:30pm Wednesday at the Beacon Hill Fitcorp.
• Yoga - Fitcorp does offer yoga classes, but for an extraordinary yoga class you need to visit Warrior’s Way in Maynard, MA.  Schedule and directions can be found at www.warriorsart.com, along with photos of Karen (who used to teach at Fitcorp) doing some of the many incredible poses she leads during class.  The wonderful thing about yoga is that you can go at your own speed, and Karen’s lifelong commitment to the yogic arts inspire you to push beyond your physical boundaries.

Sign up for Rachel and Patrick’s classes today!

Still feeling a high from mastering the elliptical, and more fired up than ever for the next pilates and spin class.

Last week in yoga class we ended the class with Bow pose.  This is the pose where you lay on your stomach, grasp your ankles with your hands, and pull your chest and feet off the floor.

We did Bow three times in a row.  The first time I grasped my ankles and pulled off the floor, no problem.

The second time, the teacher came over, gently took hold of my ankles, and pulled back.  My chest opened wide and  lifted off the ground and I felt my whole body move upwards about three times higher than my previous attempt.  The teacher asked, “Too much?” and I responded, “No, it’s fine.”  And strangely it did feel fine.  The post was probably more strenuous, but I felt the front of my body open in a way it never had before and my legs and back felt incredibly strong.  After a while the teacher said to rest.

The third time I pulled back and felt my body reach the same deep bend as before, only this time my muscles were doing all the work.  I was at the limit of my own abilities, but it was invigorating to see how a year of yoga had changed my own limit.  Strangely, I actually enjoyed the deeper third bend more than my first attempt, since the third bend was a sign of how far I’d come and how far my body could now bend.  It felt great to be able to do a deep pose using my own power, without any prompting or assistance.

Thinking back on this practice, it occured to me that I’ve extended a lot of my personal ”limits” over the past year.  I think part of this growth is due to yoga practice - feeling my body push past its physical limitations helped prepare me to overcome spiritual and mental obstacles. 

Here’s hoping I can expand my boundaries in the coming year as easily as I stretched my body in bow pose.

Went to my first ever Yoga Journal conference in Boston last weekend.  Six hours of yoga a day from Saturday to Sunday; way better than I thought it would be.

Saturday we started the weekend with a 2 hour session by Ana Forrest and a 2 hour session by Shiva Rea, both in a large heated room with over a hundred other yogis and yoginis.  I’m not used to the heated style of yoga so I found it a little daunting (and had to leave the room for fresh cool air at the end) but I think I lost a liter of sweat. 

Also, I was panting hard and open-mouthed and sweaty and about to pass out, but I could swear Shiva Rea looked at me when she ginned and said “You should shut your mouth - something might fly in.”  I took it as a light “correction” to breathe through the nose.  Awesome!

Finished off the day with an interesting class on Jivamukti.  Thought it would be about chants relating to yoga, but a large part of the class ended up being an attack on the evils of the meat and dairy industry.  One of the Jivamukti instructors was a passionate Vegan (to put it lightly) - not sure if this is part of Jivamukti Yoga or just her personal beliefs.  Still, I was glad I got to see a different perspective of the yogic lifestyle, and I got a pretty good correction for my wheel pose.

Sunday started with a therapeutic class taught by Julie Gudmestad on “Stablizing the core.”  We did a bunch of poses that I thought looked easy but were really, really, REALLY tough on the abs - we also heard about what the various poses do to the muscles and bones around the core.  Julie was a great speaker and clearly knowledgeable on both yoga and the physics of the body, and I liked the way she emphasized doing a pose correctly (with maximum benefit for the body) over doing the pose so that it “looked good.”  One of those eye-opening classes that gave me a deeper understanding of the yoga I do on a regular basis.

Followed that with another excellent class on meditation session taught by Rod Stryker.  We sat up cross-legged for the entire class, mostly in silence, and learned to focus our thoughts first on sounds, then our thoughts, then on the perceiver of the thoughts.  Sounds pretty “New-Agey” when I type it but I found it refreshing.  Not relaxing since our minds were so actively focused, but I left with a new respect for the value of meditation before class and in life.

Finished the day with a Thai Yoga massage class taught by Saul David Raye.  Soothing massages for the feet, legs, back, and shoulders, leaving you refreshed but not tired.  It was not only an incredible couples activity (though no partners were required for the class) but a great way to finish off the conference.

It’s great when you attend classes that further your understanding of a skill or practice; even in last Wednesday’s class I could feel my mind and body applying the lessons I learned at the conference.  Definitely worthwhile and I hope to go again.

The Yoga Journal posted a video of Ana Forrest doing an Asana.  It’s a beautiful 15 minute performance by someone at the peak of their ability, though I like the fact that the photographer zooms in on her face at certain points to show her intense concentration.

It’s also one of those things that makes yoga look easy - unless you’ve tried to push up from crow to a simple handstand, I don’t think you can fully appreciate the sight of her legs windmilling overhead.