I really enjoyed the yoga class at Asbury Arts Center/North Florida Dance Center. The atmosphere was calming with low lights and friendly greetings. The instructor, Wendy, began by asking me a little about myself to get a feel for my experience level. Though I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for many years, I lovingly refer to my practice as, “old lady yoga” so I was a bit concerned when I realized that I was in an intermediate class. I soon found that I needn’t have been concerned as she queued the poses step-by-step offering more challenging poses to those who wanted the challenge, but encouraging those of us who didn’t, to stay where we were most comfortable. I appreciated it when she said, “no worries”.
She began the class by having us get in touch with our breath. As we slowly warmed up, we stretched our muscles to get them ready for the more strenuous poses. For those poses that had us facing in one direction or another, she moved into our field of vision so that we would be able to see how the pose should be done. The class ran a bit long, but I didn’t mind as I was glad that she offered counter-balanced poses and was always conscious of our spine and neck. Finally, when we came to the final resting pose, she offered to give a quick neck/shoulder massage to those who wished to have one by suggesting a simple gesture to indicate we wanted it. Very thoughtful and considerate of our personal space. All in all, it was one of the best yoga class experiences I have ever had.