Was ist los hier! My First Class in German..

I am working in Germany for about 12 weeks and while I love my home practice and there is plenty of of room in my apartment here to practice,   I also need the community of fellow Yogis from time to time.     Therefore,  I took the plunge and went to a class at a studio about 10 minutes from where I am staying.   I was a bit nervous as I did not know what the class would consist of and how I would do following instructions with my less than optimal knowledge of German.  

Because I travel a good amount for work,  I have had the opportunity to go to a number of studios in the US but this was the first class that I took outside of the country.   One thing you learn from going to different studios is that each place has a set of customs that can be unique to that studio.   In this studio,  this was no exception.    There were two side by side dressing areas with curtains where many people changed in and  most people work socks even on the practice floor (the instructor never took his off).   The studio provided mats, small pillows and thin blankets that many people used both before class and during Savasana.    I was one of the few people who brought his/her mat.   No one brought in a water bottle. Conversation was very limited.    There was a small altar in front of the class with candles, incense and photos of a few gurus.     My overall impression is that this studio was really into the spiritual side of Yoga and is in fact,  the most spiritual one I had ever gone to.

As for the class  (which lasted about 1.5 hours) ,  we said a few Oms and then some songs were sung  (this happened before and after class) that were in Sanskrit and related to Vishnu  and everyone but myself knew the words.  It was actually quite nice.    We then did the longest session of Pranayama (breath exercises) that I had ever done as we did two types for a number of rounds.     The actual Asana part of the class was somewhat strenuous  (it was listed as intermediate/advanced) and was generally in line with what I would have expected from a good Yoga class.    We even got to do a nice long headstand.    As for the language challenge,   I was pretty much able to follow along (though I did not get much of what he was saying) and I did pick up a few new words and phrases  (and looked up a few after class that he used often and that I did not know).   I did not encounter any new Asanas.

When I was walking to the class, I kept reminding myself that it was Yoga and that I should not be nervous about going.    After I left,  I was able to believe it.  I have decided to spend  €80 (about $88) for 10 classes which is less than the compatible in most US Yoga studios.  What was nice was that the first class  (Probestunde) was free. 

Namaste

It is a Personal Practice

My home studio offers a free two hour beginner Yoga workshop once a month.    It is a nice gesture on their part and I am sure there is a hope that some of the attendees will sign up for a regular membership.      I myself have been telling people to come to this one class to see if they like Yoga.  I think that this would be a good start for them.

Starting a Yoga practice can be  easy or quite difficult  depending on one's approach.   I have been told by many people that they are too "inflexible" to practice Yoga or they do not have the time to start a practice.  My response to that is that it is your body and it will be more inflexible tomorrow if you not do anything today.  Other people have told me that they do not want to look "bad" in a class of bendy people.   This disinclination to "|look bad" on their part may be the biggest impediment to beginning a practice.   If you learn to work within your limits and understand that any practice is personal and for the practitioner alone,  much of the fear  of looking "bad' can be eliminated.   In Yoga,  it really is all about you.

From the day we have entered Kindergarten,  most of us have been judged and evaluated.   We get graded in school and then when we begin our life's work, we get annual reviews and get graded there.   As a result of this lifetime of being evaluated, we establish a mindset of constantly being under the judgement of others.     With my Yoga practice,  I found it difficult to pull one away from that judgmental mindset.   When I first started practicing,  I would think about how the instructor was evaluating my posture in an pose.   I looked at is a grade and wondered how I was doing compared to everyone else.  In reality,  it should have been about me and  my practice and nothing else.   My  practice is what I  make of  it, and it should not be subject to perceptions of judgement.

When we take the judgement of others into our Yoga practice,  we can either do one of two things. We either push ourselves beyond our boundaries and risk getting injured or we hold back in fear of failing.    The correct thing to do is to live your practice within the confines of your mat and to put blinders on to both what others are doing and what you think others are thinking of  you.   You are on the mat for your own needs.

I think back to how I was basically crushed during my first class.   It was hot,  I was not prepared and I was out of shape.    Five years later I still  have classes and home practices where I struggle.   It is a continual practice of learning about myself and living within my physical limitations. One has to remember that it is your practice and it becomes what you make of it.

Namaste.