It's All About the Space

The search for a new space to take yoga classes in this year has been a wee trial. The Tasdance space of last year was a special thing indeed, especially with that glassed garden view. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to secure the same times for the entire year in advance. I'd noticed that quite a few people like the option to attend in a drop-in class. At least half of the group likes the commitment of pay-in-advance style. Continuing at Tasdance made drop-in attendance impossible.

With that phase over, we enter a new one in a new space and it's a doozie. Here t'is:


I promised myself last year that if I couldn't find a good space that was free for the full year long, I'd not teach at all. Reason being is that the space is all-important; it's all about the space!

The new studio has bags of character and is home to Launceston's precious Stompin youth contemporary dance company. Sarah, the company's GM, has been super easy going and open about our making ourselves at home in her company's space. The facilities are perfect: loo, great audio system, hot drinks, beautiful floor, lots of light & a couch and table corner for a cuppa after class.

I've just returned from Melbourne where I did an Ashtanga Primary Series class with a teacher I've not met before. He was a hard-liner; bags of rules, looked like a small army man, take-no-shit attitude, rules rules rules. I loved him! What a goose! He doesn't like yoga tourists and asked those on tour to leave. Officially he could have been speaking to me, but I like small hard Irishmen, so I took the risk and stood there pretending to be a hard-core Ashtanga yoga head.

At one moment he came over and made an adjustment on me in Virabhadrasana A and the way he held and spoke, in that briefest of moments, was no mean Irish task master. It was a gentle souled, open man. Something happens each time I do yoga. Something inside me tells me something that feels good and right to hear. A good teacher, no matter what theire teaching method is, can make it easier and safer for us to stand and wait and listen for the important stuff.

The class smelt horrid. People were sweating like hairy monsters. As I always do, standing is a horror posture, I questioned what draws me to this room with these people, why do I continue? I'm not sure exctly why, but it has something to do with love. Perhaps it's as simples as just loving yoga. But it stinks and the people are mostly a tad ... kind of odd, to me, but I dig them and what we're all trying to learn. I'm unsure what it is, but I'm in for life.

Here's a vid about Ashtanga Yoga

Here's a link to more inspirational Ashtanga yoga photos on Flickr by
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nat_sf_05/sets/990381/ Nathalie Mullen-Briquet



ENJOY!
D