Yoga

... The bunny yoga has been making its rounds on the internet, but I'm grateful for my friend, Valerie, who sent it me knowing full well, my love for bunnies!

What is lesser known is my recent explorations with yoga :). My foray with yoga begun in 2006. Reuters, the company that I was working at while waiting for my A level results, offered free lunchtime yoga classes. I diligently went for classes, without really enjoying the painful process. I went in for one class offering that I had a headache, and the instructor told me that I'd feel better after that. It got worse.

Years passed and I didn't feel inclined to try out yoga ("it's just another fad!") until my colleague started this yoga initiative, at our building's aerobics studio. I only managed two classes before my schedule got the better of me. I wasn't very used to yoga, and secretly pined for pilates. Side story: a colleague's wife, a gorgeous retired ballerina/ soloist from Zurich Ballet, taught us pilates weekly, or as often as we could get together, until she stopped for good due to other commitments. The second class was a little challenging for me, as my colleague would attest. He laughed in good humor how I was protesting when Rashidah, the instructor, was trying to bend me beyond my comfort level *grin*.

Determined to give it another go in end 2013, I decided to try out free trials to see which studio best meets my needs.

I started with Real Yoga @YOHA (Jurong outlet), under the tutelage of Chandran. He was jovial, but didn't seem too keen on nurturing the "free" student. There were only three of us, willing to work it on a Sunday afternoon. I've since learnt that other studios tend to be rather empty during the weekends.

It was quite an experience, given that it was my first hot yoga session. I was perspiring so much so thank God I chose the studio near my house. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it, but I felt a sense of accomplishment struggling through and keeping at some of the Bikram poses! The instructor nicely told me to try Hatha Yoga in future instead haha.

My second hot yoga session at Real Yoga was with Amrit, and it was super good! He had a serious demeanor and reading the real yoga instructor profiles kind of scares me into... submission. They appear to be all ready for challenge and competitions. Well, I liked that Amrit literally pushed me beyond my physical limits, so I could inch my way through some challenging poses. Furthermore, there were only two of us so we were assured, lots of individual attention. I was so stoked that I didn't mind feeling faint and dizzy, although Amrit was perceptive and forced me to rest in child's pose.

Overall, I like the sales coordinator, Bern (she is professional and kind), and the instructors appear to be "authentic" as their name suggests, or at least, hardcore yoga instructors. I would be keen to sign up with Real Yoga, if not for the fact that it is overpriced, given the location and amenities. Plus, you have to pay for rental of a mat towel ($2), which is compulsory for every class. You can bring your own, but that's a hassle I feel.

The washroom was externally connected to the studio, and given that it is housed in a student hostel building, it had the hygiene standard as that of the regular washroom in a shopping mall or food court. And there were no showers? Also, I noticed that the room was heated to 35 degrees Celsius (which was less than the other studios). The BIG plus however, which is a result of others collective minuses, is that there are so few students that one is guaranteed loads of personal attention and correction to better one's practice.

Next, I tried True Fitness at Harbourfront Centre. The entire compound is massive, and there are throngs of people everywhere! The yoga studio is spacious, and I plonked myself in front of the instructor, Shirley. This was probably a Hatha Yoga class (it says, Yoga), which was too slow for my liking, although I ached at certain poses. There were also too many downward dogs, this is one pose I can do easily but do not particularly enjoy.

The good thing was that she was very encouraging, and would demonstrate the "basic version" as well as the  "advanced version". However, she seemed to be following a script and given the class size, did not move beyond her platform, to correct student's postures. This reminded me of a hot yoga class my partner and I undertook at Fitness First One North a year or so ago. The teacher-student ratio was just too big, for the instructors to go around the class correcting poses (not that they were obliged to).

I didn't quite fancy the sales consultant, who shall remain unnamed, as he was similar to this other sales consultant from Fitness First Westgate, who tried to use emotional blackmail to get his way.

Despite the scenic views (you can enjoy ships sailing pass or docking, from the full-length glass partitions), True Fitness's location (near to office and far from home) is a minus. The one thing I really didn't like was the crowd. I experiment with yoga for various fitness and personal goals, but the noisy/ "chaotic" ambiance just kills it for me. The very attractive membership fees are probably why it gets the numbers.

The third studio that I tried out was Pure Yoga at Ngee Ann City. I ambitiously signed up for the 75 minutes Hot Yoga session by Jacqueline, as it was the only one that fits my schedule. It was honestly, the most horrendous workout of all. I had to stop several times during practice, as it was truly 39-41 degrees Celsius, and I couldn't keep up with the challenging poses. Didn't help that Jacqueline singled me out as it was my first time, so I forced myself to continue (part self-motivation, part externally driven), and Jacqueline encouraged me at the end of class saying that I did good lol. The instructor and process was rather intimidating.

The good thing was of course, the massive workout. The downer was that it was full-house and quite a squeeze. It felt like my secondary school mass workout.The yogi to my left was a bare-chested man who had perspiration dripping down from start to end, which served as inspiration but I had to make an effort to ensure that we had no bodily contact!

However, what followed totally blew my mind haha. I was offered ginger tea, perfect after an intense workout. Very spa-like. I even enjoyed washing up in the dimly-lit showers, with soap and shampoo provided. The only drawback was that by the time I was done, and reached home, it was nearly midnight!



... Photo obtained from a Google search (http://www.craftycakewagon.com/2011/02/ginger-tea.html).

The last studio that I've tried is Affinity Yoga at River Valley. I could only make it for the 75 minutes Yin Yoga class by Florentia, but I thought why not try something different, as much as I yearned for yet another round of Hot Yoga! This proved too slow-paced for me, and I had to consciously stay awake as the lights were dimmed and it was simply, too relaxing, what with bolsters and other foam blocks lying around, for support with some poses.

Florentia mentioned that Yin Yoga is supposed to be as relaxing as a massage, and all went well except for one particular pose which was excruciating for my thigh muscles (which I consider strong)! Florentia is a really motivating instructor, who would patiently explain the benefits of each pose and that certainly helped in my understanding of Yin Yoga.The good thing is that they're having a 90 classes promotion for $900, with a workshop and juice fast (which I don't need). The sales consultant was nonchalant on that day though, they didn't even say goodbye as I left the studio (as opposed to sales consultants who would seat you down and persuade you to sign up a package with them).

Serious disclaimer: I hope that this post would help me as I hone my practice and make some decisions, and I've no intention of sullying the reputation of any yoga studio or instructor!

I am heading to Bangkok for the next four days, so I'm intending to check out the scene and experiment with more styles of Yoga! Having said that, I prefer Pilates as I've hinted before and will share more in the next post :).