Class Review
Emergency Home Yoga
← Go to main page for Intermediate Ashtanga (03-30-2009) - Adi Amar
At 8:59 P.M., still typing feverishly at desk, I accept calmly that I have missed the gym, and even the last yoga class in town. There is a hint of relief in the acceptance. Inertia is on the move, deftly feeding me rationalizations: Just as well to eat now, and rest up. Too late to get the heart racing.... Just then, however, I recall a recent comment back-and-forth on the subject of online yoga. Eureka! Emergency Home Yoga Time! Out comes yoga mat, down go lights. Quick rearrangement of living room furniture, and lighting of incense to transform apartment from office to yoga shala, and suddenly I'm by a quiet lake in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with Adi Amar....
Adi is one of the three teachers behind Yoga Today, an elegant site which has been delivering free, daily, streaming video yoga classes since 2006. By miracle of the Internets, you can access the class via embedded player below (at least for the next week, when it will disappear from the web), but here's my quick take: I found the 60 mintue class soothing, though somewhat less challenging than its "Intermediate-Advanced" billing. The natural setting is spectacular, and thanks to live sound and video, you get the very pleasant chirping of birds, as well as the occasional breeze across Adi's mic. She is clearly a knowledgeable yogi, and she is joined on pristine alpine lawn by two actual, physical students with helpfully imperfect practices. (Zach is "a tile setter in Jackson Hole" with the sort of curly blonde hair that comes only from surfing and skiing, and Sita, "just graduated from college as an environmental scientist." Priceless.)
Adi focuses heavily on "thigh openers," as well as on the concept of the yogic concept "ahimsa," or non-harming, non violence. Though I felt in good, well-intentioned hands, I barely broke a sweat, and occasionaly found myself impatient with the banter, which interrupted her the breath count, and borderd on cliche. Recommended for soothing late night practice, and/or to those with significant need to stretch their thighs.
← Go to main page for Intermediate Ashtanga (03-30-2009) - Adi Amar
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Also available free-of-charge on iTunes store!
Submitted by EvaInNL on 04.01.09 at 03:41.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets annoyed by the sometimes cheesy banter and "Suzy is just finishing up her zoology degree in the study of walrus mating." Good for Suzy, can we start Sun Salutations now? The beginner/intermediate/advanced levels can be inconsistent, just as they can be when trying a live class for the first time. All in all, for those who can afford studio classes or don't have access, this works well.
Submitted by Squirrelly on 04.02.09 at 03:32.
I concur-- a good Emergency Home Yoga fix, but no substitute for a more rigorous class. I also can't really stand any of the teachers other than Adi.. her class is most rigorous and her tips most useful-- though I admit I may be biased towards a more vinyasa-based practice.
Submitted by bess on 05.02.09 at 12:30.