After three months of DVD yoga, I figured it was time to take an actual yoga class, with actual people. I took my first yoga class ever at the local Crestline dance studio: Inland Dance Academy On the Mountain.

MAN, it was HARD! The teacher, Helen, said that she is probably the hardest yoga instructor any of us would ever meet. So it was an hour and a half of sweating and heavy strength work. WOW!

I did learn a lot though, about the finer details of various postures. The way she makes us do them makes them all extraordinarily more exhausting to hold.

There is another instructor on Fridays - Tara - who i might try just for comparison. Not that there is anything wrong with a hard class, but I may not be in the mood for that each week.

I still have to try the Thursday at the Library class…I imagine that one might be the most relaxing yet, as it’s not at a dance studio? We will see.

I would not mind having an assortment of different levels of class to pick between, depending on my mood.

The instructor did say i was very flexible and very strong, which was nice to hear. I was able to at least do everything she asked of us. Breathing hard and sweating, but definitely in there. Whoo! I was exhausted!!! The next day I was sore all over. Dan and I did a 20 minutes neck relaxing segment on a DVD and i told him that was all i was capable of - I was THAT tired. But in a great way. I feel really good.

The teacher paid a lot of attention to me, helping me move my fingers, head, shoulders, hips…basically refining everything…which of course made everything much harder. But it was so nice to get the knowledge in person that I can now apply to my home practice.

I was terrified when the class first started. I told her I had been doing yoga with DVDs for 3 months and this was my first class, and that I was nervous about what she was going to have us do.

Once we got into it, though, the nervousness faded. She also gave a few short ’sermons’ about yoga while we were in various rest poses, which was neat. She talked about where the name Lord of the Fishes came from, stuff like that.

Also, when she said incomprehensible things like “let the eyes of your elbows gaze in,” I could ASK what that meant! (having your elbow pits face each other - like how they should be posed in down dog, for example, I think to make space around your neck). heehee

She was a very vivacious person and was even a little nutty. I never mind nutty. She made us laugh a lot.

This was borderline like an aerobics class (she had us jumping both feet together from down dog into standing forward bends. Which gets very exhausting after a while, but was exhilarating, the learning to take a literal “leap” of faith and trust the body).

The studio was a little cabin in Top Town, which is the part of my town that is on the “Crest” of Crestline. The cabin is kinda pink with white trim, with very faded paint, so it has a shabby chic, a restful look.

Inside is just the one room. A curtain divides the entrance from the studio. Wood floors. Mirrors along one wall. White walls elsewhere with a ballet bar along the rear wall. The floor could have been cleaner - it was a little dusty.

They had mats and bolsters to use, but I had brought my own mat and blanket. I also had my strap but we didn’t use those.

The music came from a DVD machine along the side wall. Cute little children’s ballet costumes hung under that shelf. No altar, Buddha or even inspirational poster. Very simple, gym-like look, as befits that it’s mainly a dance studio firstly, and they happen to have yoga classes.

OVERALL RECOMMENDATION

Altogether I do yoga to learn to slow down my mind and not for a workout - I use my treadmill and go hiking for that. So this is not really the kind of class I am looking for. For people seeking an experienced beginner to intermediate, very active yoga fitness class, this one comes highly recommended. I believe the cost is $11 a class after the first free one. The studio is located in Top Town, on Crest Forest Drive, in Crestline.

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