My Broga® Experience by Iir Prihatinawati
iir prihatinawati http://asianjasmine.yoga/
When I signed myself up for a free taster of Broga® at CAMYOGA, I didn’t even read which type of yoga I was about to take. I am new in Cambridge - I moved here from Indonesia in August. I have practiced yoga since I was a child - I am a registered vinyasa teacher, and mostly practice yoga at home - so I was excited to get to the studio and have a guided practice.
When I arrived, and a lady told me in the changing room what class I was about to take, I wasn’t sure what to expect...
You know, surprises always come to greet you in the most unexpected corners... I loved it!
Yes, it was mostly men in the class, yes we did heck of a load of high/low planks, either into or from chaturanga or downward facing dog, and yes I was sweating. A lot!
I know what you think, this yoga might be only suitable for the very athletic or experienced practitioners, but to be honest it is not! Let me explain why.
Firstly, the poses were dead simple. Having practiced yoga for over half of my life, I’ve had my time of working to get into the 'fancy poses' - undervaluing these simple poses. But more recently, I’ve started to take notice of the simple things, to find the grace in anything and everything. This was the beauty of the practice.
So, if the poses were dead simple, how did I get my kick from the practice?
These simple poses were repeated over and over again with controlled ujjayi breath throughout - once you’ve done 7 or 8 repetitions of a low and slow chaturanga you start feeling muscles you never knew you had.
The practice really prompted me to be mindful of my own body and muscles. For example: try to come to downward dog, then plank, slide slowly into your low chaturanga and press up to plank and downward dog again, repeat 8 times slowly. Now try it again with one legged dog, one legged plank and so on... Now you know what I mean!
I think I may have read your mind - it sounds scary right?! Don’t worry the teacher, Liz, is very nice and knowledgable and will offer options and modifications for you to work with at at your stage, wherever you are in your yoga journey.
I know you will feel that there are eyes watching what you are doing, pressuring you to do the full pose although deep down you feel that you are not ready yet. Hang on a minute. No one is watching you as each of us is sweating like crazy and trying to keep doing what we are doing with our own perfection, we don’t have time to watch other people! Moreover yoga is not about comparing yourself with other people! Yoga is your journey within. No judgement. Every body is different! Do what is best for you, enjoy the learning, focus within.
Happy practicing and Namaste!
- Iir Prihatinawati
About the Author
Iir Prihatinawati is a registered yoga teacher (RYT200) at Yoga Alliance UK and has just moved to Cambridge from Indonesia. She has been learning yoga since childhood but it became a regular practice for her after her first pregnancy, and has been hooked on vinyasa and ashtanga ever since. You can find out more about Iir on her website.
Broga® classes are held on Tuesday evenings, 17.00 at the CAMYOGA Cambridge Central Studio.