I Do Yoga, Do You?  Reflections of a Yoga Student
by Peggy Sullivan Rosenthal


I do yoga. I am a student of yoga. I practice yoga, yet consider myself a novice. I have been attending classes for 10 years now. So, why am I a novice? The answer to that is in my journey.

I started out by signing up for a yoga class through the school district where I was a guidance counselor because I needed to relax and become more physically flexible.

Luckily for me, these classes were being held in the same building in which I worked.  After work on Wednesdays, I would head to the lecture hall for class.

The class was filled with teachers and counselors looking for the same thing I was looking for—relaxation and peace. Our teacher was fun and helped us through the poses until it was time for “final relaxation.” I did my best to bend, stretch, twist and balance so I could get to the end of the hour. 

During those years of 4 p.m. yoga, I began to look forward to the poses, and not just the last pose of final relaxation. I wanted yoga to be all about relaxing with a bit of stretching thrown in, so I wouldn’t become stiff and inflexible as I grew older.

The classes in my district eventually were eliminated. I started signing up for yoga classes around town, hoping to find the perfect teacher. If I didn’t resonate with the teacher, I would stay for the duration of my purchased classes, and then I moved on.

Now, as I look back on that time, I realize that the teacher wasn’t the issue—I was! I wanted to go to yoga and be pampered through a practice. I wanted “final relaxation” for 90 minutes.

In 2007, I started taking a Hatha Yoga class. Hatha Yoga is one of the most popular styles, targeting the lengthening and contracting of our muscles. Hatha Yoga strives  to achieve a balance between mind and body while attempting to free the more subtle spiritual aspects of the mind through the physical poses. 

My teacher taught me the positioning for poses and about breathing (ah, yes, one of the essentials of healthy yoga practice). The class was small enough that we had plenty of one-on-one attention. Within the first couple of months she had encouraged me enough that I was willing to go to class and try the poses without wishing class was over as soon as we started. I knew then that I was hooked.

In the first year of Hatha Yoga, I became aware that yoga isn’t just about being relaxed. It’s a great form of exercise for the mind, body and spirit. With the support of a great teacher, I was finding that my mind was slowing down. During my practice, I noticed that I was staying in the moment. I also noticed improvement not just with flexibility, but also my strength and stamina. My spirit was also being given a chance to expand in ways I didn’t know were possible.  I thought that that was for yogis and spiritual types.  But it has happened for me, too.

Within the year I wanted to take a second class during the week. My teacher suggested I try Yin Yoga, a practice of poses held anywhere from two to 10 minutes, perhaps longer. It at first seems like a very passive form of yoga. However, the connective tissues (ligaments, bones and even the joints) are what are targeted in this practice so your body receives many benefits.

Yin Yoga, as I found out, is a perfect complement to the more dynamic practice of Hatha Yoga. This particular class is two hours in length, with the Yin portion of the class first and then on to a Vinyasa flow. A Vinyasa flow is “breath-synchronized movement.” Simply put, it means that the teacher takes the students through a continuous movement from one pose to the next on an inhale or an exhale. The rest of the class time is devoted to meditation or focused-breathing exercises. 

I have also started taking a class called Yoga Basics, which is a Hatha Yoga practice. The instructor takes the time with the class to find the right alignment for each pose and really focuses on breathing correctly.

My journey along the yoga path has been fun, challenging, surprising and rewarding. I can do poses that I never thought I would even attempt. I’m still not the most flexible person, but that’s not the goal anymore. I attend two classes a week, faithfully, and sometimes I go to a third class. I have a DVD at home that features 20-minute sessions, so if I’m pressed for time I can do one of those. 

If you’ve ever thought about taking a yoga class, I encourage you to try it. There are yoga studios all around town. Yoga classes are also offered at gyms, YMCAs and community centers. The schedules are very flexible. All you need for a yoga class are comfortable clothes (no shoes required) and a yoga mat. The cost of a yoga class varies. I have paid from $10 to $15 for a 90-minute class. Many places offer a series of classes or packages that can reduce your overall cost.

If you aren’t going to a class because you think you will feel intimidated by the perfect yoga students, think again. There are men and women of all ages and abilities in my classes. One of the best things about a yoga class is that there is no competition. You’ll be so busy trying to find the pose while continuing to breathe that you won’t have time to look around to see if anyone is watching. I can assure you that no one is, except the teacher who will guide you in your poses and teach you to how to breathe into your practice.