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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 418
Location: New York | The Ana Forrest workshop (really less a workshop than a 3 hour class) was really good and really hard. She is tough! Physically, she is much prettier/softer than she appears in her photos. I enjoyed her teaching style- tough but very empathetic. And she has a great voice- very important in a yoga teacher. She just immediately made me feel comfortable.
The theme was Journey Into the Core. During the seated meditation that preceded class, she asked us to choose an area that might be causing pain or discomfort, or that we simply wanted to gather information about. We were to focus on and breathe into that area throughout class as we moved through the different asanas. My mid/upper back tends to cause me intermittent discomfort and as we sat in baddha konasana for the meditation, it was screaming at me. So that was my area.
Ana considers the core to be everything from the hips up and the class included asanas that targeted every area. A lot of pretty long holds- way longer than 5 breaths. She emphasizes keeping the neck relaxed in pretty much every pose, especially the ones where you're accustomed to keeping it in line w/the spine- Downward Dog, Triangle. That combined with ending the class with many shoulderstand variations and a few specific neck stretching poses ensured that my neck (another of my problem areas) felt great after class.
We did some weird abdominal stuff- AgniSara, where you really suck in your abdomen to the point where you look like a starving person in a National Geographic photo (sorry if that's non PC- just trying to create an image), then letting it ALL hang out and then moving between the 2 extremes, first quickly and then slowly. I didn't like this! I don't like uncovering my stomach and letting it blob all over the place in a room full of people. Very unappealing. I rationally know this is all about my own body image issues (I can't stand the word "belly" and I never use it. I think it sounds fat. I know that is super neurotic, but I'm curious if anyone else feels the same way?) but it still just doesn't look good even when Ana, who has a great body and great abs, does it. I'm sure she would say that the way it looks is completely beside the point, and I agree . . . as long as I don't have to do it in a room full of people or look at others doing it.
Anyhoo . . .
I didn't notice anyone crying or having any kind of emotional outpouring but there was one person really letting loose with A LOT of noise in her (I think it was a woman- there weren't many guys there) breathing. More than once it sounded like Captain Ahab had taken down Moby ****. I'm not a big fan of a lot of heavy breathing, moaning and groaning during class but there's usually at least one in every crowd.
Overall though, it was great. The neck stuff alone was worth the price of admission. I would definitely go to another of her classes or workshops. My husband's two sisters and I have been going on a yearly yoga mini-retreat (last year we went to Baron Baptiste at Omega and the year before that Rajashree Choudury at Kripalu) . . . I'm thinking maybe Ana's at Kripalu in July might be a good one for this year. |
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sounds amazing... how'd you feel after the workshop? after a forrest class i always feel this incredible lightness and very abundant energy. There is always a ton of heavy breathing -lots of "lions" while holding the tough poses- and we're encouraged to do the loudest ujjai you can manage thoughout... perhaps the lightness is a bit of hyperventilation? ah well, whatever works  . can't wait till march!
- T
p.s. my man has a bit of a pot, and he likes my belly button- so for me "belly" has very pleasant connotations. also being overweight or "thick" in my culture is in no way an unsexy thing...but dont' worry i have my body issues too... |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
 
Location: A Blue State | JackieCat - 2005-01-10 8:38 PM
We did some weird abdominal stuff- AgniSara, where you really suck in your abdomen to the point where you look like a starving person in a National Geographic photo (sorry if that's non PC- just trying to create an image), then letting it ALL hang out and then moving between the 2 extremes, first quickly and then slowly. I didn't like this! I don't like uncovering my stomach and letting it blob all over the place in a room full of people. Very unappealing. I rationally know this is all about my own body image issues (I can't stand the word "belly" and I never use it. I think it sounds fat. I know that is super neurotic, but I'm curious if anyone else feels the same way?) but it still just doesn't look good even when Ana, who has a great body and great abs, does it. I'm sure she would say that the way it looks is completely beside the point, and I agree . . . as long as I don't have to do it in a room full of people or look at others doing it.
I've done this exercise with both David Williams and Dharma Mittra, and I like it. It's great
for developing tone in the abdominal muscles. Dharma, who is in his mid 60's, has
abs that a body builder might kill for, but when he puffs his gut out, well yeah, it becomes
a belly. You can do this one when nobody is around. In fact, if you have a mirror, try watching
this while you do it, particularly if you move to nauli kriya (rotating the abs). It can be a
very weird sight!
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| Thanks for the update, Julie! It sounds awesome! I'm sad I didn't go, but very happy that you went and enjoyed yourself!
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| JackieCat - I was just thinking today how we never said "belly" at my house when I was a kid, either. It wasn't a forbidden word but just not considered "nice" or something strange. Words are so powerful, eh? I used to hate seeing my (then much bigger) belly drooping toward my face in shoulderstand until I realised that everyone else was busy staring at their own and totally incapable of looking at mine:-) |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 418
Location: New York | I don't mind "belly button" instead of navel every once in a while, but I absolutely shudder when I hear the word "belly." (I shudder a lot because it seems like it's said in almost every yoga class I attend!) I actually like tummy better than belly (although I would never say tummy because it's something a 3 year old says.)
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| Thanks for the update JackieCat. By the way, on the belly thing, I used to hate mine because
it wasn't perfectly flat. Then one day I realized every belly is beautiful no matter how big. I
especially love the bellybutton because it's what connected us to our mothers when we were in the
womb, and when I think of that, I find the belly to be a comforting thing.
By the way, you might already be able to guess that I have a thing for that body part from my
forum name (it was either a choice between itchybelly or itchytummy). Maybe if you started thinking
of the abdomen in a different manner, it wouldn't seem so taboo. Just a thought. |
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| The only context in which I can (and was allowed) to use the word "belly" was in conjunction with "button." Or in the Santa Claus poem. I still can't say it.
There were words that were implied as crass as I was growing up. It must be the (former) debutante in me that doesn't permit me to say many of them to this day. Of course, if I do, I'm embarrassed.
Stink, (strong odor) Eatin' (one "dines") Kids (those are goats), ass (in relation to one's bottom), tits (only on boars and not on cows or people), Boob (only in relation to someone being one), and many, many more. God knows one never uses that "f" word to describe flatulence, let alone actually experience it in -- or from -- one's own body! Get this: we said "pogo." My husband ROARS in laughter if I say that.
My grandma was far too genteel, I guess, and lived too close for us to slide.
Anyway...
The workshop sounds fantastic. The breathing/belly technique is fantastic for digestion and can help you clean out your system without laxatives or some weird colonics.  The neck stuff sounds fantastic. If she comes our way, I'm definitely up for the experience!
Thanks for sharing.
Christine |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | This is all sort of a revelation to me. I agree that the word belly has a pejorative
tone to it, as if it implies an undisciplined abdomen, but I have no prejudice about
using that word where it fits. Then again, I say **** if I mean ****, too. Somewhere
along the line, I gave up on all those childhood lessons about euphemism for
bodily functions and features. It just seemed like a precious affectation that interferes
with clean communication.
I like reading the New Yorker that reason. They'll print ****, ****, Fart, ****, and
so forth without blushing or substituting human relations, elimination, indigestion,
womanhood, and other obfuscations. However, I give the New Times Times high marks
for working around these forbidden words in ways that make the omitted nouns
self evident.
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Ana Forrest Update
