Day 1 - Mandala Namaskar

Day 1- We start off this 21 day challenge with a bang - an energizing flow sequence with Elise Lorimer. For a first practice, this one was intense. (It didn't help that my legs and arms where stiff from the Anusara Class I took at Pure yesterday.)

What I enjoyed
I really liked the Mandala Namaskar aspect of this practice - the transition through squat to the other side of the room. It was a refreshing way to switch sides. Elise makes it look very cat like, she is obviously very flexible. Just wait until you get to cow pose and she easily moves her ankles to be parallel to her knees. Her knees!

I enjoyed the entire sequence, it flowed together very well. Having Denise there made sure that Elise remembered to cue us in on all the little tweaks each position needs - tuck you tail bone, squeeze your knees towards to center, etc..
I particularly like this side stretch. Seven minutes into the flow you are prompted to step you foot forward coming into a squat. With your hands in prayer at your heart press your knee out wide sending your tail bone down to the floor. From there, place your right arm under your right shin and reach your left arm up to the sky. Great Stretch!

What I disliked
I couldn't hear Elise once I stepped to the other side of my mat, my laptop speakers aren't loud enough. I'll fix that for next time. It's also quite annoying to have too look back to figure out what's going on, I have to work on being a better listener.

My favorite part of a yoga practice is Savasana (corps pose), it's also a very important part of your practice since it allows your body to assimilate the Asanas and transition back into the world. It was severely lacking here. Elise walks your through a nice cool down, prepares your for Savasana and then abandons you. We don't even get 5 minutes of "concentrate on your breathing", "let your thoughts simply pass by", or "count down your breaths from 40 to 1", not even music. The video stops once your are in Savasana. The practice ended a bit short. I like ending with a collective Om and a heartfelt Namaste, enjoy the rest of your day. A video can never be as good as a real class.

Overall it was a fun 45 minutes, I'm looking forward tomorrow!

Namaste.

P.S. Click here or on the picture for a link to the video.