My Week in Yoga: Penultimate Stretch

This is a slightly belated post for last week’s yoga adventures, which marks the penultimate week before I go on a much needed holiday. Unlimited sleep & yoga time being within touching distance are pretty much the only things that got me through the multi-page to-do list, and a work trip to New York, that need to get ticked off first.

Monday:  

45min vinyasa class at work. Writing this over a week later was/is clearly an error as I can’t remember a single thing about this class!

Tuesday: 

I taught my very first outside yoga class today: it was a session for clients from work out in Hyde Park. There were a lot of distractions – horse flies being the worst (I am still showing the signs of the work these little demons did a full week later!) – and the whole crew did so well. My asana practice consisted of a quick 5 minute warm up and some demonstrations but I like to think that my practice was sharing my deep love for this special special technology that we call yoga.

Wednesday: 

Last full day in the office before heading off to New York for a few days of client meetings meant no yoga today.

Thursday: 

2/3rds of a day at work, a mad dash to the airport, a conference call, a flight to New York, and a collapse into bed at the other end. No yoga.

Friday: 

30min self-practice in my AirBnB before work. When I looked back at the footage afterwards I realized I did the grand total of 2 chaturangas: this has to be an all time low for me. Hey-ho, if that’s what the doctor ordered, I’ll take it.

I then managed to squeeze in a 60min vinyasa class at a studio called Skyting before heading out for the evening. A full room and a hot New York summer day made this an intense session, topped off by a storm breaking out mid way through. Yoga to thunder and lightning is something I would absolutely recommend!

Saturday:

3 hour photo shoot on and around the Brooklyn Bridge with the endlessly talented Kristina (aka @icreatelife). I spent 20 minutes on my mat before leaving (at 5.30am. Ouch) to warm up and then it was pose after pose after pose with the most amazing sunrise and city views as the backdrop. There was more than one moment where I had a slight out-of-body experience watching myself pull shapes and carry my body weight in ways I never could have dreamt of just 2 short years ago, in public, in New York City, for a professional photographer. Who is this girl?!

Sunday:

Hot Hip-Hop yoga. Yes that is a thing in New York. A friend took me to Y7 Studio and what an experience. I loved the music and the darkness and the whole vibe. But hot yoga is still not for me. The puddle that was my yoga mat by the end of the hour being exhibit #1 in that argument.

Anyhoo, later that evening I had mostly recovered an flexed out some extra gentle flows in my AirBnB just because. 15 minutes to finish off the week.

• Self-Practice: 1hr 10min 
• Classes: 2hr 45min  
• TOTAL: 3hrs 55min