Posts In: pigeon

You’ve been there before – it’s the middle of class and an awesome song starts playing, you try to make a mental note to ask about the song title or artist after class but the bliss of savasana wipes your short term memory clean. So we decided to share our instructors’ playlists on the blog – Ta Da! problem solved. You’re welcome. 🙂

Amy writes: I absolutely love this playlist, I’ve been refining it for about a year! “Orange Sky” has been on there the whole time and is one of my favorites. Snatam Kaur and Wah! never fail to soothe my soul, I love playing them during cooling poses or savasana. Mixing in modern music is fun and unexpected and I often play just the instrumental versions, like with “HeyHo” and “Dust in the Wind.” And The Lumineers’ songs are great to instantly lighten the mood, especially if we’re working on a challenge pose, or holding pigeon going on 4 minutes!!

Om – Soulfood
Orange Sky – Alexi Murdoch
Shree Ram – Wah!
Hari Om Shiva Om – Deva Premal
Dust in the Wind – Fred Benedetti & Peter Pupping
Stubborn Love – The Lumineers
Flowers in Your Hair – The Lumineers
You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
Ho Hey – Piano Tribute Players
Origami Crane – Trevor Hall
Hey World – Michael Franti & Spearhead
For Your Love – Christophe Goze
Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra – Reema Datta
Sita Ram – Krishna Das
In My Life [Album Version] – Sony Wonder
By Thy Grace – Snatam Kaur
Akwaba – Tya

We’d like to introduce the wonderful and amazing Lauren Bosworth! Many of you may not have had the pleasure of meeting her and taking her class since she has been leading many of Yoga One’s corporate classes at various companies around San Diego.* Lauren is taking over the Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow on Monday nights at 5:30. Come experience her challenging and warming flow with deep holds to help you find that ideal alignment while testing your endurance. Check out our full class schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

My favorite style of yoga lately has been a blend of flow-y Vinyasa and deep Hatha, all wrapped up with therapeutic alignment principles. I like to keep it fun and active, but also very safe so that I am able to do what I love forever.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice?

I was a ballerina for many years while growing up. My flexibility made yoga very fun, easy and intriguing to me. The thing that pulled me in further was realizing how difficult it really was and how much more work it took to have stability and strength rather then just being flexible.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

My favorite pose right now is eka pada rajakapotasana (pigeon pose). It used to be very easy for me to find rest in this post but lately it has been much more challenging. The challenge makes me want to practice it more often!

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

Adho mukha vrksasana, or hand stand, is very challenging for me because my back and spine are very flexible and it’s difficult to stack my bones just right for balance!

5. If you were an animal, you would be: a mermaid; in fact, I’m pretty sure I was one in my past life. 😉 I love the ocean and all the magic and healing that it brings.

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Balance. Clarity. Vitality. Rejuvenation. Invigoration. Appreciation.

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?

I think they would be surprised to learn that my strength surpasses my size. I pack a mean punch!

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students?

My advice would be to not compare yourself to anyone or anything. Enjoy the feeling of your body in movement while you practice without self-judgement. Don’t be scared to try new poses or to fall. If you do fall, just pick yourself up and try again.

Find what feels best in your body and stick to that – don’t push past pain and risk injury, be respectful of the body’s limitations. Most of all, practice because it makes you feel good and because you enjoy the sensations that result from your practice, not because you think you should.

* If you would like to learn more about Yoga One at Work for your company or organization, contact Michael at 619-972-8185 or michael@yogaonesandiego.com

Here’s a new segment we hope you’ll really enjoy! Ever wondered how yoga teachers feel about their own yoga practice? Want some advice for beginners from an experienced practitioner? We’ll be showcasing a different instructor every month, so be sure to check in and get to know your Yoga One instructors off the mat.

Instructor Spotlight: Interview with Sarah Clark

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

I lean towards a vinyasa-style practice with lots of dharma (yoga’s philosophical and psychological teachings) sprinkled in, with bonus points for incorporating pranayama (breathing practices) and meditation. My preference for this style is influenced by OM Yoga Center in NYC, where I studied a lot, so that type of practice just feels like home to me. But really, I love any ‘style’ presented by a high-quality teacher. I’m a sucker for an amazing teacher, of anything.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice?

I’ve always been a person who enjoys embodied movement; moving in a way where you feel from the inside out. I’m also a total philosophy geek, a person who’s endlessly captivated by the ‘big’ questions like “what is the point of this existence anyway?” and “how am I to make the most of it?” When I realized that yoga incorporated all of this, that was it. I was smitten.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

Ug, this is such a hard question! The truth is that my favorite and least favorite change all the time and the same pose often begins on one list only to shortly move to the other. I have a chronic right shoulder/neck injury that is in a flare up phase right now, so finding a deep, supported fish pose on blocks is one of the few things I can do that offers me relief.

4. What is your least favorite?

In honor of full disclosure, I must say that it’s true: I even love the poses that I totally cannot stand because I know they’re good for me and I’m always better off having done them. That being said, as of today, I’d have to go with kapotasana (pigeon), folded forward. It’s very difficult for me to choose this pose because usually I love it! But for right now, it tops my least favorite list because I’m dealing with a knee/hip issue as well and it’s very difficult for me to abide calmly in this posture. I have to concentrate on my breathing and make peace with the fact that this pose looks, feels and IS very different than it has been in the past. But THAT is totally the practice of yoga: being honest about the present moment, modifying your practice and meeting that experience calmly. Being in pigeon is not a pleasant situation for me right now! But it’s a great chance to work with my mind in my practice.

5. If you were an animal, you would be: a hummingbird, my mother adores them 🙂

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Calm, Steady, Wakeful Awareness Manifesting Interconnectedness

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?

I have scoliosis and lots of old dance injuries. I danced professionally in NYC for 6 years and yoga has always been my therapy. My practice looks different every day because I’m one of those practitioners who requires constant adaptation. On some level, we’re all that way. Also, I love the NFL. Yes, Yogis can love the NFL too!

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students?

When I started this practice, it was rather unpleasant and I think that’s typical! So if you are new to the practice and that’s your experience, you’re normal. Lastly, I would just say, in this practice, an inch is a mile.

Sarah Clark teaches a mixed level flow class at Yoga One on Wednesdays at 5:30pm.
Go here, then click on “workshops” to check out her upcoming workshop: Balanced and Calm Holiday on Sunday, December 11th.