poses vs flows

I did my first pose only class.  It was my a Moshka 90 Minute class at the Thornhill location.  I did not realize it was going to be this way until half way through the class. I know that Bikram works that way.  I had taken four Moksha classes before however they were all flow classes.  So there I was in the class doing one pose after another trying to hold back some of my energy for flows. Each pose was held a long time as it was a 90 minute class.  Then the instructor mentioned that some people think that the pose classes are more challenging then the flow classes.  It clicked at that moment.  I took a little break and lay down for a few minutes to get my barrings.

Then I went for it.  I got up and moved from one pose to the other trying to maximize it.  The class followed a now familiar process through the body.  The instructor was wonderful and came by to show me some corrections and even alternative poses for a few that I had trouble with.

One correction I can adapt into the prayer twist I do in the Sumit Hot Yoga practice. It is for a prayer twist but your legs are in a chair position before you twist.  Due to my structure I can't do the prayer twist very well.  My chest gets in the way of holding my hands in prayer and getting an active twist.  So she showed me to put one forearm along the tops of my legs while the other one twisted to rest the palm on my back with the elbow pointing to the sky.  This allows me to actually twist that out well without limiting my range of motion.  I will try that in the crescent  variation we do back home.

Another great adjustment she mentioned was in the Awkward Position when you go up on your toes.  In stead of having your arms up in the air pointed up like half moon or out in front of you, she had us put our hands behind our heads like you are doing a sit up.  This opens your chest well.  The last adjustment I will mention is when you are doing a pose where you are interlacing your hands behind you and opening up the back.   I don't have much range of motion in those positions.  She suggested bringing my hands up the back to about half way sticking your elbows out to the sides.  Great back opener for those of us with limited flexibility there.

I guess I would say it is great to branch out and learn new things with the focus of taking those things I have learned home to my practice. A pose only practice really lets you focus on getting those poses right without the movement between positions being the focus.