Yoga for Free -- Revisited

Early Stretch, Facing U Village's Quiet Parking Lot

I've left my house very early on weekend mornings to go skiing, mountain biking, and climbing, or to catch a ferry or a plane. Compared to how early I might leave to catch the first chair skiing, my 7:40 departure on Saturday morning was not that early. However, getting up early for a weekend yoga class, it felt a bit harsh.

8:00 Saturday morning is way earlier in the morning than 9:30 Sunday morning, the time of the U Village Lululemon's other yoga class. But I knew that just because the Saturday start time was so much earlier, this class was likely to be much smaller. Which it was. Only eight students attended so we had plenty of space and personal instruction, compared to 28 last Sunday.

Puja

Our instructor was the highly professional and experienced Puja. She had an interesting theme or narration running through the class, a bit of a Saturday morning sermonette. During the class, she read and referred back to a particular Eleanor Roosevelt quote:

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience by which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.

Facing fear is not a topic I'm facing these days but maybe it's something Puja is dealing with.

Puja's class was a little less strenuous than Pam's last Sunday. Not quite so many planks and downward facing dog cycles. No sweating for me and maybe for none of the other attendees. We did plenty of stretches, lunges, maybe a bit more balance work as some did headstands while others of us did shoulder stands. Still, it was a similar routine of one hour of Hatha Yoga in a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere.

Personal Instruction in a Smaller Class

After the class, I spoke with Ellen who has been attending the class regularly. Previously she practiced yoga at another studio in the area. Ellen says she likes the variety of instructors that rotate in and out of Lululemon's weekend classes. Yoga helps her build her strength and balance, she says.

Sam Godfrey, an employee at the University Village store, brought two of her friends to the class, the two males among us. Sam's friend, Kyle, said it was his first time doing yoga but he thought it was good. 

Sam With Yoga Newbies Daniel & Kyle

Sam has worked at Lululemon just two months. Previously she worked at Nordstrom's. She does not see her work at Lululemon as "retail," though of course there is that aspect. It's about "community involvement, helping people, and education," she said. Bringing two friends to the class and showing up at 8 am when her shift didn't start until 12, yes, that's involvement, I think.

If you want to sleep in, I suggest the Sun. 9:30 class. For more space and personal attention, the Sat. 8:00 class. Either way, it's a great deal to get professional instruction at a truly affordable price. At the moment (3/30/11), the University Village April calendar shows no classes scheduled. Give the store a call at 206 524 6025 or check the calendar before you go. 

A Bit More Room to Move in Early Sat. Class

Lululemon for Active Folks

You may already know that Lululemon branded clothing is great for active people.  Here are a few reasons why I love Lululemon:

It's great for aerial dance, especially working on rope.
When rehearsing for my latest aerial dance piece at Versatile Arts, a ninja on rope, I found that the only apparel that could withstand the course rope was my Lululemon tights.  I must admit, when buying my first pair of Lululemon tights, I wondered if they were worth the price as they are a bit more expensive than your average dance tight.  I now know that Lululemon apparel is worth every penny.  The amount of money I spent on one pair of Lululemons is less than what I would have invested in multiple pairs of tights when rehearsing on rope.

Lululemon apparel always looks great, on everyone.

Whether your out and about on the weekend, or wearing Lululemon during your workout training, Lululemon makes everyone look great.  I wear my Lululemon apparel during workout sessions with my personal trainer, Dawn Brent (The Exercise Space), then to the grocery store, and pretty much all weekend long.  Lululemon clothing is versatile, so you can pretty much wear it anywhere.

Yoga for Free

The Seattle University Village Lululemon store is currently offering free yoga classes 8 AM on Saturday and 9:30 AM on Sunday. (Be sure to check their calendar for classes because they aren't always weekly.) I visited the Sunday class.

I didn't know where in U Village the store is so called ahead, but found the directions I received were a little off, causing me to arrive a few minutes late. The room was already full of 28 laid-out yoga mats, everyone already in a posture. I laid out my mat on the last spot left and joined the movement.

Our instructor Sunday was Pam Granston, representing Hot Yoga of Laurelhurst, this month's sponsor of Sunday yoga instructors. Pam also teaches at New Seattle Massage. Her contact information is on their web site.

Pam in Revolved Crescent Lunge 

It was a vigorous class – less than an hour for me since I arrived late. Even still, I found myself scanning my classmates for a watch to see what time it was. "Only 10:15."

We did a lot of Upward Dog, Downward-Facing Dog, and Plank as we moved from one pose to another. We practiced some variations of Sun Salutation, Warrior poses, Dancer pose for a little balance work, and Bridge for those with enough flexibility.  A mixture of Indian and Western music played. Hint: Take a place away from the speakers if you want to always hear the instructor.

Pam Supervises Downward Dog

After class, I spoke with a few of the participants. Tiffany had brought her friend, Hannah, to the class. Tiffany said she'd come once before, maybe a year ago. Not only was it Hannah's first time, she didn't know the name of the store until I mentioned Lululemon. Both said the class had been great. Tiffany said that having classes weekly instead of monthly was a new thing at Lululemon.

Class Attendees Included 1 Girl & 1 Man - Otherwise All Female Adults

Sheryl and Olive were also there for only there second time in a year, but praised the class and our instructor. Sheryl is a trainer and yoga practitioner herself and Sunday is her only day off, she said.

As soon as the yoga students cleared out, the staff began rolling merchandise onto the floor. Megan said that this was a particularly full class. Megan works regularly at U Village Lululemon but has had the opportunity to fill in at Bellevue and the downtown Pacific Place store. The U Village clientele is more focused, she said, compared to the other shops. "It’s not a mall. People come in knowing what they want."

I'm thinking I'll try the Saturday class next. With that 8 AM start time, maybe it's a little less crowded.

Megan Rolls Out Inventory

Dealing with All the Bad News

We all know that yoga improves flexibility, strength, and posture. We know that running, biking, and swimming are good for cardiovascular health. But the people who don't do these things, perhaps they think these physical benefits are the only reason to engage in sports. If so, they're missing out on what many of us consider the major benefit:

• Both yoga and the more vigorous sports relieve stress, and take us out of our thoughts and worries of the moment.

The past few days have been hard for many of us. In addition to the usual stress of juggling work, family, and social commitments, besides the usual conflicts and frustrations of traffic, health issues, and paying the bills, there's the terrible news out of Japan, which seems to just keep getting worse.

On a much smaller but maybe more personal scale, there's the shocking death of Jayna Murray at the Lululemon store at Bethesda MD.

Yoga and sports won't solve the Fukushima nuclear reactor problems or bring Jayna Murray back to life. But as the bad news piles up about earthquake deaths and radioactive levels, are you finding time to practice yoga, to at least do some stretches? When the tension mounts, do  you try harder than usual to make sure you walk your dog or get that lunchtime run?

Share how you're coping with the stress. Thanks.