Turns out hot beverages, Phoebe Bridgers, and washing my hair can’t shake the strange feelings being a fresher from the nauseating familiarity of my childhood bedroom has left me feeling. And in an attempt to be “proactive” and take charge of my life, I decided to attend YogiSoc’s free Flow Class. Taking place on Microsoft Teams, the Facebook event page described the class as Vinyasa Flow Yoga, where “Vinyasa means a progressive sequence that unfolds with harmony.” As someone who’s chronically stiff, this sounded like a great time to get loose and shake everything off.
So, on the day of, I dragged myself onto my yoga mat where I joined the Teams meeting and was greeted by the smiling face of our instructor Georgie. For what my bedroom lacked in the chill, essential oil vibes of my regular yoga studio was made up for by the smiling faces and friendly chit chat in the meeting while we waited for everyone to join.
Source: Flickr
I had been planning on keeping my camera on during the session but chickened out in the end and in hindsight, this was an excellent choice. Georgie invited us to play music if we so wished by sharing her playlist “Chill Vibes 30” on Spotify. This was an accommodating touch that I appreciated, and the playlist really hit all the spots during my practice.
Georgie led us into our practice without a hitch. I’ve done yoga by way of YouTube videos and I thought this class would be similar but something about knowing a real person was leading me in real time made the experience more engaging. Throughout the class Georgie called out adjustments and, even though she couldn’t see me, they were impressively accurate to what I was doing. I was comforted by the idea of others struggling with the same poses I was. The live aspect also held me accountable as I was less inclined to get distracted and drift away from the class.
Source: Flickr
The session was called “Flow Class” and it sure did flow. Generally, the poses would shift between ones that built tension, leaving me shaking through my breaths and those where Georgie would pronounce “now let yourself melt into your mat” which provided sweet respite. For example, a notable pose that caused me tremendous strain was a wide-stance variation of a squat called the “goddess pose” which served as a grueling test of my pain tolerance. Another worthy mention is the three-legged dog sequence which was a challenge as we were reminded to focus on our breath as I held mine through the intense stretch.
Although there was a quiz at the end of the class, I opted not to participate because the class left me feeling a pleasant brand of drowsiness (is yogi’s high a thing?). So instead, I embarked on a wonderful afternoon nap. The quiz looked like a good time though. Overall, I thought the event was a great taster of what both the society and yoga have to offer. Well organized, welcoming, and effective, it’s worthwhile to be on the lookout for YogiSoc activities and classes throughout the year.
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