Yoga. Oasis.

I've never really talked about the yoga in my Sonoran Life and I think it's time to do so.

It began as a way for me to get some exercise cheaply. It had been months since I'd been to a gym and I wasn't dancing. I also had a job I didn't like (working at the restaurant) and I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. These two things turned me to depression and I had no inclination to get out and walk around. I was feeling sick with myself one day and just decided to take a yoga class. I tried out a studio downtown at the recommendation of a coworker and ended up loving it.

The studio is Yoga Oasis. They teach mainly Anusara style, which someone described as "yoga on prozac" (not far from the truth). Apart from lifting my mood, though, the teachers inspire me and the classes are creative. Depending on whose classes you go to, you receive short lessons in philosophy (with an intense workout), laugh at witty remarks, or listen to club/dance music - like the music below. Sometimes all of the above.

Aside from it's modern approach, yoga at Oasis has shaped into a study for me. I find myself examining it's principles like I did dance: I tend to focus on alignment and figuring out how certain positions tap into different sources of physical power. I set a goal to try every teacher during the month of April in the studios I attend. I didn't reach it, but it was because I found some teachers that I really liked and I kept going back to their classes.

In searching out more yoga instructors, I found another studio further north. This one offered a work-exchange program. I essentially volunteer for a few hours and get unlimited yoga classes. The thing is, though, I only attend once a week (maybe twice) because it's so far away. The style also isn't as interesting to me; it's much more traditional and we do yoga without music. The teachers are nonetheless very good and two of them are ones that travel around the country to teach. I didn't realize this, but Tucson has incredibly reputable teachers in the area. Go figure.

I don't know if I love-love yoga, like I loved ballroom and latin, but it's becoming an influential life practice for me nonetheless. It takes grace, strength, and perseverence to perform it well; and as I push myself to attain those qualities, it teaches me unforgettable life lessons, many of which I plan to share here (get excited!).

Here are some photos of my home-away-from-home: