All One Yoga: A Living Arts Studio; Forrest Yoga

Shannon May

All One Yoga: A Living Arts Studio

Forrest Yoga

Yoga Theory Culture and Practice

Laura Douglass

CSOCS.3452.03

            When looking for a type of yoga to practice for this project, I knew I wanted to try something very different from what I had done before. I started my search by googling “Yoga in Boston,” which led me to dozens of websites of studios in the area. When I came across All One Yoga’s website I knew that it would be a place that I would enjoy and learn a lot from. The website demonstrated that All One Yoga is a place where the practice of Yoga is heavily influenced by the culture of Yoga derived from India, while catering to the interests of all yogis. Once I had found the website, I looked at the schedule and noticed that one of the sessions listed was called “Forrest Yoga,” something I had never heard of before. Upon researching Forrest Yoga I knew that this was definitely something I wanted to try. Forrest yoga incorporated rigorous physical practice with an intensely spiritual and mindful practice. I knew this would be a challenge for me but I was ready to test my limits. All One Yoga seemed like the perfect place to do so.

            All One Yoga was founded in 2007 and offers a variety of classes suitable for yogis of all levels. They offer: Anusara, Ashtanga, Bikram, Forrest, Pilates, Power, Restorative, Vinyasa, and Hip Hop Vinyasa Yoga. These classes are held multiple times a week and usually are an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes long. Each of the instructors have been trained in multiple types of yoga and have commited their lives not only to the physical side of yoga, but to the spiritual side as well. Forrest Yoga was held on Tuesday night from 6:00- 7:15. (All One Yoga).

            Upon walking into the studio I was struck by the strong smell of candles and the ambient lighting. The walls were adorned with decorations, which demonstrated yoga’s culture. I quickly noticed the “Om” poster, Tibetan prayer flags, and many photos of elephants. I also noticed signs for workshops such as Reiki I and II training and Fundamentals of Yoga. The women at the front desk were very friendly and asked me several questions about my previous experience with yoga. They gave me a health form to fill out because it was my first time at the studio. I sat down in the lobby and watched as the Power Vinyasa class before mine came out. I noticed that all of the students were women around my age. They were all wearing yoga pants and athletic shirts and seemed to be very excited about their experience in class. As I sat waiting to enter the class I started to feel very nervous. I had already had a very stressful day and I kept telling myself that I wasn’t advanced enough for Forrest Yoga. What if I was the only person in the room who couldn’t do the poses? What if I learned that yoga really wasn’t for me? The whole idea of Forrest Yoga was starting to seem very intimidating.

            Forrest Yoga was created by Ana Forrest as a practice to help people transform themselves mentally and emotionally by engaging in a physical practice. It is widely known as a rigorous and intense form of Hatha Yoga. Ana Forrest says,

I developed Forrest Yoga as I was working through my own healing.  I took poses and modified or created new ones to address today’s lifestyle physical ailments.  For example, the ailments that our bodies are manifesting due to our lifestyle – lower and upper back pain, neck and shoulder issues, carpal tunnel syndrome, intestinal disorders. We also crave and need challenge, adventure and a daily diet of delight.  In my own healing quest, I recognized my loss of Spirit.  Something I now see in others – this modern day sense of bereft Spirit.  Through Forrest Yoga you get your physical health and strength and also a place in which to welcome your Spirit back home.  And by this I do not mean a spiritual practice but rather being your authentic self (Forrest Yoga).

Forrest Yoga strives to incorporate the following pillars into practice: Breath, Strength, Integrity and Spirit. These four pillars aid Forrest Yoga practitioners in connecting to their most powerful physical and authentic self.

            What separates basic yoga practice and Forrest yoga is the rigorous poses that are held for longer periods of time, and the extreme emphasis on breathing. Each pose is typically held for 5-10 breaths and standing series which can go on for anywhere up to 20 repetitions. The room is set to 85 degrees Fahrenheit in order to release toxins from the body (Forrest Yoga).

            When I entered the room, I noticed that this was much different from any other studio I had been in. The lights were dimmed and there were candles lit at the end of the room. As everyone entered the space they grabbed 1-2 yoga blocks from a shelf on the wall and lay down on their mats. I decided to follow what everyone else was doing and found that it felt very strange to just lay there, but I tried my best to relax. I started to feel nervous again because I noticed that a lot of people had blankets and towels and I was worried that I was not prepared enough. I lay down on my mat and continued to take in my surroundings. I noticed that in this class there were eight women ranging from 20-70. The clothing that the students chose to wear was a bit looser than in the Power Vinyasa. This seemed to be a more diverse group of people.

            The instructor of this class’s name is Joanna Ducey. I had the opportunity to talk to Joanna after class and find out about her background in yoga. She told me that she was originally going for a PHD in French but after the unexpected passing of her father she turned to yoga for spiritual healing and has been committed to it ever since. Joanna told me that this has been the best decision of her life and she is “in love with the culture of yoga.” Joanna now works as a Vinyasa and Forrest Yoga instructor and Holistic Health Coach. I really loved learning from Joanna. I felt that she had a great tone and was helpful with adjusting our poses and positively reinforcing everyone in the class.

            When Joanna entered the room she instructed us all to come to a seated position. We began our practice with pranayama. We took several deep breaths and then began breathing into our Chakras. We did this by placing our hands first on either side of our hips and breathing into our Sacral Chakra, then on our chest into our Heart Chakra, and finally on our heads into our Crown Chakras. While doing this breathing Joanna told us to make a “bee sound.” I found that I had trouble making this sound for a long period of time and doing it felt a little awkward to me.

            Following Pranayama we began doing our poses. Breathing remained important throughout the practice as Joanna measured each pose in breaths. She instructed that during some of these breaths we place our tongue at the bottom of out mouth and breathe in and out completely, making a deep breathing sound. I found that this was a very liberating feeling, though strange at first. We frequently returned to folded and flat back poses with several others in between. It was always an option to return to child’s pose. We began with dolphin pose- when the pose was introduced I became a little nervous; I hadn’t had much practice doing that pose. I quickly found that with the right mindset I could do each pose in the practice. I eventually found myself doing a bridge with out even thinking twice- something I would have typically have been hesitant to do! I think that the idea of being challenged really excited me and somehow the temperature actually made me more comfortable- which was something I did not expect.

            As we were finishing up Joanna said that we could do whatever pose we wanted because she liked to leave the end “up to the yogi’s personal preference.” Following this we all lay down on our mats and Joanna turned off the lights. We lay there for about five minutes. This was a very telling experience because as we were meditating the earthquake hit Boston. Typically one would expect that everyone in the class get up or say something, but we all remained on our mats calmly. For me this meditation was one of the most relaxing and much needed moments I’d had in a while. I began to understand the importance of stillness and what meditation and yoga really can do for the mind and the body.

            After meditation we rolled back up to a seated position. Joanna told everyone to take their time in doing so incase they wanted to stay in meditation longer. To end, we chanted Om three times. I was surprised at how much easier it was for me to do these chants at the end than at the beginning of class. We then placed our hands together over our hearts and said “Namaste.”

            Walking out of this class I felt completely different than I had coming in. Coming in, my mind and body were tense over trivial matters, which I was allowing to take over my mind and cause me to feel stressed. Coming out of this Forrest Yoga class I not only felt more at peace, but I felt more confident in my abilities. I learned that I am capable of more advanced yoga and I am capable of allowing yoga to help me center my mind and body. My head began spinning with all sorts of future plans for my yoga practice. I was so excited to have the opportunity to try this new form of yoga and really push myself because I’m not sure that I would have done so on my own at this time.

            All One Yoga was definitely a great place for me to begin to explore my relationship with yoga outside of Lesley. The studio demonstrated to me a balance of Eastern and Western culture, which I find makes yoga much more interesting than the very Eastern yoga I have practiced on my DVDs at home. I have found that the studio and atmosphere really do make a difference in a yoga practice. I am very excited to continue my journey with All One Yoga and Forrest Yoga!

References:

http://www.alloneyogaboston.com/index.php (All One Yoga)

http://www.forrestyoga.com/ (Forrest Yoga)