Scheduling Overload?

This is a quick list of my pilates/yoga practice this past week:
Sunday = intro to yoga @ Urban Lily Yoga
Monday = pilates mat class (turned out to be only person in class) @ Mind 2 Body
Wednesday = gentle yoga class @ Black Dog Yoga
Thursday = pilates reformer personal training @ Pilates Studio City
Friday = pilates reformer group class @ Mind 2 Body
Saturday = pilates mat class @ Michael Levy Workout
Sunday = pilates mat class/magic circle class @ Mind 2 Body

My intro to yoga seminar was amazing. I loved the instructor (Lindsay) and I enjoyed learning a bit about the context of the physical practice of yoga, some of the differences in the types of practice, what on earth some of that hokey-sounding language meant and the reasons behind some of the customs...it was literally a tiny scratching of the surface of a 5000 year old rich tradition, but I finally feel empowered and excited to practice. Now I just need to figure out how to fit it into my schedule...I really like Urban Lily Yoga, and it's soooo convenient, but the class times that are best for me seem to be geared toward more advanced students. So I might have to start off elsewhere, but I would like to end up taking more classes at this studio.

I can't say enough good things about Mind 2 Body. I love the attention to detail, the fact that they keep class sizes small, that they seem to stay true to "classical" pilates methodology, that I feel challenged and energized each time I'm there. I can't get enough. I'm a huge fan of one of their newest instructors, Jamie, and of course, the studio's owner, Lani. I was thrilled to try the reformer class, which was a real challenge, but which I was happy to fit into my lunch hour.

Gentle yoga was my second class at Black Dog Yoga, and it was exactly what I was looking for on Wednesday. I had a rough afternoon, and was very stressed and agitated, and it helped me calm my mind and body and literally open up to the evening. The instructor was good, but I'm afraid that if I hadn't just had that intro to yoga class, I wouldn't have felt very comfortable there. There were a ton of props that I'm not sure I would have felt as comfortable with and I felt like the class was a little bit fuller than I would have preferred. However, the instructor made it a point to continuously go around the room, correct our form, learn our names, and ensure that we were working at a level that was appropriate for our abilities. I found the music really distracting though. I can't remember what exactly it was, but it was some sort of pop music, and I had to work extra hard not to focus on it. I plan on trying some more classes at the studio.

Pilates Studio City was one of the more disappointing experiences for me this week. Not because I didn't get a good workout. I really did. I had a private lesson with a very good instructor named Sara, and she introduced me to the reformer apparatus. I think the building and layout of the studio is really neat and I was psyched by the variety of classes and scheduling options. But I was a little turned off by the fact that the sign-in area is essentially in the same room as the mat classes, so I felt like I was interrupting the class by coming into the studio. That was awkward but if I had been the person taking the mat class who was closest to the door, that would have been really distracting. I had to walk through the class to get to the rest room. That was even more awkward. Nobody gave me a tour of the studio or anything, which I would have liked, but not a big deal. What irked me a bit was the fact that when I watched part of a mat class upon my arrival (I was early, of course), the instructor was on the ground doing the exercises. It seemed to me that the instructor should be going around correcting form and observing, not demonstrating. I figure that I can get a demonstration from a video. Classes provide the interaction. The other thing that bothered me was the fact that my private lesson was given in a small room that contained three reformers (and three of us who each were having private lessons). I found that I felt very claustrophobic and was easily distracted. So, I may give it another shot, but I left feeling well-worked, but a little disappointed.

This weekend was a little nutty for me, pilates-wise. On Saturday, I tried out the mat class at Michael Levy Workout, in Encino. That's one of the few studios in LA in which each of the instructors has been certified to teach the original, classical pilates method that is promulgated by Romana Kryzanowska (protege of Joseph Pilates). The mat class quickly filled up, so it's a good thing I arrived early. It was clear that the other students were regulars of the studio, and seemed to be well-versed in the various exercises. Some of them even had claimed positions in the room that they always set up their mat at. That was hilarious. But I found myself a mat in unclaimed territory, and proceeded to do what I could to keep up. It was tough -- much more advanced than the intro classes I've been attending elsewhere, but the class was advertised as "open" to all levels. I'm glad I had done Mari Winsor's videos though, because I was able to follow along a lot better than I would have, had I not done those advanced videos. Anyway, it was without a doubt, one of the most challenging workouts of the week, but sooooo amazing to experience. I wish they offered more evening or early morning mat classes, but alas, Saturdays are the only ones that work with my schedule.

Today I attended the open house at Mind 2 Body, in Sherman Oaks, to which I dragged Kelley who, in turn, convinced Erica to also attend. That made it a lot more fun for me, because I otherwise would have been overwhelmed by the mad rush of the open house. But I was really disappointed in the fact that the studio switched a few things around, including what kind of class offering was given at 12:30, and which instructor was assigned to the 1pm class. I guess I can't really complain because they were free classes. But I was particularly hoping that Kelley would get to experience my favorite teacher there. And I was also looking forward to working on the bouncy-ball thing (but the class ended up being just a mat class). The mat class instructor was good, and she did help correct people's form, but because of the shortened class schedule, wasn't able to explain the moves before we did them, so I am afraid a lot of people may have been doing the moves incorrectly, or could have adjusted slightly to get more out of them. I know that they do more of that in their regular classes, but it seemed like that would have been even more important at an open house where people come without any pilates experience. Anyway, the second class was crazy hard -- the magic circle class. In addition to requiring a ton of upper arm and core strength, it also required quite a bit of balance. At the end of my two 30 minute classes, I felt that I accomplished quite a bit.

So, in lieu of running right now, this exercise seems to be the only thing I can do that doesn't irritate my hip and that doesn't bore me half to death (I'm sorry, I'm just not a huge fan of biking or swimming). Tomorrow I get to go back to the imaging center for another MRI (this time with contrast). The center messed it up last Wednesday (and sent home the doctor before I arrived so they couldn't do the injection). Fun fun. I'm a little stressed about it, but I'm sure I'll be okay.

This week I want to add some more yoga to my routine, and I'm anxious to try out Rising Lotus yoga in Sherman Oaks. It has great reviews, is also pretty close to my office, and seems to have a lot of classes for beginners at times that would possibly work for me. I'm not sure about that, so I am going to call them tomorrow to get some more info.

It's been a busy week. Somewhere between all that yoga/pilates, I also managed to do a lot of work (I've been increasing my hours by coming in early and doing some work on the weekends) and I managed to start refinishing my bathroom cabinets. And my bird, Layla, decided to repeatedly say "hello" to me. I cried. My baby speaks!!!

I think it's time that I enjoy some well-earned rest, so, that's all for now :-)