Day 31 - Shifting

I used to RUN from any instructor who called himself a student of Ana Forrest or taught Forrest-inspired yoga. I had nothing against Ana Forrest or her school of thought but what that usually meant was that the class would be hard. Very Hard. Interestingly enough as I have ventured through the Yoga Trees of San Francisco I have found myself intrigued by Forrest classes and actually making time for them. Ana has spent 30 years developing Forrest Yoga specifically for the Western body—that is, the tight necks, shoulders and hips we get from sitting in chairs, hunching over computers and cradling the phone all day. In traditional yoga, you tend to look up at the ceiling, which puts more stress on the neck and in a Forrest practice, the head hangs toward the floor. Forrest Yoga uses intense pose sequences, designed to help you connect to your core and get you strong and centered. Classes use heat, deep breathing and vigorous sequences to sweat out toxins. The long holds in the pose progressions help you flush, oxygenate and rejuvenate every cell. The neck thing is key for me, as soon as I return to work on Monday the knot on my right shoulder creeps back. These classes have left me feeling elated and completely joyful, I highly recommend you try one.

Here is a video of Ana Forrest’s Yoga Journal Demo, it’s pretty bad ass.