Learning Yoga

December 2006
ASIA LIFE HO CHI MINH CITY

Getting into yoga Despite its present popularity, to many the idea of taking up yoga is intimidating. Kelly Norman talks to yoga professionals in town and discovers that it’s all about practice.

Something as hip as yoga is bound to appear difficult to the uninitiated or cynical. The vocabulary, the mindset, even the notion itself might be difficult to swallow at first.

Instructors all over the city are willing to convince you that it isn’t that hard after all. Suzanne Vian, owner of Saigon Yoga, says, “All of those you see who are more adept in the practice were once in your shoes. We all started the same way - feeling awkward, unsure, maybe nervous, inadequate and self-conscious. You’ll get over it. Just keep practicing.”

Suzanne’s classes are refreshingly open and she tries her best to make everyone feel welcome and capable.

Yoga, after all, is a practice that needs to be nurtured. Very few people could jump straight into a full-blown Ashtanga series without any prior exposure.

More than a trend “Yoga is the art of paying attention to what you do,” says certified instructor Daniel Degrood, of Saigon Yoga. “Sitting at your desk is a posture. Standing and waiting for a taxi is a posture. There are as many postures as there are ways to move your body.”

Trying yoga for the first time isn’t necessarily delving into something foreign. It’s merely bringing awareness to something we’ve each known all along – we have a body, and we can use it. Of course it’s possible to take it all further, into the land of Uttanasana and Ujjayi breath, but every yoga student must start at the same place – the very beginning.

The classes are usually a murmuring mix of Asian and Western expats of any given shape, size and age. The instructor will start with some comments on breathing, then lead you through a series of slow and gentle stretching designed to warm up muscles and ease you into class. As you begin to sweat, deepen your breath, and match the movements of your body to the teacher’s direction, your head will buzz with a subtle rush of endorphins.

“When a person starts to watch themselves and study their actions and thoughts, they begin to have more options available to them and this makes every decision easier. Yoga is about having a balanced life, being detached from the things we have no control over and being mindful of the things we do have control over,” explains Daniel.

Where to begin
Beginner classes at Saigon Yoga include Beginner’s Vikram Yoga and Yin Yoga, a passive, meditative practice done mostly on the floor (instead of standing poses). More advanced classes are also offered for students ready to take the next step. The instructors are all well versed in guiding beginners and dedicated students alike through the process of learning.

“My favorite part of teaching is seeing students progress in their practice, and witnessing their achievements, weather it be the first time they have touched their toes in 10 years, or finally getting a deep night’s sleep,” says Suzanne. “I love to have a good time within the practice, and some of my most enjoyable, lightest moments are spent teaching. Life is serious enough.”

Information
Saigon Yoga 10F Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1
Tel: 910 5181
Inquiries in English: 0908 352265 or 0903 183248
info@saigonyoga.com
www.saigonyoga.com

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