How yoga found its way onto my calendar

Leslie Kawai

Five Utah County IHC Health Challenge participants and I checked out Utah County yoga studio It's Yoga at Provo's The Shops at Riverwoods. It was a hectic day. I had been trail running that morning, and I was playing hostess to two parties scheduled for later that day. I'd only slept a few hours, and I still had a full day of work ahead.

I was supposed to interview Amy Williams, the Its Yoga owner, and meet our IHC guests before the beginner's yoga session. But, I was, of course, running late. I picked up two and headed toward the shopping center.

I was stressed. I was testing my video camera equipment with one hand and driving with the other, all the while explaining what shots we needed to my friend who was going to be on camera duty as we drove in a hurry down University Avenue in Provo. Needless to say, when we arrived at Soel Boutique it was rush, rush, rush to greet the IHC ladies and set up the equipment. We decided to do the interview after the class. I grabbed a mat, wired the microphone to Monica Nardone, our instructor, planned out some shots, and tried to get in place to look ready for a yoga class -- I felt like a tornado blowing through the quiet studio. Could I pull off looking calm during a yoga class?

I underestimated Nardone's soothing, instructive voice and the relaxing effect of the stretching and breathing. What can I say? I was the perfect correspondent for this story -- my fast-paced, hectic life stopped for 45 minutes, and suddenly I felt calm. Breathing, stretching, thinking. My headache was gone. My mind felt clear, and -- at the risk of sounding cliché -- I felt more whole, more complete.

I joked that they should have done before and after pictures. I walked in stressed and flustered. I walked out relaxed and invigorated. The tension in my head, my shoulders and my neck was gone -- and I was smiling!

I have three children and work four jobs -- there's little time for "rest and relaxation" in there. But as I quietly meditated at the end of the class, I just kept thinking, "I need this. Wow, it feels great to feel this calm and centered. I really need this." So, the greatest testament to my experience is probably the class schedule I walked out with for the new month membership plan we all bought.

It took just one session of the relaxing, energizing stretches to convince me that I need this physical experience more often. Next to Utah adventures, work meetings, parent-teacher meetings, church activities and children's lessons, I now have yoga on my calendar.

If You Go:

Where: It's Yoga is at 4801 N. University Ave. in The Shops at Riverwoods. Enter It's Yoga by going through Soel Boutique, which faces south and is just east of Abercrombie & Fitch.

More info: Call 426-9644 or visit www.itsyogautah.com

Cost: It's Yoga has monthly plans as well as a drop-in class fee of $12.

Yoga offers benefits to everyone

UtahAdventurer.com

Why yoga? That's what I asked Amy Williams, owner of It's Yoga, a premier yoga studio for Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga classes and teacher training. Seven years ago, Amy and her husband, both avid cyclers, took a yoga class to help loosen up and get a competitive mental edge on their cycling. They fell in love with the benefits of yoga and decided to open their own studio. Yoga is for "people who want to become better, that want to discover who they are and what their potential is. We do that through a yoga class: breathing and moving and discovering."

From gentle stretches and breathing exercises taught in the beginner course to more advanced poses and routines in the mixed level and "rocket" series, there is something for everyone. It's Yoga has students who range in age from 3 to over 80. Williams says that they see a wide range of attendees, from avid athletes wanting to stretch and achieve mental clarity, to others who have little physical strength but want to improve their cardiovascular functioning and flexibility and must do all of their poses and breathing on the ground.

Yoga combines movement with focusing on physical sensations, and learning to breathe deeply and purposefully. This leads to a sense of wellness and balance. The physical benefits include flexibility, stronger muscles and cardiovascular strengthening.

Mentally, yoga helps people slow down and refocus -- ideal for help unwinding during the busy rush of life. Williams encourages guests who feel too busy, to make time and try yoga.

People may say, "I'm not that flexible. I don't know if I can do yoga. I am so stressed out, I don't know if I can sit down for that long." That's why you come! If you were flexible and strong and mellow, then you wouldn't need to come to yoga. But most of us fall into those categories and you're coming to work on those things," Williams said.

If you go, dress comfortably and wear layers. Plan to be barefoot, and do not wear heavy scents or perfume. You might want to bring water. You can bring your own mat, but It's Yoga provides mats for participants.

Leslie Kawai is a professional, a teacher and a mother of three. As official Kawai family cruise director, she helps Utah Adventurer readers have successful family outings by providing packing lists and tips from her own adventures with her kids.