Practice Yoga regularly, with the wonderful, worldwide alumni of 30-in-30

_{Just making a note of some of the words that have been used by my yoga instructor.}

Glossary:

asana :physical posture in which one is at ease and in harmony with one’s self.

chakra :wheel; vortex of prana; psychic centre; Chakras are subtle energy centres in the body. The main chakras in the body are situated along the spinal column. Moving up the body the chakras are described in the following way.

chidakasha :the mental screen; the space of chitta. Subtle space inside the head often used as a place of awareness in meditation practices.

mudra: psycho-neural attitude which redirects pranic energy

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

yoga nidra: where one is neither awake nor in deep sleep

We’ve just started Salute to the Sun in my class and I can’t remember it being so tricky. I feel very clumsy and I’m definitely going to practice more this week to avoid looking ridiculous at the next class. Next week will be our last class in Level 1. There will be a break for a couple of weeks and then onto Level 2.

(I love the Babar yoga pics! The Salute to the Sun one is so cute but couldn’t find an image online.)

I haven’t done much at home though…only one or two extra sessions in the last few weeks.
During class we do yoga nidra at the beginning although I always belived it was something that is done last. Just wondering what everyone else does/was taught…?
Also, do you practice visualisation during yoga nidra? My teacher talks us through a different visual sequence each week. Tonight it was walking up sand dunes, seeing eagles, dolphins in the ocean etc. I find it difficult to concentrate and I start thinking about other things and tonight I think I even drifted off to sleep for a couple of seconds! I think I’d prefer to visualise something myself rather than him telling me what to see iykwim.
I think my balancing (tree pose etc) is getting better but I’m still not very good. Must practice more balancing postures at home.
So far we’ve learnt yogic breathing and alternate nostril breathing.
One thing I’m battling with is the meditation at the end. We do it in sitting or kneeling position. My back starts aching quite badly. I wonder if this is normal. I’m thinking not but I really do hope it won’t continue.

I’m a complete yoga novice. I’ve just begun a 10 week yoga course with Satyananda Yoga Centre.
I’m up to week 3 and am thoroughly enjoying it. The first week I was slightly disappointed because our teacher talks quite quickly and mumbles and it was hard to follow him but I think I’m used to it now. Everything seems so serene after the session. It’s like a natural high. I hope I can continue to practice more at home. It’s often difficult to get some quiet time to myself (3 kids) but I’ve found just before bed in the evening to be a good time.
I haven’t got a mat as everything is provided in the course. Perhaps I’ll buy one for home though.
BeeQueen has also given me a couple of websites which I’ve enjoyed browsing as a reminder about the postures and they also provide info about the yoga philosophies.
http://yogajournal.com/
http://www.hathayogalesson.com/index.htm
Hello to you all! I look forward to learning from you and also share my experiences.