Nandi Yoga

I started my Yoga Practice with them in my Second month and my decision to do so could not have come at a better time.

When going through a list of teachers and institutes for Prenatal Yoga classes, I had one thing on my mind , the place/teacher/institute should not be very commercial and classroom like.....and though there are many places and people that teach Yoga much closer to home, I did my research and chose Nandi in San Mateo. Yoga today is more like a Fashion statement, a couple of my friends think it is 'cool' and done in order to lose weight and stay slim and because of this thought process, Yoga is highly commercialized today. I never looked at Yoga as a slimming mechanism....Yes, it can help you keep fit, as you age, it can help you maintain your flexibility, but more than anything the peace and relaxation helps you focus and stay calm.

When my doctor asked me to describe my lifestyle ,what I said shocked me...." well I love Junk Food, a couch potato who doesn't even step out for a 20-30 minute walk in the day"...the Doc was sure not happy, given my parents physical condition, she wanted me to take my life and health a little seriously and I totally agree with her. So earlier on in my pregnancy I decided to join a Yoga Class, that was the only way I was going to get some form of exercise.

What I like about Nandi is their extremely dedicated and passionate group of teachers and their Yoga-As a way of Life Approach than the routine mechanical exercise Approach. One of my earlier favorites was Talei, who held prenatal classes on Wednesday evenings. She lights four candles on all the four corners, some light music, dims the light and then as she starts her practice...she says 'aaah' loudly every now and then as a way of releasing any built up tension.She made us do the same thing for every exhalation. It felt really good. Talei is however not in town and I might not see her during my term.

My current favorite is Nancy, who amazingly has a blissful look on her face all the time. She makes sure to ask you how you are feeling every time she bumps into you. She starts her practice by reading a verse out of a book...something that she read the other day, had a very strong impact on me...I forgot to ask her about the book and who wrote it...but it goes something like this " when it comes to pain and pleasure, pain teaches you a lot in life which will help you going forward and hence it is your friend"...She was also the other day telling us how she was walking on the sidewalk and tripped, she could have hurt her foot real bad if not for her flexibility which she got from her dedicated yoga practice.

Most of these teachers also believe in old school birthing processes , where birthing is treated as the most natural instinct known to man kind which involves very little medical intervention. Well each delivery is unique and I'm hoping that I can experience it too with as little medical intervention. I might continue my yoga practice with them even after the delivery if I can. Well for now I hope i can keep going until my delivery.

In the beginning I had a hard time with some postures, but today I seem to do them a little less effortlessly and I feel like I have started focusing on my breath which helps me ignore the pain in some poses. The Key is to breath in and out loud and let the movement flow with every breath, which I believe I can do better today. At the end of the class, after all that stretching it feels good to shut my eyes, my senses and go into deep trance' shavasan', when I open my eyes and come back to the mat, I feel very refreshed.

Thank You Nandi!