When Movement for Modern Life suggested to be part of a shot with one of my tutors Mimi Kuo-Deemer, I jumped at the offer: having a free ‘private’ session with one of my tutors, with all that attention I will get? Sign me up!
We met one Friday morning and we didn’t have heaps of time as the clock ticked fast while we were trying to fix one of the cameras which seemed to be suffering from an acute case of lens fog-bia. This meant that there was no real ‘rehearsals’ time and what is in the video is the first (and only) run.
We started shooting and it was easy for me to concentrate on Mimi’s voice and instructions as I do in class, but at the same time it was strange to know that I was being filmed while practising. It was clear that all it was asked of me was to be myself in my practice, but it is also true that I still wanted to be my ‘better’ self in front of a camera!
During practice, I felt a bit stiff and contained: I would have probably laughed, smiled more at Mimi and made more ‘breathing noises’ if the camera hadn’t been there. The practice itself felt different than usual, and that was certainly a very interesting element to be aware of.
During the camera-testing phase, I was asked not to speak in order to check noise levels, and I took that so seriously that I kept that awareness throughout the whole practice: I don’t have a Darth Vader ujjayi breathing (far more quieter), but I was still conscious to make as little noise as possible.
This somewhat kept my breath and my physical activity in check: often yoga teachers advise to keep your breath steady and slow, and if it becomes jarred it means that you have gone too far in your posture. This is a piece of advice I always keep in mind; however, being extremely conscious of the sound your breathing – which could be amplified by a close-by microphone – takes your breath awareness to a whole different level!
Also, as almost everybody, one side of my body is stronger than the other: my left side is certainly more stable and stronger than the right. When I start off on a bike, climb stairs or if I step into a lunge, surely my left side is the one that kicks things off first. So when I do balancing poses, I’m usually far more stable on the left than right. However, during the filmed practice, the reverse was true. To my great surprise, all balancing poses on my right leg where far more stable than on the left (you can really see that in the videos!).
And that was certainly another lesson learned which it can easily be taken off the mat: never approach poses (or people, or situations) with a ‘I have done it a thousand times, I know my body, I know what this is all about’ attitude, because every day, truly, is a different day.
If you do fancy practising this winter warmer with me and Mimi, Movement for Modern Life is offering 30% discount throughout January 2015, just enter code WINTERSPECIAL on the subscription page.
I hope you enjoy it!
A yoga teacher's journey 