Kristine Keppel
Yoga Teacher,California, USA
Biography
Definition: gravity: the force that attracts the body toward the center (of the earth). Yoga has been in my life for over 25 years. Being a dancer, I thought it would come easy for me, but it did not. My first yoga class was in NYC at the well-known Jivamukti studio in the 1990’s when it was downtown on 2 nd Ave. I remember how challenging I thought it was. I was letting gravity win as I practically gave in and fell down, and I was holding my breath. In Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) when we were all lined up by the wall, I remember my floating ribs sticking way out, as I tried to execute a side bend trying to duplicate the shape of a triangle. At the end of class we were told to go into shoulder stand for 2 minutes but I could not get my hips in an upward position. I couldn’t support my body weight in that shape (salamba sarvangasana- supported all body), or in a downward dog. My body was shrinking and sinking, as I was not allowing myself to work with gravity. It was a wake-up call for me, since I have been a confident person with the ability to be physical all my life. Even as a kid when playing stickball, I knew how to hit and catch a ball with ease. When I returned to Las Vegas, after taking the NY class all I wanted to do was study and understand this amazing new path to fitness, strength, form, agility, and more. I did not know then the books and practice of T.K.V. Desikachar’s The Heart of yoga- Developing a Personal Practice” and B.K. and B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga, The Path To Holistic Health Iyengar’s, how they would influence my life.
Abstract
Abstract : My Yoga- Working With Gravity