Chaturanga dandasana.

Utkatasana.

Tadasana.

To the majority of us, the first three lines written in some foreign language are just that – foreign. For most seasoned yogis, however, the same Sanskrit words denote types of poses during a yoga class.

The word yoga, according the American Yoga Association Web site, means “to join or yoke together” or the practice of bringing one’s mind and body together into “one harmonious experience.” Yoga is built upon three structures – exercises, breathing and meditation, which when practiced in unison contributes to a stress-free mind and strong, sound body. “Yoga is for everybody,” says Wendy Christiansen, a yoga instructor at Jiivana Spa. “I’ve heard people say that they can’t do yoga because they are just not flexible enough. This really is a common misconception, since yoga is much more than the stretches and the exercises. It allows us to connect with our body, connect with our mind and connect with our spirit.

“Yoga is good for your health at any level. It can reduce stress and help you to lose weight,” Christiansen added.

The documented practice of yoga is said to have originated in the Indus Valley some 5,000 years ago, as illustrated in stone carvings; however, yoga may actually predate written history by thousands of years. A small part of yoga may have been introduced to the United States in the late 1800s but did not gain its popularity until the 1960s, according to the American Yoga Association

Web site.

I first stepped into a yoga class in the early part of 2007, not really knowing what it entailed or what to expect. I went with a friend who was as equally clueless. We did bring our own mats and towels though – we knew that much, since my friend had called the studio a few days prior to ask what we needed to bring. I remember wearing regular exercise type clothing – down to the running shoes – to the studio. Once in the studio, I was instructed to remove my shoes and lay out my mat and towel in the front of the studio to be closer to the instructor, since I never had done yoga before.

An hour and a half later, I swore to have been the most tired I had been in a while, but I also had a great feeling of accomplishment. At the height of my yoga stint, I was attending classes at least three times a week consistently for a couple of months.

Christiansen shares a similar sentiment. “I started out with Bikram Yoga … and it was like a love/hate relationship,” says Christiansen. “There were times I almost felt like passing out doing poses in the intense heat, but I always felt amazing after the class was over. Once you start to feel the advantages, you’ll always come back.”

Christiansen has practiced yoga for about 11 years and has taught yoga classes in San Diego, California for about three years prior to teaching in Guam. In San Diego, while teaching her yoga classes, she also was managing the studio as well as working in a restaurant. Her journey to Guam resulted from a visit to an Internet site called Craigslist and initial disbelief.

“One day, I just decided to log onto Craigslist and look up yoga teaching positions,” Christiansen said. “I saw this ad looking for a yoga instructor to work in Guam. It said that room and board would be paid and I’d work in a spa. I said, no way, this isn’t real. I decided to send an E-mail asking about the position.

“Ron (Romero, Jiivana Spa director) E-mailed me back asking for my resume, so I eventually sent her one. Six weeks later, I sold all of my things in San Diego and I was on a plane to Guam,” Christiansen added.

Yoga fits into the island lifestyle, as its practice allows for variations for people of various ages and physical conditions to gain similar health benefits. It’s not uncommon to find a beginning yoga student in the same class as someone who has practiced for years. According to the American Yoga Association Web site, “the exercises of Yoga are designed to put pressure on the glandular systems of the body, thereby increasing its efficiency and total health.”

Many of the yoga postures are designed to stretch various muscle groups, even muscles you probably thought you never had. 

In my first few experiences with yoga, holding certain poses for a period of time put some unwelcomed stress on my body. In some poses, my arms, legs or abdomen would shake involuntarily, or I would “fall out” of a position. In these cases, I worked through the shaking, which made resting positions much more appreciated. If I would fall out of a position, I was encouraged to ease my way back into the position to reap its health benefits.

Once you achieve a pose and are not losing breath, moving deeper into the pose is possible. It’s mainly about knowing your body and what you can take. If you move into a pose too deep and start to lose breath, then you may need to back out of the position to where you can practice long breaths. In due time, many of the poses which seemed like challenges in the beginning become standard poses you move through during a class.

In my particular case, arm balances posed as some of the biggest challenges in my beginning sessions. As I watched fellow yogis move into arm balances, I would ask myself, do I even have enough upper body strength to hold up my whole body? Would I first need the brute strength to get into the pose?

My yoga instructor did mention that while some people can muscle into arm balances, anyone would be able to achieve them, since emphasis is on balance, rather than upper body strength. With each class, I struggled to get on my hands for a low crow position, where I balanced only on my hands and arms, with my legs resting above and behind my elbows. After several weeks of trying, I finally was able to hold the pose. Once I experienced how it felt to be in the position, I was able to move into it with greater ease, remembering that initial feeling.

After some sessions of yoga, I started to notice differences in how I carried myself at work and at home. I was sitting up straighter and was more conscious of my breathing. I did feel stronger and more flexible. Long gone were the days when I believed yoga was the art of turning oneself into a human pretzel. It was something I did, and the benefits, I felt, were attainable by anybody.

“You just need to take it one step at a time,” says Christiansen. “Some people say that they can’t even touch their toes, so they wouldn’t be able to do yoga. You’ll never know what you’re capable of doing unless you go to a class.”

Jiivana Spa is planning to open its new oceanfront, open-air pavilion for yoga classes in the first part of 2009. With the new larger and dedicated space, more yoga classes may be available, including ones in the early evening. In the meantime, Jiivana Spa yogis practice yoga five times a week either in the early morning or early in the afternoon.

Other locations in Guam offer yoga classes at different times. Synergy Studio, which opened its doors in the summer of 2004 according to its Web site, offers several different types of yoga classes six days a week, with some sessions twice in one day. Paradise Fitness Center also offers yoga classes on different days and times.

Once you’re bitten by the yoga bug, you’ll want to practice yoga at home in addition to attending classes. Many Internet sites offer information on yoga, as well as photos of different poses. One of my favorite yoga sites is www.yogajournal.com, which has a wealth of information about yoga.

I’ve also started to consciously notice yoga in television shows I watch. I’ve spotted yoga classes in HBO’s Sex and the City, Showtime’s L Word and even mentions of it on Lifetime’s Army Wives. It seems that Hollywood has made yoga quite fashionable. Whenever I think of arm balances, I think of an incredibly toned Tea Leoni doing what looks like the “Astavakrasana” or eight-angle pose in the movie Spanglish. One of these days, the low crow arm balance position I accomplished will turn into that.