11
The practice hall can fit approximately 50 students and is often at capacity. In
fact, students often line up outside the studio awaiting the next class. This is particularly
the case with the two Karma classes on Friday evenings. The hallway was usually filled
with upward of 40 people, mostly university students, some sitting on the floor and some
standing but all talking excitedly. It was obvious that it was an activity to be done with
friends, not a solitary and contemplative practice. For many of the students, the Friday
night class is a cheap and healthy way to feel great at the end of the week. Most forget
about their week and after hitting the showers are ready for a night on the town, for which
the studio is ideally located.
The practice hall‟s front wall is entirely a full length mirror but without any other
decoration or wall hangings inside. It is heated by overhead radiant heaters and the
rooms‟ temperature varies between 34° and 38° depending on the humidity and the
number of bodies in the room. The manager also told me that it is hotter in the middle of
the room and so often suggests newcomers stay closer to the outer part of the hall.
Moksha offers 9 classes daily, more than any other studio in Montreal, and Moksha is
open 365 days a year without fail. The manager mentioned to me that they are in the
process of expanding and are building an additional practice hall for even more classes,
some of which will be taught French.
The Moksha sequence has been published by the Montreal Moksha studio as The
Little Moksha Yoga Book. It contains illustrations and explanations of 42 postures but it
also notes that the “sequence is a set foundation that varies from teacher to teacher”
(Grand and Robertson 2005, p.4). The general teaching style found at Moksha is fairly
standardized. The teachers do not follow an exact script but they often use similar
12
language, always in a very soft tone. All the instructors adjust students‟ postures in the
same manner that is more like a massage than a correction. The basic structure of a
Moksha class is a short initial relaxation, deep breathing, standing series, floor series and
final relaxation. The aim of the sequence is to “stretch, strengthen and tone the muscles
while detoxifying the body and calming the mind” (http://www.mokshayoga.ca/hy-
what.htm). Another distinct aspect of the class is what is called “intention setting”; early
in the class the teacher will ask students to a take a moment to mentally find their own
personal intention for their practice. The teacher will often suggest the intention directed
toward oneself, a family member or a loved one who is suffering or needs some positive
energy. All classes are taught in English and Sanskrit names for postures are used
infrequently.
I took a number of classes at the studio, all of which were Moksha style. I mostly
attended the community classes, which are classes that allow newer teachers a chance for
teaching experience. However, the class was often taught by more experienced teachers.
Taking this class allowed me to experience a variety of teachers. In my experience the
classes generally start with students on their mats, all facing the mirrors. While some
students do little warm-up stretches, some lie down on their back and others in child pose
(sitting on their heels with their forehead on the ground and arms outstretched). It is
usually quiet at this time before the class begins. The teacher enters and asks all students
to take the child pose and “start connecting to your breath” through deep breathing.
Students then come to stand at the front of their mats and are asked to set their intention
for their practice. While standing, the class starts with six to eight Bikram style breaths:
reaching your arms above your head while inhaling through the nostrils and lowering
13
your arms in front of your body while exhaling through the mouth making a “Ha” sound.
Moksha Yoga calls this breathing method by Patanjali‟s term “pranayama” but it is not
one of the breathing exercises described in any of the classical Sanskrit Hatha-yoga texts.
The early part of the class may be viewed as an introduction to the practice of
postures. Following the first breathing exercise are the standing postures. Depending on
the teacher, the class would sometimes first do a few slow half sun salutations to move
the body a little before starting. The standing postures consist mostly of various lunges,
squats, and side stretches punctuated by some standing forward bends. The standing
series gives a great deal of muscular work to the legs and hips. A few balancing postures
(tree and eagle) are also added. From here a few seated postures are practiced; usually
forward bends and twisting postures. The class then comes to lie on their mats facing the
ceiling. At this point, the teacher leads the class through several abdominal exercises.
Here, no yogic postures are practiced only Pilates style core strength building. Then onto
the belly for a few back bends; the students turn again to face the mirrors. According to
The Little Moksha Yoga Book, the class ends (like a Bikram class) with kapalabhati,
practiced while kneeling and sitting on the heels. kapalabhati is a kriya (cleansing)
technique that consists of rhythmic forced exhalations by pumping the abdominal
muscles. It was not practiced in all the classes I attended and the method of how to
practice it was never explained. The teachers simply called it “fire breath” or “cleansing
breath”. At the very end of the class the final relaxation is quite rushed. Students lie down
again on their backs, arms and legs apart, with eyes closed and try to rest and relax. The
teacher soon announces that “when it‟s your time to go, please do so quietly” and as soon
as the teacher has given the word the race for the shower is on. Immediately the noise of
Dostları ilə paylaş: |