Ohana Yoga
633 Maple Street
Hopkinton, New Hampshire

Styles of Yoga Offered:

• Kripalu
• Mixed Level Hatha
• Chair
• Power
• Prenatal
• Kids/Family
• Pilates

Class(es) I Took:

• Mixed Level

Instructor:

• Shira

Price:

• $12 drop-in

Our journey through New England with my sister, Marylou, and her husband continued into New Hampshire. It was perfect timing to be here (October 7-9, 2013) with the fall colors and crisp air. The sun, lower in the sky now, filtered it’s light into the windows of the studio making it very calming and serene.

The front of the studio and alter area.

Ohana is situated in what used to be a single story house, so it’s very inviting and has a comfortable feel. Lots of windows allow for natural lighting, a far cry from the overhead florescent bulbs I’ve experienced in larger studios making them feel like a “gym” and not a “sacred space”.

So peaceful here.

Marylou and I decided to get up early for a mixed levels class in the hopes it would challenge us a little. One of the hard things about doing yoga-on-the-road is determining whether or not a class will feel one’s needs. While I have no problem taking beginner level classes (which are always good for remembering the basics and checking in on alignment basics we tend to forget) I sometimes want a challenge, especially if I’m paying over $10 per class. I want to learn new things and have someone check out my form as I learn new (advanced) poses. I want to do a handstand or arm balance or something even crazier!

Between classes (and while we were parking for 5 weeks in my sister’s driveway) Marylou and I had been practicing yoga together daily…challenging each other with more difficult poses that demanding strength and balance. We pushed one another to work on those poses we each dislike (we all have them)…mine is reverse triangle (and shoulder stand and plow) and hers is chair pose. So, can you imagine how joyful I was when this class involved about 25 chair poses?!? Take THAT Marylou!

This was the first time I had an instructor use chair pose as a transition pose to move into so many other poses. It made for an interesting class and even Marylou seemed to have a new appreciation for the pose since we learned how to move into poses like Eka Pada Koundinyasana I.

Eka Pada Koundinyasana I (a work in progress) at Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan.

The class was very well run…fun, challenging, exciting…everything I had been looking for. Even the instructor, Shira, was engaging and supportive. She came around and made corrections and suggested new ways of entering poses which has really enhanced my home practice. My only negative point was her critique of my crow pose.

Now, I’m not of the mindset that my practice is perfect. Far from it…especially since I mostly practice at ‘home’ with no one correcting my alignment. However, I have taken many yoga classes from a variety of instructors. Almost all of my past instructors have offered 2 ways of getting into crow…one involves hugging your knees into your upper arms like this:

Hugging knees ito upper arms.

And the other has you place your knees on the backs of your upper arms like this:

Knees balanced on backs of arms.

Many of those classes have integrated both versions into the same class allowing the student to attempt them and choose the one they prefer. Well, in Ohana, this second version is considered a “show off” pose used in “those Ashtanga classes” (and this was said with a little bit of a disdain). I’ll tell ya, that was news to me as I was only doing it this way because it’s ‘easier’ for me…not because I view it as more ‘advanced’ or ‘better than anyone else’.

Looking toward to back of the studio.

This response almost made me dismiss the joy of the remainder of the class but I realized that every one will have opinions and not all will align with mine. I still prefer to do my crow on the backs of my arms but I did  her preferred variation for the duration of her class.

Other than letting my feelers get a little bruised, it was a great class. Shira was funny and helpful in all her other corrections. During Shivasana she came around and applied some essential oils and gave a little neck rub. It was pure heaven.

My new coffee cup purchased from a local artist through Ohana Yoga studio.

And to top it all off, Ohana supports local artists and craftspeople by offering space to sell handmade soaps, lotions, pottery and other “yogi type” stuff. They also have a small consignment area where I picked up a yoga top and an awesome Vera Bradley purse for $12!

I highly recommend Ohana Yoga (despite our disagreement over crow pose) if your travels take you to the Contoocook area. I’ve found myself comparing the studios I’ve visited since with this one and it definitely set the bar pretty high.

Home practice in the RV generally means tight spaces…

and lots of pet interference….but I get it done.

As a former long distance runner I had toyed with the idea of maintaining my training when we hit the road in October 2012. I had visions of running in marathons (or even 5ks) in every state of the Union. I’ve always been a goal setter that way. But after a few months on the road reality sunk in…at least my reality. We were often in places that were not conducive to running. Clark isn’t a runner so I was always out alone running long distances which meant an hour or two of running ‘blind’…not knowing if the trail or route I was on was “safe” or if I would have cell service should I get hurt. Sometimes we would end up in areas that offered no good areas to run…the roads were too dangerous with no shoulders and heavy traffic and the high school tracks were closed to the public. At one point I ran around the RV park we were at to get my miles in…about 34 laps. It wasn’t fun. People thought I was crazy.

Crossing the finish line at the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Full Marathon with my Great friend, Coleen.

I lost my mojo because running was becoming work…trying to map my runs without Internet, constantly discussing possible routes with Clark and my projected return time (so he would know if he needed to come look for me), and frankly, the stress and tension I created from the fear that I might get hurt and not have access to any help exhausted me before I even took the first step into my run.

Not wanting to completely give up on exercise I decided to recommit myself to yoga. I virtually stopped all other forms of exercise (running, kettle bells and HIIT workouts) to see if “just” yoga could maintain the level of fitness I would be comfortable with long-term. So far, it has.

By the time I got the brilliant idea to blog about various yoga studios and classes around the United States we’d already crossed our 12th state line. I’ve never been much of a studio student because most of them have been cost prohibitive. My history of formal yoga classes includes a semester in college (paying for credits was way cheaper than a 3 month studio fee…actually, depending on where you’re at it may be cheaper than ONE month!) and a month of hot yoga thanks to an awesome Groupon I found while we were still living in California.

Although these aren’t mine I have owned 3 of these VHS tapes…can you guess which ones? source

Most of my experience with yoga has been home practice. Thanks to VHS (you thought I was going to say Betamax, didn’t you!!) , and now, DVDs and YouTube one can learn a lot without ever leaving the comforts of their home (or RV). However, I really do think that taking a class, when possible, can improve your practice, clarify some concepts and offer a chance to check in with a teacher to work on alignment and corrections. It really doesn’t do much good to practice yoga consistently if you’re doing it all wrong time and again. Besides, you share a certain energy with the other students when attending class which can reinvigorate your home practice if it’s starting to feel a little stale.

Headstand at Mustang Island, Texas

Scorpion Pose in Jackson’s Oak Park, Mobile, Alabama.

Pigeon pose in Point Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Triangle Pose White Sands National Monument, New Mexico.

Pigeon Pose McKinney Falls State Park, Austin, Texas.

Although I had been practicing yoga in the RV since we hit the road, Bardstown, Kentucky was the first place I took an actual class. We were staying very close to town anyway (My Old Kentucky Home) and the local studio was only a few miles down the road, so I had no excuse. Besides, with a name like Pink Elephant Yoga I couldn’t resist!

Feeling fantastic after a class at Pink Elephant Yoga!

I happened to attend a Monday evening class in May. Little did I know that the owner/instructor, Jennifer Hurst, was out of town at a teacher training in Asheville, N.C. at the time. Yay for teachers who continue learning!! My instructor was Craig Faulkner, one of Jennifer’s students and fellow yoga lover.

Somewhere on top of Granite Peak (9050′) at the Norcal Tough Mudder Squaw Valley, Ca.

The studio is situated on 3rd Street, which is the cool ‘downtown’ area. Although small I was able to find an open spot up near the front of the room, made little small talk (there were a few people talking about doing a Tough Mudder event, something I proudly completed before we left California) and settled into my breath. Craig kept the class focused as we moved through some warm ups followed by a nice strengthening flow that actually got me sweating! While it didn’t exactly challenge me beyond my current level a lot of energy and great vibes were shared throughout the class.

Jennifer is now offering prenatal and children’s yoga classes thanks to the teacher training she was away on that May. Included in her training was yoga for seniors, something I would love to offer one day (hopefully I can get my teacher training completed before I become the senior).

If you’re in the area definitely stop in and take a class (and tell Jennifer that Tales From the Mutiny says “hi”). You can’t beat the drop in price of only $8! For those of us living this lifestyle, traveling around the country (or world) we have a unique opportunity to experience the diversity out there and what better way to do so than to move our bodies!

Scorpion Pose at the Civil War Museum, Bardstown, Kentucky.

Stag Leg Headstand, Bardstown, Ky.