Yoga

For years, I suffered from debilitating neck, back and hip pain that caused a lot of difficulties. After trying different things (weightlifting, stretching, physiotherapy, massage, chiropractor) for a long time, I decided to give yoga a shot and joined a yoga studio last year. The studio was conveniently located near my house so it was easy to pop in there after work or in the mornings to get a good workout. The yoga studio, Yoga Wave which unfortunately has closed down permanently because of Covid-19, offered a variety of classes. My favorites were Hot Yoga and Advanced Vinyasa Flow. I lost a ton of fat and improved both my strength and flexibility. My back pain also seemed to ease up quite a bit.

I stopped my classes before Christmas break since I was going to be traveling. When I returned, I came down with a severe case of bronchitis and fever (even suspected corona on a couple of occasions) so my yoga classes became more infrequent. Then coronavirus hit, and my anxiety and stress levels rose. I was getting antsy about not getting my yoga fix and my back pain started bothering me again. I was poking around Youtube looking for classes and that's when I discovered Erin Sampson's Five Parks Yoga videos.

I became hooked onto her teaching style. Erin's instructions are very clear. For me, this is very important. I cannot constantly keep looking at the TV or laptop for every pose. I need to be able to follow while being focused on my posture. The instructor needs to communicate every movement precisely and help the student make adjustments without needing to watch the TV all the time. There's another teacher called Adriene who's very popular. I like her videos too but her communication style is very conversational (she tries to create a cool, hip vibe) which makes it difficult for me to follow. Sometimes, she even mumbles which is annoying whereas with Erin, I almost feel as if she's instructing me directly. Also, I feel that Erin's classes are more challenging in general. I like her sequences tailored towards different needs. For example, her sequence on Chest, Shoulders and Back has done wonders for my back pain. It's my go to exercise when I've been working on the computer for too long. Another example - I like to hold my poses for a while so that I can focus on getting it right. Her Hold and Flow is great for that. In fact, it's my preferred class since it seems to build strength for me. The warm up sequence in that class is fantastic for my back. Likewise, there are many such videos tailored for specific needs. Her 20-minute morning class is great if you are short on time. I'm yet to discover all her classes. Recently, I found her video from a while back for shoulder strength which looks really interesting. All this led me to become a Patreon supporter of Five Parks Yoga. In short, if you are looking for yoga classes to follow along on Youtube, I strongly recommend Erin Sampson's Five Parks Yoga. 

Links to some of my favorite videos below.