When Marina first joined FB, I was by no means an experienced yogi but wasn't a complete novice either. Back in my college days I went to yoga classes during summer breaks, but the classes were full of "I-know-I-have-to-work-out-but-hate-to-hit-the-gym" folks and I was no exception. I never found them truly enjoyable. Later in grad school I still dabbled in yoga by attending dorm yoga sessions or following Youtube when my body needed some low impact movements, but again, they never "sparked the fire" in my heart. If there is one thing I learned from working out with FB, it's that I have a competitor's mindset (not with another human, but rather workouts themselves. Doesn't need to be harsh exercises-- even watching my flexibility improve with stretching motivates me.) In retrospect all those yoga classes I had taken were repetitive beginner level practices, and I couldn't find "challenges" that could attract me in them.
Fast forward to 2022 and I hear the news of a yoga instructor joining FB. At first I'm not sure how to feel; it's good that FB expands its repertoire, but will I love it as much as other contents? I try some of her early videos and BOOM, I fall for them. They just feel different from my limited experience in yoga until that point.
At first I get to like fast-paced power yoga flows, as they leave me huffing and puffing like any other cardio. Then as more advanced moves (for beginner level yogis like me) are introduced, I learn that yoga is the art of bodily control. The competitor inside me is awoken, who wants to master difficult poses and transitions. Later I get to embrace slow, low intensity flows as well, realizing that they are still about gaining the control of my mind and body. Basic or advanced, every practice is the new discovery of my body and what it can do.
My favorite thing about Marina's practices is how fluid they feel as a "flow". Each element doesn't stick out as an independent segment, but is integrated as a part of one big flow. I love the progressions in lots of her flows, where sequences build up upon one another. They feel natural and coherent and make me not want to stop. There have been many occasions when I wished for a longer session.
In the span of one week I tried her 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, and 5/5 practices ranging from relaxing to fiery, and each of them spoke to me differently. I really hope that she keeps providing us with flows of varied styles and difficulties. (Personal wish, I'd love to see more tutorials for advanced poses, in particular more inversion.)
Thanks Marina for teaching me the beauty of yoga. I never imagined I'd love yoga this much.
(P.S. No disrespect to Aly! I just haven't tried enough of her videos yet. I'm way behind the barrage of new releases.)
(P.S.2 I suggest FB to create a beginner yoga challenge that helps people get the hang of common poses. It saddens me to see one give up following yoga videos because it's hard to keep up without familiarity with yoga terms.)
I love Marina's yoga flows so much
When Marina first joined FB, I was by no means an experienced yogi but wasn't a complete novice either. Back in my college days I went to yoga classes during summer breaks, but the classes were full of "I-know-I-have-to-work-out-but-hate-to-hit-the-gym" folks and I was no exception. I never found them truly enjoyable. Later in grad school I still dabbled in yoga by attending dorm yoga sessions or following Youtube when my body needed some low impact movements, but again, they never "sparked the fire" in my heart. If there is one thing I learned from working out with FB, it's that I have a competitor's mindset (not with another human, but rather workouts themselves. Doesn't need to be harsh exercises-- even watching my flexibility improve with stretching motivates me.) In retrospect all those yoga classes I had taken were repetitive beginner level practices, and I couldn't find "challenges" that could attract me in them.
Fast forward to 2022 and I hear the news of a yoga instructor joining FB. At first I'm not sure how to feel; it's good that FB expands its repertoire, but will I love it as much as other contents? I try some of her early videos and BOOM, I fall for them. They just feel different from my limited experience in yoga until that point.
At first I get to like fast-paced power yoga flows, as they leave me huffing and puffing like any other cardio. Then as more advanced moves (for beginner level yogis like me) are introduced, I learn that yoga is the art of bodily control. The competitor inside me is awoken, who wants to master difficult poses and transitions. Later I get to embrace slow, low intensity flows as well, realizing that they are still about gaining the control of my mind and body. Basic or advanced, every practice is the new discovery of my body and what it can do.
My favorite thing about Marina's practices is how fluid they feel as a "flow". Each element doesn't stick out as an independent segment, but is integrated as a part of one big flow. I love the progressions in lots of her flows, where sequences build up upon one another. They feel natural and coherent and make me not want to stop. There have been many occasions when I wished for a longer session.
In the span of one week I tried her 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, and 5/5 practices ranging from relaxing to fiery, and each of them spoke to me differently. I really hope that she keeps providing us with flows of varied styles and difficulties. (Personal wish, I'd love to see more tutorials for advanced poses, in particular more inversion.)
Thanks Marina for teaching me the beauty of yoga. I never imagined I'd love yoga this much.
(P.S. No disrespect to Aly! I just haven't tried enough of her videos yet. I'm way behind the barrage of new releases.)
(P.S.2 I suggest FB to create a beginner yoga challenge that helps people get the hang of common poses. It saddens me to see one give up following yoga videos because it's hard to keep up without familiarity with yoga terms.)