Svaroopa Yoga

I decided to strike out on my own this Wednesday and try a yoga class. The local studio offered a free 90 minute yoga class to new members. Based on the regular prices of classes you really can't beat free ($22 for a drop in?!?).
I gathered up my "new girl" courage and dropped in to the yoga studio. The first thing that I noticed upon entering was that the median age was about 60. I quickly realized that this would not be the kind of yoga class I was used to that focused on muscle strength and stretching.
The instructor explained that this was a Svaroopa yoga studio. She stressed the importance of aligning the spine and having support during the poses. My classmates were already laid out on blanket covered yoga mats with their legs propped over piles of blankets. The instructor gave me a quick lesson in blanket folding (If you could see my linen closet on a regular basis you would know that this is not a regular life skill that I possess). The folds all had special names and I wondered if this would just become a big game of blanket origami.
As we arranged my blankets properly she set me up to be comfortable in the first pose. My legs and bum were scooted up to a big pile of blankets under my knees. My head was rested on another blanket for even more support. The instructor explained that the blankets were there to carry the tension for me and help me relax. After this she arranged my limbs so that my spine was in alignment and I had the least amount of tension in my body.

(You can see why I had flashbacks to Kindergarten nap naptime)

She literally arranged my shoulder blade so that I could feel the difference. It was like I had been living life as a twisted pretzel lady. It was definitely a relaxing experience. We laid around under/on our blankets for about 15 minutes while she ran us through a body relaxation. Then we did about 4 poses over the course of 60 minutes which involved us rearranging our blankets for support. The end of class had us returning to the original propped up blanket pose.
Overall, I would say it was a very relaxing class. I came back to the hotel room and ate lunch and then proceeded to take a 2 hour long snooze. That is not normal for me.
I can honestly say that I don't think that I would go back to this type of yoga class regularly. I could see this being beneficial to those of older generations or those who may have back issues. Personally, I would like to push myself and do a class that features more strength and poses. If you're looking to relax it is definitely worth a shot.
Here is a handout that may better explain Svaroopa Yoga:
Svaroopa Yoga