Ann: In January, 2005 our 13-year old daughter decided she wanted to take a yoga class. She got busy searching on the web and identified the Ashtanga Beginners Series at Yoga Yoga. Since I would have to drive her to the studio, I decided to take the class with her and jokingly asked Kurt if he wanted to come too. I never dreamed he would say yes, but he did, so off all three of us went to our first-ever yoga class.

Kurt: In January 2005, I was informed that I had been signed up to take a beginner yoga class at Yoga Yoga. I soon learned that the class was for Ashtanga Yoga, a very intensive type of yoga ideally taken up at a young age. Leslie, my 13-year old daughter was at the perfect age. At 49, I had no supple joints left in my body and found the postures very difficult. I was determined to finish the course just to save face in the eyes of my wife and daughter.

Ann: I had been religiously working out for many years at the gym doing cardio and strength conditioning, so yoga was just going to be a supplement to that for a short period of time. Over four years later, the gym membership has long since lapsed, our daughter is 17 and has a new interest every week, and Kurt and I plan our lives around our yoga practice.

Kurt: After completing the Beginners Series, I continued attending classes, all the while asking myself why I was doing this. I think it was the challenge that drove me. My progress seemed painfully slow and, in order to improve, the instructors told me I needed to practice 3 or 4 times a week. So I increased my practice time, took a workshop now and then, and eventually found I was actually enjoying the practice. As I worked to find my way into the postures, it started to seem like pieces of a puzzle were falling into place. I learned that breath and bandhas were perhaps the most important part of the practice, even more than the asanas. Practicing in Mysore classes has helped make the practice more personal and allowed me to work at my own pace to find ways to improve.

Ann: We incorporate Hatha Flow classes into our schedule. I have taken a sampling of other classes from time to time, but Ashtanga seems to be where my heart is. I'm still trying to figure out why. I like structure and order. Although the series is always the same, my practice is different each day and I am always challenged by the subtle layers that exist in each of the postures. I love practicing with different teachers. Each one has their own unique perspective and I learn valuable lessons about both the physical and the spiritual practice from all of them. I love practicing with people that understand the joy and frustration of this difficult practice and that share a commitment to it. And I love practicing with Kurt. He's always been the outdoorsy, hunter-fisherman type and I always did my gym thing, so it's really fun to have this shared passion that just sort of came to us from out of the blue!

When we first started the Beginners Series with Bella, she talked about practicing Mysore style. I couldn't imagine a room full of people practicing at their own pace and the teacher somehow giving attention to each of them. Since the Mysore classes always seemed to be early on weekday mornings, they didn't fit with our work schedules so we did not have much exposure to them. When a Sunday morning Mysore class was offered at the Northwest location, we started practicing Mysore style more regularly. Eriko is now teaching the Sunday Mysore and we really love having the time to give special attention to areas that are especially challenging. Over time, my body has opened into postures that I had been convinced I would never do. Ultimately, I think it is that sense of possibility that keeps me coming back to my Ashtanga mat.

Kurt: It seems the more I practice and the more I learn, the more there is to learn. I admire the ancient wisdom and feel I would like to explore some of the yogic literature. I guess as long as Ann keeps doing yoga then I'll have to keep going too, just to save face!