Yoga

Each yoga session I attend (which is unfortunately not very consistent), the participants are asked to mentally set an intention for the session--whatever it was that brought us to our yoga mats that day. Could be physical, mental, spiritual, anything. I was there for the works. Bring it on, thought I.

The quiet of the room and the intimacy with my own body almost always gives me some insight. Some of them more profound than others. One time I couldn't help but reflect on those few awkward moments as people wander into the room and settle in, but before the class has started. Do you say hello to your yoga mat neighbor?

This past week however, I got a flash of insight that discouragingly sounds like an old-person insight. Just because you CAN do something, doesn't necessarily mean that you SHOULD. Let's face it, I'm not as young as I used to be. I remember dance classes when I was 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 bounding up into backbends and sinking into the splits like it was my job. But when faced with the CAMEL POSE this week (pictured to the right) I either felt my age or my out-of-shapeness. I watched the teacher thinking, "yeah, right," but then as I leaned backward I thought, "hey, this isn't so bad!" And then I was there feeling the thrill of accomplishment radiating from my outstretched heart. And then the teacher said, "on your next breath, go ahead and roll back up." Oh crap. My head felt like a ton of bricks, and I wondered how I would even give a distress signal so the teacher could come and rescue me. I panicked for just a moment when I thought that the only way out was for someone to push me over, when finally I figure out how to move without losing my balance.

When I was finally upright again, the teacher was already guiding the class into a second camel pose. Luckily she added a little caveat that if we felt like one was enough, that was ok. THANK GOD. I went straight into the corpse pose to wait and let my blinding flash of insight sink in.