Thursday, May 26, 2011

Relaxed and Centered

As I've mentioned several times, I recently started taking yoga classes with a real live person instead of a DVD.

It is so wonderful.  I only had ever done a solstice meditation at Joy Tree, and only got one class in at Ombodies Yoga.  But here, I am in a full session.  It is a wonderful experience.  All of the yoga I have done so far is in the Ashtanga Tradition with vinyasa flow.  It is such a calming, dynamic, brilliant experience.  I am so calm and centered after class.  I float out of the building for crying out loud!

This has been such a good thing for me, with all of the crap that has been piling up lately.  My instructor's favorite saying is 'Leave it on the mat.'  And I do.  I am so completely focused on my practice when I am in that room.  Nothing invades my mind, it is blissfully empty of worry and thought.

After every class I wonder what took me so long to seek out a class instead of plowing on with the DVDs. It's a fleeting worry because I am so calm afterwards, but I wonder still.  And I know that I will never go back to DVDs of yoga, never, ever.

It's hard to find the right words to describe how I feel during my practice.  I'm sweating like crazy, my heart is beating like mad, but my breathing is slow, deep and even.  My legs are shaking but I breathe into those muscles; I find the connection between mind and muscle and I can make it through.

Of course, sometimes my knees hurt in the plank position because my muscles are fatigued and I have to adjust.  But I feel my body growing stronger and my connection to myself is growing every class.

I highly recommend taking yoga for anyone.  Especially people who have high stress levels, but anyone who wants a great work out and a place that centers, calms and relaxes them, should definitely go too.  And for all the pregnant ladies out there, a lot of studios have pre-natal yoga as well.

I think that if everyone in the world took yoga, there would be a lot more calm discussion than rash anger.

Namaste.

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