Day 6 : End of week 1
Date : 4th October, Friday (logging in for last evening's class)
Day : 6
The class I went for last evening was June's Hom. The best part about doing the same class twice in a day is that your body know what asanas are coming next and it's already prepared from the morning's practice. So i went into class and did a few Suryanamaskars to loosen up my body and then lay down on my mat in Savasana. It was a small class : only 8 people. Perfect ! Also, if you go for a later class, the room itself is very heated up. But an earlier class in the evening : 5 or 6, the room is still into it's second afternoon hot yoga session, so it's relatively much cooler. And trust me when you are in a downward facing dog trying to maintain your sense of calm and sanity in between droplets of sweat raining all over your mat, you are really thankful to yourself for choosing an earlier class.
I had a good practice. I see myself improving in a lot of asanas and i fact, my body was a perfect half moon in the Ardha Chandrasana. I have never bent that low, somehow a weird kind of pain or sensation in my lower back always prevented me from going in too deep in this pose and also it's the first asana of the class. But yesterday my body surprised me. The good thing about June is that she very silently comes and helps get your body to the level that it can go to in that particular asana. And yesterday, she did that with me in each and every pose since there weren't too many students, she could help everyone out for every asana. And so when you think you can't go deeper and stop pushing, she'll come and place a gentle hand on your back and lengthen your spine and suddenly you'll find that your head is touching the toes. The body is truly a mystical thing. And I've discovered so many things about my body in yoga, i'm thankful to all my teachers and the practice.
Yesterday the other thing I challenged myself was practicing and getting the right alignment without looking at the mirrors in front of you. So the classes are lined with a row of full length mirrors in the front. You can watch yourself when you are practicing. It's a brilliant thing for beginners, because it helps you with your alignment and helps square your hips when they are all over the place. And most importantly it helps you with your balance because you can focus your Drishti (or your gaze) at one point to help you be stable. But as your grow in your practice, you need to lean away from using the mirror because somewhere I think it hampers you. You begin to rely on it. So yesterday I placed my towel on a mat and then someone came and placed their towel on the mat right in front of me. I frowned slightly and contemplated moving. But then I told myself to try out practicing without the mirrors. And I truly did better when I was not looking at myself. I focused my drishti on the mat or the floor in most cases and when it required me to look straight, I just looked at the tip of my nose.
The other really nice thing about June is that her face has this deep sense of calm. In it's natural state it is so so peaceful. And what she does differently is give you three breaths in Tadasana or mountain pose. And in those three breaths, you get to calm your body down and forget what you did or didn't do or how far your body went or didn't go in the earlier asanas. And go into the following asanas with no baggage or expectations. I find it really settling instead of rushing through the asanas.
Ok, so that's it, I am going to keep it short because I have to go pack, my flight is in 2 hours and i am already in vacation mood! Boracay here I come.....and I promise to fit in a yoga session on one of the days. :)
See you on Monday!
Namaste.
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