Day 27: The day yoga once again felt right for my body

I'm so happy.  Today, day 27 of the challenge, I finally returned to my default state of being in my yoga practice... happy.  I took two back to back classes this afternoon, following a lovely day of teaching and manning the desk at Haute.  I clocked out and slid right in to Shane Robson's Vinyasa Skills class, which transitioned seamlessly into his Restorative class.  Almost three hours later, my body felt open and supple, while my mind was relaxed and blissed out.

First up, Vinyasa Skills.  I've wanted to take this class since it was added to the new schedule, but this is the first week I was available.  As I've mentioned in the past, Shane is an incredible teacher.  I knew this level 1 class would be worthwhile, and I was anything but disappointed.  We actually didn't do too much of the stereotypical vinyasa practice -- moving in and out of various poses, synced to our breath.  Instead, we spend the entire hour on the floor, either supine on our backs or sitting up.  It was all about these little micro movements... shifting one's hip down an inch to externally rotate the leg.  Pressing through the heel and the mound of the big toe to keep one's extended leg fully engaged, even without having standing weight on it.

There were only four of us in the class, and we all had a great time.  There was laughter and communication and each finding our way into the subtle shifts that would all of a sudden flip the 'ah ha' switch and a pose would really fire up.  And then that would be followed by several moments of silence to just absorb and enjoy the full expanse of the particular pose.

Only one of the three other ladies had to leave right at four, so the rest of us stayed with our legs up the wall and waited for the 4:30 Restorative class to begin.  My mom came once again and joined me for the class, and the room filled with so many other lovely faces of friends I've made at the studio.  While yoga is a lovely 'solo' activity, there is something so wonderful about looking around in a practice and seeing faces of those people you care about in the room.  The restorative session was 75 solid minutes of incredible energy.  We transitioned easily into and out of various poses, including simple inversions, heart openers, and supportive twists.  Shane rarely spoke outside of the time he was helping us get set up or out of a particular pose, allowing us to truly relax and melt into our space.

He summed it up beautifully as he closed the class, by saying that we all looked really peaceful.  I don't know about the rest of the room, but I certainly felt peaceful.  And happy.  And open.  Giving full credit to my dear friend Ana Victoria Salcido for sharing this photo and sentiment, today's classes made me feel like this:

I felt nurtured externally while nurturing myself from the inside, too.  Not only physically -- avoiding any strenuous standing poses or lunges to aggravate my healing knees -- but also spiritually.  I was able to be still and focused and utterly relaxed.  I not only honored my edge, but I stayed about twenty feet back from it.  I practiced ahisma, doing no harm.   And saying all of that, I learned so much.  Ahhhhh!

Day 28

Classes Completed: 2

Vinyasa Skills - 3pm - Shane Robson

Restorative - 4:30pm - Shane Robson

Progress Towards Goal: 28/31

(For more blissed out owl, click here.)