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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A Challenging Evening Class

@ 8.30pm, every Monday, for the past couple of months or so, I've been going to this Power Yoga class that I initially didn't particularly enjoy. That's partly because it's at that time of the night when you are feeling tired and wanting to call it a day; also this (part time) instructor often asks us/me to move in ways that I am not used to. Side twist in three-legged dog (Arggh), both sides (Arggh x 2), and arm balances as warm ups ... I found myself heaving away before the real work started! But soon I realised there was a reason why I didn't like these poses: perhaps I hadn't been breathing properly or engaging my muscles enough ... so the more I found these poses challenging, the more I wanted to find out how I could ease into them.

Then last Monday, right after my yoga retreat in Bali, the class was extra challenging: there were a lot of reversed poses, back bends, arm balancing and twisting ... all of which required both strength and flexibility and v steady deep breathes to open up the body, to make room for the body to move ... but to my surprise, I could do quite a number of them ~ including the Mermaid pose (!) Perhaps I "unblocked" something, somewhere inside during the Bali retreat that helped loosen up parts of my body. I was ecstatic! (Instructor later told me because there were a lot of advanced students in the class so she had to make things more challenging to sustain interest!) So now I have a "date" with this instructor every Monday not because I see myself as advanced (what does that mean anyway?!?) ... but I know the more I am unfamiliar with the asanas, the more I "don't like them", the more satisfaction I will get out of the class.

Each day, I feel I move a little closer to the inner Self; each day I get to know myself/my body better ... it's not always easy (life, I guess, is not meant to be) but that doesn't make it less enjoyable, right?

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