Well, I am happy to report that there was actually a class for me to return to last night. IN fact we had great attendance at both classes with lots of familiar faces and some new people, which is always fun. Well, that is fun for me, but maybe scary for them. I had a yoga teacher friend one time who told me that she always tells new students that "she is an acquired taste". When she told me that I laughed and said, "I am so stealing that." So anyway, thanks everyone for coming!
Even though it had been three weeks since I last taught Thursday night, I continued working with the 5 acts of Shiva that was underway. When we had last met as a class, we had covered creating and sustaining which brought us to destroying this week. These are three aspects of The Cycle of Creation that exist pretty much at every level of reality and experience. (there is a fourth aspect of The Cycle called the turiya state which I touched on in class but which is a bit off the topic of destroying and the 5 acts of Shiva and so I did not go into that a lot but just for the record here!) The task of the yogi is to understand that it is the same Energy that is manifesting at each part of the cycle, to remember The Light no matter what is happening. Now this is in no way a "get out of life's circumstances free" card or a way to avoid out human pain and emotions in responses to life's challenges. It is simply a way to be with those challenges that keeps a higher perspective in mind.
So we worked at 4:30 with a vinyasa practice with short holds and moving through various forms- creating them, sustaining them and dissolving them so that they could be something new. Flow is such a great way to practice non-attachment which is really what this destruction phase invites us to embrace. It is so easy to want to stay in poses a long time and just go into them and into them and into them. And while I love that as we all know, it is also good to be able to do the opposite- move, let go, change, don't cling... That is what I love about Anusara Yoga- we do both. Anyway, the flow of changing forms and that whole play existed on the back-drop of the breath- the one spirit, so to speak. Mandy and Anne, neither of whom are big sweaters both reported sweating in the class. (Although Anne did clarify that she did not sweat enough for it to drip on her mat. Of course, we did have the AC on.)
Anyhoo--At 6:00 we had a fun foray into the stretching the spine which we took into down dog, handstand (Wit several first handstands in the group) prasarita paottanasana, parsvottanasana and parivrita trikonasana. It was such a fun group of students who were willing to work hard, help one another skilfully and we had only one person leave becuase it was so croweded. Seems like each week someone has to leave. (Ah well. If you can't take the heat...) And really it is a kind of heat in that room that is way beyond external temperature. There is a tight group of students who already know one another, the space is packed and the teacher is, shall we say "an acquired taste." So there is an internal heat and discomfort everywhere you turn in that class even though there is also laughter, camaraderie and lots of learning going on. Worth it, but not always easy.
Anne, Tabatha, Svetha, Kim and Susan all double-dipped and many people double-dipped to stay for Craig's class. I did not as I wanted to get home and to bed to be fresh for TEACHER TRAINING which starts today in San Marcos. I am really excited about it. All right then, time to walk the dogs and sweep the floor and get ready for the weekend.
Oh, I almost forgot to say that it was Svetha's last night of classes with me before she and Chase leave for China for their adventure. Make sure you connect with Svetha to say good bye and give her your well-wishes. And stay tuned for her blog address since I will add it to the Blogroll when she gives it to me and we can hear all about their fun times.
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