HOME TO YOGA CIRCLE

I am loyal to Yoga Circle Studio.   I love the teachers, the beautiful surroundings, the friendly, familiar faces I find there when I walk in the door.  I rarely go elsewhere to practice.

But this week my husband and I are in Ashland, Oregon for 5 days, enjoying a reunion rendezvous with my niece and her husband visiting here from Sedona.  She and I decided to take a Yoga class together and found a studio near where we are staying.

Immediately I assumed I'd be left in the dust in a huge, crowded roomful of groovy young yogis power-flowing their way through asanas that challenge me.  I gave myself permission to spend an hour in Child's Pose.  I reminded myself I don't have to keep up with anyone.  I repeated the mantra, "Meet yourself right where you are."

So, when we arrived and found ourselves in a small room with 5 other women -- all appearing to be in their 50's and 60's and at about my practice level, my anxiety melted away.  I stopped judging myself and commenced to judging the instructor.  (True confession.)

He was a delightful young man, very kind and encouraging, with a style one might define as uber casual and maybe just a wee bit "loose" for my taste.  He opened by telling us he is a former skateboarder who discovered Yoga while in college.  He is also a rapper and then did a pretty great rap to start class that was uplifting and encouraging about being present to life.  Then he led us through a varied asana practice that was not difficult but a little disjointed.  On your back, now on your knees, now stand, no...wait a minute, let's get back onto our backs again...

He also spent a fair amount of time instructing us on how to go from Downward Dog to Lunge by kicking one leg forward in one fluid motion.  The others in class seemed hell-bent on getting this down and wanted to do it over and over.  I wondered why this was so important?   I just put my foot where it landed (about 6 inches from the ideal location) and edged it up between my hands, like I always do, ready for the pose.

At one point he suggested we do "partner stretches".  The idea was that dyads would take turns -- first one person gets into a crouched position and the other sits on that person's sacrum, draping themselves in a backbend over the the back of the person on the floor.  This supposedly felt good to both.   I've seen partner yoga performed many times.

But here's the thing -- nobody is allowed to mess with my back.  I have had back issues flare from even an aggressive massage, siactica leveling me for about ten days one time.  I don't want an adult sitting on my bent sacrum, nor do I want to do a backbend over someone else's body, nor, even though I'm not a prude about touchy-feely stuff, do I feel super great about doing this with strangers.  My niece had opted out due to an injury.  I opted out due to "I don't wanna."

Next he suggested one partner get into a Downward Dog, the other stand behind her with a strap folded over the lower back of the person in Down Dog and threaded between her parted legs, then pulling both ends of the strap taut to give the back a nice stretch/pull.  My niece and I did that one but when she made a "50 Shades of Grey" joke and I cracked up, people did wonder who these out-of-town troublemakers in class were!  (We were not that far out of line...everyone talked through most of the class;  it was not my usual meditative experience.)

Here are some parts I liked:  Just before Savasana the instructor passed around a small bottle of essential oil and invited us to use a few drops to give ourselves a foot massage.  I loved the aromatherapy of the exercise and my feet felt great!  He had us start and end practice with chanting three "Oms".  I love that, it's so centering and to me it's like a giving a blessing to my practice.  He also chanted for us the student/teacher chant that Elizabeth at Yoga Circle is teaching us in her 8 Limbs class on Wednesday afternoons.  I love chanting.

At the end there was a short Savasana, basically a super-speed guided visualization to relax each body part, but it was hard to do since he was guiding us so quickly from toes, to ankles to knees and up to cranium at warp speed.   Still, I found a few moments of relaxation and finally a chance to turn inward in meditation.

As we were rolling up mats, our instructor announced he had Hip Hop CDs for sale and encouraged us to check out his music website.  I think he is a man of many talents and interests strung together to make a living and I don't fault him for that.  Like I said, he was very nice.

Here's what I missed:  A thoughtful and well-orchestrated series of asanas, a focus on breath and turning inward; an explanation of why and how the asanas help our bodies both on the mat and in our lives; soft, meditative music; a few well-placed comments or giggles from students, without ongoing conversation; a time/place/mood that allows me to be totally in my own space, working my own edge, not worried about how I might hurt someone or be hurt; a long, quiet Savasana with enough props to make myself comfortable and relaxed.

What I learned:  Again, over and over, why do I assume at the outset that my own practice will pale in comparison to another's?  My practice is perfect as it is.  My studio rocks.  I have all I need and feel incredibly grateful for what I have found in my own backyard.  Yoga Circle...don't ever leave me!

Namaste,  donnajurene

Photo Credit:  branislav ostojic@rf123.com