Nope. Not at the zoo. It was right in the familiar confines of Yoga Circle Studio. Meg led a fun and silly and altogether wonderful class for children and their adult companions. I took my nearly six-year-old granddaughter. There was a mom there with her four-year-old daughter too. Yep. Just the four of us. I think class attendance suffered from "sunny skies syndrome". Hopefully others will flock to the next one, on August 9th, because it was really special and fun!
I had tried once before to take my little Yoga Buddy to a yoga class, the Mothers Day when I got my whole family to go with me to a special "Family Yoga" workshop. My granddaughter was only 2-1/2 then and spent most of the time removing the bolsters from the shelves and building forts.
This time she was more familiar with yoga and Meg used the perfect imagery to engage the young girls -- all those animal poses with funny noises and asking us to imagine ourselves as each creature. We had a snack break half-way through class (there was much discernment over which of the dried fruits in the bowl of trail mix were favorites) and another break to "get the wiggles out" that was meant to be a dance with a "freeze in your favorite yoga pose" moment when the music suddenly was turned off (a la musical chairs), but which ended up being permission for the girls to run a race from one end of the studio to the other, back and forth, several times -- no dancing, just running, but with the "freeze" pose tagged onto the race, thankfully!
I had to remind my companion a few times to "listen to the teacher"; "watch your teacher". She wasn't distracted so much as just wanting to do things her way. I guess she was merely "modifying" her poses, but with each one she seemed compelled to hold her pretty pink block (whether needed or not) and create her own version of the pose. I smiled, but was a bit irritated at her independence in this regard. I also felt her alignment could have been better; these poses are done a certain way for maximum benefit, after all!
Lest you think me a drill-sergeant grandma, I'm not! I recognized my own rigidity and self-judgment immediately. I recognized how I strive so hard to follow the example of my teachers at all times and not deviate much; to "get it right"; to concentrate on proper alignment. I laughed at myself and made a conscious decision that unless my companion was being disruptive and inappropriate in her behavior, I would just let her be. Let her have fun. I would smile encouragingly and not scowl with disapproval. Of course!
Which is good advice for myself as well. I am rarely disruptive and inappropriate, but I am often obsessed with "getting it right" in Yoga and in Life. I could take a lesson from my granddaughter:
Run with abandon. Ask questions when I'm unsure. Watch, listen, learn -- then be creative. Laugh a lot. Share my snacks (savoring the dried pineapple chunks!) And no scowling!
We ended the class with a legs up the wall savasana, where we were admonished to remain very still, as if Queen Elsa had walked into the room and we had all became frozen. (Those little girls immediately stilled and remained so, being well-familiar with the story!) My companion said that was her favorite part.
We took pictures after class. My Yoga Buddy posed up on the raised teacher platform in a modified eagle pose and also doing side-stretches with Meg. She asks to see them every time we have been together since. She was proud of knowing the closing Sanskrit song: lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA3ZZOvd7yo having learned it in preschool, where a classmate's mom comes to teach yoga to the kids on occasion.
It feels sweet for this grandma to share my passion for yoga with my granddaughter. It was also sweet to share a post-class Lemon Bar at the Snohomish 1st & Union Bakery. We both seem to have a love of "special treats", as well as yoga. Can't wait to do it all again soon....and for years to come. ©
Namaste, donnajurene
Photo Credit: monicaroa©123RF
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