On Thursday night we had a long discussion of what we should do, with a big storm to hit on Friday. (Round 2 after snow earlier in the week as well). We couldn't agree on any doable rescheduling dates, so we decided to forge ahead. Some found local places to stay for the duration thanks to the generosity and kindness of sister-students, and some braved the commute.
As it turned out, everyone showed up every day! (Except one student who was ill and stayed home on Sunday, but "Zoomed" in online.) As each student entered the teaching space, stomping boots and shaking off snow, she was met with a hearty cheer and a round of applause. We were all so happy to see each other, when virtually every other community event and even places of business and government offices were closed for the duration. Intrepid Yoginis!
I was fortunate enough to snag a cozy guest room of one of the instructors and settled in Friday night, held in warmth and healing after having had an emotionally challenging week. On top of that, the whole snow thing filled me with commuter anxiety since I live on a hill that I'd likely not be able to easily navigate in the storm, so I was filled with gratitude for the great good fortune to be able to ride out the storm surrounded by love, laughter, lively conversations, heaping helpings of pasta and rich dark chocolate!
And what does any of this have to do with Yoga Training? A lot, actually. As we were winding down on Sunday, I apologized to another student about my "constant whining about the weather all weekend". She looked at me quizzically and said, "You didn't whine." I didn't?
I realized the swirling anxiety about the snow and my commute (which I didn't even do!) and concerns about getting home on Sunday had been a constant background noise in my head all weekend, even if I didn't express it out loud. It was such a racket internally, that I was convinced I'd been complaining and worrying in every conversation I'd had. Not true, apparently.
I also ended up with a nauseating migraine that I dealt with all day Saturday and Sunday and I wonder if the internal swirling mind stress, focused attention on learning, and being out of my familiar surroundings at home was a factor in that. Probably.
I was most at peace during times of meditation, Sutra study, and chant. I enjoyed moving my body too, but learning the poses from a teaching perspective and learning the anatomical underpinnings of each pose are more challenging for me at this juncture, taking me out of a calm state to one of "stress", as is typical when learning a new skill.
We all agree that at the end of each weekend training we are exhausted. The added weather challenges this time likely contributed to that feeling. Yet, I learned that the thoughts in my head (and my headache) were ruling my emotions to a great degree and leaving me spent too. The purpose of Yoga is to calm the fluctuations of the mind. I had ample opportunity to practice, with only limited 'success'. But awareness is Yoga too and my "Seer" inside reminded me several times that I was not in the "Now" but in the future with my fretting.
Maybe I'm not yet able to consistently identify anterior and posterior pelvic tilts in a practitioner's pose, but I got a big lesson in mindfulness, self-awareness, gratitude, and letting go. Looking forward to our March training for more lessons on the Yogic path.
Namaste, donnajurene
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