While I was in town this past January, Kerrie asked me to join her for a yoga session at Center for Yoga. I’ve experienced a lot of different types of yoga so I was down for the experience. Little did I know that I was in for a whole new experience.
We enter the studio and there is a session in progress and people are waiting to attend the next session. We go into a room and set up our mats. Kerrie sees a few people she knows and says hello. The room is filled and is small, we are also facing a temporary wall. In a few minutes the wall opens up revealing another room. More people pour in and set up their mats.
The instructor arrives and introduces himself and apologies because he is not the usual teacher. He starts the class. I start to follow along with the instruction and warm up my fatigued body and mind. The sequence speeds up and the music gets louder and louder. I can barely hear the instructor at this point. He instructs the class to go on their own pace.
I struggle to remember the poses and try to take time to be mindful of my posture. The people around me are all moving at different rates and speeds and I am not sure what I am doing but I continue to move and breath. My head starts to spin and my muscles feel weak. I go into child's pose and the music blasts around me. I feel the movement of the other yogi’s and feel the heat of the room. I continue to focus on my breath breathing deeply in and out. I take some time to recenter and get my breath back at a good pace. The instructor starts another sequence and I try to memorize it more closely this time. I am still quite weak and focus on my breath in child's pose.
At the end I enjoy savasana as my mind and body throb and my nerves calm down from the stimulation of the music, sequences, new environment and my own fatigue. We leave the class and Kerrie asks me about my experience. I tell her that I wasn’t prepared for a free flow class and that I hadn’t ever participated in that type before. She points out that it's good to experience things you aren't prepared for. I admitted that I needed to seek child's pose often and I was much more fatigued that I realized. The heat had my blood moving and the breath was healing. We both agree that child's pose was the best choice.
I’m not sure if I would seek out that type of yoga class again, but I enjoyed the experience and continue to develop my practice. It was very humbling experience and a reminder that child’s pose is always my ally. It taught me to use it more in my future classes and to listen to my mind and body and always stay with my breath.
Your Humble Yogina in Training,
Ruby
