Most yoga classes, texts, and websites laud the detoxifying properties of many yoga poses. Whether I'm doing a dietary cleanse or not, my body has repeatedly felt these properties due to both the heat and the movements themselves. Though there was a time I may have skeptically chuckled a bit at the idea of heightened awareness through yoga, I truly know that this feeling does happen through one's practice, particularly with more consistent practice.
I have done yoga formally in classes and less formally at home for about ten years. Sometimes, my mat has disappeared into my closet behind suitcases and shoes; sometimes, it has been a lovely green, blue, and yellow oasis in the corner of a room. However, it has never, until recently, been a place that I eagerly sought out and wanted to visit with increasing frequency. I continue to strive to make time with the mat, and thus myself, a daily occurrence; therefore, this time in which I've decided to clean out the body by cleaning up my diet seems like the perfect time to renew my efforts at daily practice, as this commitment will facilitate both bodily and spiritual cleansing.
Today's class was a great preface to the March 1 Spring Cleaning Kick-Off for several reasons.
1) The usual joy of a challenging workout and an instructor who always inspires the whole practitioner
2) Yogitoes skidless mat towel -- I've seen these used repeatedly by class frequenters at the studio I attend, but I kept thinking -- "what the heck, a towel is a towel, right? No way will I pay that price for one!" Feeling more and more like I couldn't focus on my practice for fear of slipping and injuring myself, I finally purchased one of these towels from Amazon, as they were on sale (YAY!) and reading many, many reviews validated their cost. I cannot believe the difference in my practice today.
3) Since my knowledge of poses and expectations of those poses has increased, I've started to tense up, when poses are called that I'm not quite able to achieve. Obviously, this is completely counterproductive in so many ways to my practice in general and my ability to complete the poses. My recent and continuous intention for class has been to just let things happen (hard for me, as many of you well know). Today, I legitimately got a bit teary-eyed because finally...finally...finally, I was able to do Vasisthasana (one-armed side plank) on both the right and the left sides without knee modification. Holding plank pose is hard; holding side plank is...really hard. I continue to be amazed by practitioners who look so at peace while in this position or who are able to then extend the top leg into the air. I just keep reminding myself that every day is different, every person is different, and hey...don't forget to breathe!
The hope and openness from practice facilitated a thoughtful and productive day including quite a bit of menu prep for this week. I'll report on today's culinary activities tomorrow -- for now, I need to rest up for a busy Tuesday and the beginning of the revitalization process.
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