Something New

I was just writing here about doing something out of the ordinary, moving beyond the box, and life presented me (and a number of others) with a wonderful opportunity. The musician Wah! came to visit a local yoga studio; she taught a yoga class and then led the group in chanting. Even though attending this event took me away from V. for a few night-time hours, L. convinced me that she would be fine and that I could feel free to go.

What a wonderful experience...Wah! teaches from traditions that are new to me, as I'd never taken classes from teachers of Bihar, Kundalini, or Anusara yoga. Wah! utilizes each of these traditions in her classes, so I was able to experience new ways to practice yoga and inhabit my body. She had us inching on our backs and bellies like worms, slithering sideways like snakes, all to wake up our spines. She encouraged active engagement of the back and openness in the heart. She taught us challenging and useful ways to strengthen our wrists and to open into Vashistasana. I loved that she continually asked us what we placed upon our breath, since breath is an amplifier of energy. Whatever we placed there we were both drawing in and sending out into the world; conscious connection not just with the sound and quality of the breath but with the breath as prayer was a valuable way to experience it. Similarly, I appreciated her emphasis on yoga as a way to generate a free flow of energy in the body and, consequently, in life.

I stayed for some of the chanting before heading home, and I felt both energized and relaxed. My body felt "lit up" and charged, as if every cell had been bathed in light. I felt balanced, physically and emotionally. I felt that expansion in the chest that accompanies feelings of love, peace, and goodwill. This morning, those qualities are still with me, as is the lovely sensation of muscles that have been used in unaccustomed ways.

I'm glad I was able to move outside of several of my boxes, and I'm grateful to Wah! and Adishakti Yoga Kula (and of course my dear L.) for the opportunity.