yoga in nyc

I went to a yoga class in Manhattan yesterday at Vira Yoga. The class was full and the vibe in the room was exciting. Everyone was talking and getting to know each other when I arrived and I quickly set my rental mat down and got myself prepared. It's amazing how my thinking changes drastically when I hit the mat. I just wish I could take the focus, concentration, and determination and apply it to my life outside of yoga. I take that back. I realize I practice all of the above qualities, but just right now, it is much easier when it's in physical form.

I had a great practice. My favorite quote from the teacher was something about how we should let our eyes be open and to allow them to view our whole body at once. And that is how it feels. I don't know what the technical term for it is in Sanskrit but yoga feels like it's happening in my body simultaneously and my mind and my eyes are able to see and feel it everywhere and in every inch of muscle, tissue, etc. What is that feeling? Is it called Awareness? Because that term, although readily used in the yoga world doesn't satisfy me. I think Iyengar talked about how intelligence is in the cells of the body and that yoga stops being a physical form (the asana) and starts to become an awakening of the senses of perception. To me, my insides smile. They light up. There's a communication and understanding that goes deeper than just getting a better stretch. The action I feel is internal. And there's so much freedom that results from this particular action. And when there isn't freedom in the muscle tissue, that's replaced with a yearning to understand myself better. To figure it out. And to make it improve by listening, drawing within, and nurturing my body. The nurturing part has taken me years to finally begin to do. I used to push, get angry, but mostly sad and frustrated when there was no response from my body. Now I am more observant and accepting of myself. I have a long ways to go, don't get me wrong. But I know I am on the way there.

Well, I've rambled on for quite a bit.

I received a not so satisfying assist in handstand in the class which made me twist my hips in the position. And I wondered for the rest of the class why one side of my body was doing so much work. This has happened before where one hip comes forward and I am straining in one arm more than the other. I was able to brush it off and asked one of the other teachers from the studio who was also taking class to help me after the class was over. And voila! It was great and I even balanced for a while in the middle of the room! Gotta love it!

So, the moral is I love Yoga. I can't get enough of the good stuff.