Practice

First things first: I am still running.  The Bourbon Chase is in less than a month and I am so excited!  However, in the past few weeks, I've found that my yoga practice has been a lot more inspiring to me and a lot more interesting to write about.

Yesterday I went to a vinyasa class and it wore me out physically and mentally (in a good way).  The instructor, Susan, is INCREDIBLE.  I wish she could read this blog post.  She has a wonderful way with words, she is smart, VERY strong, has good intuition, et cetera.  I think I've found a new role model.  P.S. Louisvillians...she teaches all around town, not just at Hot Yoga Louisville. 

If only I had had a tape recorder in class to document all that she said yesterday, but of course I did not.  The key word for the day (in my mind) was PRACTICE.  She talked about a yoga session being a microcosm for our time here on Earth.  The Earth is our mat.  We breathe, we stretch, we flow, we feel strong.  However, sometimes we get into uncomfortable positions, sometimes we can't do certain positions, sometimes we lose our breath.  For me, the positions represent either situations or places.  The resting positions (downward facing dog or child's pose) represent a place where you go to recuperate or find solace when you've been in an uncomfortable situation.  Susan said that our only ally is our breath.  Our breath moves us through class and it moves us through life.  In scary or uncertain situations we might hold our breath, but you've got to let it go.  When Susan challenged us yesterday, she said that she noticed that the breath had been sucked out the room because we were nervous.  If we were moving through a rigorous flow, she told us to notice if we had stopped breathing.  It is interesting that we have that defense mechanism of holding our breath.  Breathing is the most natural thing we do, and we do it without thinking.  However, we can also stop doing it without thinking!

If we stop breathing we cannot move forward, and appropriately, Susan also talked about being in the present.  She said that if your mind constantly swims in the past or future, you're missing out on right now.  What is done is done.  You must move forward.  You must keep breathing.

I wanted to share a picture of my favorite yoga pose: Reverse Warrior.

(source)

There's something about this pose that makes me feel so strong and alive!

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. -Thich Nhat Hanh