Back on the mat Monday at 4pm with both my ladies at the same class. Feeling some slight improvement in my health but antibiotics have not exactly been the immediate fix I had expected. Class with Sywann is always great, she is so calming with the even tone of her voice. Practice was one smooth flow of postures after another and my focus was strong. I did slightly allow my focus to shift for a moment when I noticed Elizabeth kicking butt next to me in her standing head to knee pose...I got so excited I wanted to give her a high five right then and there...yeah I saw you locking out both knees. Seeing my friend getting into her practice is simply extra motivation for me. I think I smiled the entire practice, whether it was because of my awesome yogini friend next to me or the comments Sywann was making in class...I felt happy throughout class.
A few notes on my own practice. At the start I could feel the tightness of my body from the three day gap since my last class. My lower back was especially tight and I immediately felt it in half-moon pose. I couldn't wait to get warmed up and loosen up my body. I don't think I noticed the heat much at all today, those are the best days of all! Once I warmed up it was on in the standing series. I finally reached the outside of my feet in Standing Separate Leg stretching pose and then my favorite breakthrough in class...I actually made it into a Toe Stand! It was great to finally feel the stretch of that pose and also understand the difficulty of the balance once fully into it. My floor series also went well with those subtle improvements noticeable only to me.
What I've found with myself is that once I have a "breakthrough" in a posture, the next time I go to class I go right back to the farthest point I have made it to thus far. Once I get past my fear or doubt about my ability to go to certain points in each posture, I realize that I can immediately go there next round. I think much of the improvement I've made has had a lot to do with overcoming those self made obstacles. This is oh so true in life as well. It is easy for me to let self doubt or my own obstacles, usually a result of fear, to get in the way of living at my fullest ability. Facing fear is one of the harder things to do, but overcoming it is usually easier than expected and the results more rewarding than continuing to hold back. If only I could always remember this and apply it across the board in my life...something to work on I suppose.
No comments:
Post a Comment