A Full Swing Back in Motion

A Full Swing Back in Motion

Now that we have survived the first two weeks of school, everything is back to the full swing of things. Tests loom over the horizon, essays wait, readings pile up, and so does the sleep debt. 

The best thing about school starting up is the start up of my yoga classes. I have had to opportunity to teach my first two yoga classes since before surgery, and I forgot how much I loved them. I was finally reunited with my devoted yogis and yoginis. However, I received some bad news following my Thursday yoga class. One of my friends back home had passed away. This was pretty shocking and devastating because about a year ago, I lost another friend to a fatal car accident. One thing was really different this time, and that was my practice. While my mind was buzzing, I was actually able to collect myself, do damage control, and minimize the time I was emotionally compromised. Without the practice I had developed outside of any class, I do not think that this would have been possible. Instead of being shut down for a day or two, I would have easily been down for a week. 

My practice outside of class has gown in ways that I never thought it would. Through my absence due to surgery, I have yearned for more and more yoga, and when that need was satiated, it allows my practice to blossom. Hard times, also allow for a beautiful practice. It takes your mind off of what is troubling you, allowing yourself to collect your thoughts. Much like how the lotus flower thrives in the murkiest of waters, so does one's yoga practice. 

Practicing in class has also been refreshing this week. One thing in every class that gives me chills every time is the instruction prior to bowing. It speaks something to the effect of the appreciation of because of the benefits you have received from yoga, the opportunity to practice it, and the lineage originating in ancient India, bow. I think this is the most beautiful way to end a class. You are informing your students of so much that they are now aware of about the art of yoga. Most people think it probably originated in upper-class white women needing a workout where they can still gossip about each other, but the origin is so much more. This phrase at the end of class is something I am trying to incorporate into my classes. When I do so, I notice a different kind of stillness and reverence once the class ends. It, in my opinion, settles in the person's soul. 

My practice in class also helps to set the tone for my practice outside of class. I finish my practice in class at about 4:45pm, and, then, I go over to the Student Life Center to prepare to teach my class. This has given my a mindset of serenity going into my classes, rather than the normal buzzing in my mind about everything that I have to do. Overall, it has helped enrich both my personal practice and the practice of others. 

Finally, the readings for this last week were very unique and eye-opening. The Vrttis taught me a deeper understanding of yoga that I never thought I would learn. Starting with how the seer is sometimes occupied with the changes of the mind, this is a very true statement for me. I am usually very busy, and, in that, I am usually not focussing on what I am doing but what I have to do next. So, for Patanjali to already know this about practitioners of yoga for millennia to come is amazing. Next, when he describes the different types of movements of the mind, it really enlightened me. I was then able to categorize the different types of fluctuations in my mind. For example, when I found out that my friend had passed away, I was able to figure out that my thoughts were painful and cognizable. This allowed me to direct my energies to calm these thoughts down. 

When Patanjali then goes into describing the different Vrttis, he exposes new ideas for people to focus on in the future. Through these five things, I can direct my energies to calm the fluctuations they caused and center myself in a new level of stillness. This is the baseline of yoga that I have always wanted and needed to learn about. If I am going to teach it, how can I possibly teach when I do not know its foundations. These simple sentences have opened my eyes to concepts that I thought I would never grow to learn. 

Until next time, my fellow yogis and yoginis,

Namasté,

the Upward-facing Bear