Karm{at} me

Karm{at} me 

This week's in-class practice was a mixed experience. I was very glad to have a full week of yoga, having class on both Tuesday and Thursday. However, I was pretty sick this whole week. All I wanted to do was sleep and eat soup. College classes don't allow time for that. I ended up having to get subs for my Wednesday cycling class and my Thursday yoga class I teach. I was very refreshing to have a bit of a break and get to rest. Tuesday's class was wonderful. I loved having a class to dedicate to just restorative poses. This is something that I really needed. After class, I felt very rejuvenated and simultaneously ready for a nap. 

Thursday was a little hard for me to get through. Still feeling sick, I just wanted to savasana for the entire class period. However, I made myself participate. It didn't help too much, but I can at least say I did something. I am just getting over everything and feeling a whole lot better, so I cannot wait to come back full force. This also was my last week in my boot, so next week, I will be able to participate again fully. I've missed being able to do all the poses without worrying about my limitations. My first practice without a boot is going to be a very freeing feeling. 

My practice this week was also very limited. I only taught Tuesday. Of course, instead of making my life easier, God sent the difficult woman to my class again. This class just confirmed what I thought she was going to do and what her attitude was. Tuesday, I taught a small warm-up flow followed by a very short inversion session. For over half of the class, we were doing restorative poses. These poses were very simple and easy to do. However, she refused to do any of them. She would dramatically try the poses with very poor technique, all the while I was explaining them as slowly and simply as possible. No one else in the class had any difficulty with the poses. She was an exception. She seemed unable to do anything other than savasana, and even that seemed like a struggle for her, constantly moving around. As an instructor, I have no clue what to do with her. I strongly believe that anyone can do yoga if they have an open mind. I have even told her that she needs to open her mind to the possibility of yoga. Despite this, she still will not try or do anything. It would almost be better if she would stop coming to class because she is disturbing the other students. What should I do with her, other than try to scare her off with difficult poses, which would not be the right thing to do? 

The reading this week was very interesting. The Bhagavad Gita originally sounded like it would be a very difficult and dense read. This was not what I found to be true. The literature was fairly simple to read, despite it's highly philosophical content. One of the most interesting concepts was the idea of dharma. This is the idea that everyone has a certain calling to fulfill. At first, this idea drove me up the wall. I thought it was incredibly limiting, negating all human potential for change. After talking about this concept in class, however, I began to see this in a new light. To me, it now means that it is one's calling in the cosmic universe. Dharma is where your passion meets the world's need. This means that it is our ultimate calling in life, what God intended for us. Seeing it this way, it made a lot more sense. God has an ultimate calling and plan for each and every one of us.

The next idea that was important for me understand is the way for humans to come to be united with the Lord. In order for this to happen, one must give up all selfish desires. The Bhagavad Gita goes so far as to say that one must absolve all instances of "I, me, and my." This shows the ultimate goal of selflessness that seems nearly unobtainable to me. This idea goes so far as to suggest that there should be no concept of self, that we are just a part of the cosmic energy created and destined to be united with God. This is something that I have a long way to go before I reach anything near this level of dedication to God.

Until next time, my fellow yogis and yoginis.

Namasté,

Upward-facing Bear