back to the heat

It was wonderful to be out of town, but I'm happy to be back home!  Yesterday when we got back to town I went to Kathy's Vinyasa class.  I don't get to her class very often because the times aren't the best for my schedule, but I always love it when I am able to go!  Kathy & her husband, Gordy, own Urban Yoga Spa and they used to teach the class together but it became so popular that they had to split the class into two. 

I had a little bit of a rough class because this weekend I ate & drank too much...which was fun, but it definitely took a toll on my body. I just took it easy and modified a lot of the poses - at least I was there and doing it.  It felt really good to be back in the hot room after three days away.  Ha ha, I remember how overwhelmed I was a year ago when I first started hot yoga...I never thought I would see the day when I would look forward to the heat.  It takes a while to build up tolerance/endurance, but now that I'm used to it, I actually crave it!

The other thing I missed whie I was away was music. The stuido I went to didn't play any music during class and it felt like something was missing to me. At the end of Kathy's class she always plays the song "Imagine" while we are in Savasana (Corpse Pose) and everyone sings along. Don't laugh, I know it sounds cheesy but it's not. We're not talking Karaoke...just singing softly while lying down on our backs. It's beautiful - it seriously makes me tear up every time.

I've decided the next thing I want to learn how to do - shooting back from Crow to Chaturanga. Kathy was having us try it in class yesterday and I couldn't get my knees off my arms.  Every time I tried, my arms would just buckle and I would fall over.  I watched other people do it seemingly effortlessly while I felt like the fat kid trying to jump and not actually getting off the ground.  I know I can do it - I just need to keep practicing. 

This morning I came across this blog and really liked what it had to say about practice:  "Crow brings us back to the child’s mind, the beginner’s attitude. ‘If at first you fail, try, try again.’ When kids are learning something new, they fall, the fumble, the look and feel awkward, but they keep trying, they keep experimenting. They enjoy the process of learning so much that once they master it, they want something more to reach for. This is what crow pose gives us. Access to the child’s mind and permission to be messy, sloppy, awkward, and fumbling."