Happy
April 26, 2012 § 9 Comments
First practice of the S+S Encinitas leg today. Ladies Holiday decided to arrive on Tuesday and it was all I could do to take yesterday off, with Nancy Gilgoff’s refrain about women and LH and all that running at the back of my mind.
So. The practice. A little nervous before, not sure what to expect, despite everything I’ve heard. The slow and steady count. The fog of steam in the room. The energy. Still, it’s all empty words until you’re there to experience it for yourself. I find it hard to articulate my thoughts about the whole session beyond the superficial: “it was good” “it was steady” “he made jokes in Navasana”, etc. So I won’t. All I will say is that this was the first led Primary class that I actually enjoyed, and it wasn’t because of the many black and white images of Guruji on the wall, or the ornamented altar or the incense or Sharath’s and Saraswati’s presence in the room, but an amalgamation of all of that, and then some. I did not get adjusted once, neither did I bind in Supta Kurmasana or stay up for the full count in headstand, but it doesn’t matter does it? I was just happy to be there. A good practice is not measured by the number of adjustments received or the attainment of a pose. It is about whether you’re able to get into a mental space where nothing matters but the breath and the extent to which you are able to stay there. The nervousness faded away after the first Om, replaced by an exuberant energy and gratitude for being there, for the practice, for this system called Ashtanga. Quite similar to what I experienced at Nancy’s led.
Back to it tomorrow. Can’t wait and can’t get enough.
jealous
Bindi!! I miss your blog
((
Thanks for sharing your experience! Tried posting before but I dont know if it went through… I agree that a good practice it is about getting closer to a state of yoga, that place of presence.
Happy to share Claudia! I could chat all day long about Ashtanga and yoga and everything it entails
Wow that’s great having both S and S there. In that environment he is quite easy going and he has a good sense of humour, he doesn’t tend to stop people either, unlike in Mysore. Enjoy
Yes he didn’t stop anyone for Led Primary, although there were one or two folks who stopped at the Marichyasanas and joined in for closing. His sense of humor was alive and well, a little too mischievous especially in Navasana!
Agreed about what constitutes a good practice. Some days things just fall into place and whether the form of the asana is exactly what you would like or not becomes unimportant. Sometimes I can even find assists a bit disruptive, as though it’s forcing my attention to move to the external again. Enjoy the rest of the experience with Sharath and Sarawati!
Thank you! You’re right about the assists, especially when they’re too detail-oriented. I got helped in headstand but was left alone for everything else. Ahhh I miss that room!
[...] Mysore story began with the Sharath and Saraswati tour a year ago, so it’s nice to come back and reflect on how things have changed. Back then there was a lot [...]