breathe
Saturday, September 29, 2007
I didn't show up here yesterday because I had a horrible headache. (No people, I don't feel like I have to explain myself to you...this relates to today's post darlings.) I wish I could say that my headache was a result of my Britney hit and run, but alas, it was my own damn fault. Since we got back from Italy in mid-June, I have completely neglected my body. I've failed to get back into a consistent yoga practice and I'm certain that the headaches that I had this week were my body's way of saying, "WAKE UP WOMAN! I NEED MY YOGA!" My back was in all sorts of twists and knots and aches. And I'm quite certain that something was pinching something that it shouldn't, sending an excruciating feeling into my brain. I've been trying to take fewer medicines - advil, tylenol, etc...because I do believe that your body's aches and pains are telling you something (like get thee to yoga). And by just taking medicine to cover up the pain, well, you're essentially ignoring it and therefore eventually putting yourself in more pain. However, after drinking a lot of water (maybe I'm dehydrated?), closing my eyes (perhaps they're strained?), and stretching out my knotted up back (it dawned on me that I'd been neglecting my body a bit...), my headache remained. So I gave in and took two Excedrin. And about an hour later, my headache went away. But I knew that it was time to get my ass to class.
Yoga is one of the things I love most about LA. Sorry, New York, but yoga is just far superior out here. Maybe it's because the windows don't look across into a building. Or because you're not practicing in a basement. Maybe it's because the temperature in the rooms is always just right - not too hot, not too cold. Maybe it's because real estate is less expensive and the studios are big and expansive and beautiful. Maybe it's because Angelenos aren't in as much of a rush. For whatever reason, yoga is just better in LA.
This morning I went to one of my favorite yoga studios, Center for Yoga and took class with one of my favorite teachers, Jeanne Heileman. I had the incredibly good fortune to take my yoga teacher training with this fabulous woman (along with another favorite, Natasha Rizopoulos) a little over a year ago. Class with Jeanne is always a treat and one of the reasons is because Jeanne is constantly a student herself. Every time I'm in her class, I am reminded of what a gift she is to those who study with her. She is mindful of body, mind, and spirit in her teachings and because of that, I always leave with an extremely heightened awareness of all three. Jeanne is a stickler about alignment and I got my fair share of fabulous corrections this morning, which were much needed after having been out of practice for the past few months. I am always amazed to find myself sweating and heart pounding 15 minutes into my practice with her, despite the fact that the room is not heated and we're not moving at some crazy rapid pace.
But what I love most about Jeanne's class is that she is constantly encouraging her students to get in touch with how they are feeling in that present moment and to practice accordingly. Which this morning, as I gently massaged the knots out of my back, was a phenomenal reminder for me. I'm a bit out of shape and so I reminded myself to push myself and be gentle at the same time, to skip an asana here or there if I needed to. And most importantly, I took stock of how I was feeling in each pose, not dreading the second side even though I already knew the work that was ahead of me...because perhaps it might not be as difficult on that second side as it was on the first. Or perhaps it would be harder - but if I was only sitting there thinking about how difficult the first side had been, then wouldn't I actually be missing the experience of the entire second side?
And this is why I love yoga, and especially yoga in LA. I find these delicious morsels of wisdom in my classes here that I don't remember receiving in NYC. The yoga mat is a metaphor for life. If I can stay present on my mat and truly experience each pose in the moment then I can make choices based on how my body feels - I can push myself further, I can take a little break. I can relish in the stretch and I can adjust my body to make the pose better or easier or harder. I can enjoy the poses that my body just naturally slides into and I can remind myself to breathe through the harder ones for they'll be over before I know it and I'll be able to laugh at myself for the moment that I thought I might not make it through. Such is yoga, and such is life.
If you live in LA, go take Jeanne's classes. And if you don't, you can download her classes and her guided meditations at Yogi2Go. Your back and your mind will be a little less knotty for it.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 11:13 AM
Labels: yoga
