I decided to do my favorite youtube yoga at the gym today. The group exercise room was unscheduled and empty so I set up my mat there and started my practice, hoping I wouldn’t be interrupted. Naturally people wandered in and out, sometimes saying hi or making lots of noise. Let me just confess that if you greet me while I’m deep in concentration in pigeon or wheel or some other difficult pose, you’re not going to get a friendly answer. And listening to people grunting with exertion while I’m trying to shavasana is less than ideal– but so it goes when you’re sharing a space. It’s good for training meditation right? Just let it go in one ear and out the other…
The first few vinyasas are always really hard for Downward Dog– holding it for long periods feels like so much exertion and my arms are tired. But after a while something changes in my arms and my back and instead of feeling difficult it feels rooted and nice. I wish I knew what it was so I could feel rooted and nice all the time!
Yoga always surprises me, even when I’m following a well-worn and familiar practice. My body is never the same day to day, and sometimes I find progress in the strangest places.
