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From:
Date: Thu, Jul 1, 2010 at 3:07 PM
Subject: July Yoga with Maria
To: yogamaria@comcast.net
To skip my yoga musings, scroll down to the bottom of this email and
read about changes to the July schedule. Namaste!
As I was demonstrating the “proper” way to do Triangle Pose in class
the other day, one of my lovely and sensitive students asked aloud,
“Are you supposed to put your hand on your shin for support? I was
told we’re not allowed to do it that way.” Not allowed? I bristled,
barely able to disguise the annoyance in my voice: “Where did you
hear that?” She admitted, rather sheepishly, that she had been
prohibited from using her hand for support during a Bikram class, that
most regulated and restrictive of yoga practices. Ahhh.
I used to do Bikram yoga. I liked the challenge of doing really
strenuous athletic poses and sweating buckets while doing it. It
appealed to my competitive Self. I enjoyed it until the day I took a
class with a teacher who barked orders at me and the other poor
schlubs in the class for 90 minutes straight, repeatedly warning us
that anything less than Bikram’s version of the pose was cheating.
The last straw was him telling me that I could not wipe the errant
hairs dripping sweat into my eyes, because Mr. Bikram doesn’t allow
it. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, trying unsuccessfully
to blink the hair out of my eyes instead, I thought, “This is not
yoga. Not for me.” I never went back to that guy’s class.
We live in a world increasingly defined by what we can’t do, and if we
break the rules, we pay. We can’t change our flight without paying a
huge penalty. We can’t enjoy public beaches without paying a fee. We
can’t change our phone number without paying a fine. We can’t park on
the north side of the street between 3 and 7 a.m. Dec.1 – April 1 or
when snow is over 2 inches or on Thursdays between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
April 1 – Oct. 31 or when there is a full moon or a new moon or a
lunar eclipse…without getting a ticket.
What’s the price for practicing yoga in an environment where we are
publicly accused of cheating or not trying hard enough or—God
forbid—wiping the sweat out of our eyes?
It calls to mind that hilarious scene in Monty Python and the Holy
Grail, when Michael Palin’s “old man” character encounters King Arthur
and declares, “Help! Help! I’m being repressed!” (For a laugh,
check out this clip from the movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o76WQzVJ434) The last place I want to
feel repression, or oppression, or suppression, is during my yoga
practice. I want to feel moksha, or liberation. I want to declare my
independence. I want to be free!
Back to that Triangle Pose. I explained my own personal philosophy,
hodge-podged together from personal experience on the mat and from the
varied and often contradictory philosophies I’ve absorbed from my many
teachers. Placing your hand on your shin or your block or the floor
allows you to support the pose externally, so that you can focus more
of your attention on stretching and lengthening in the pose. Placing
the back of your hand lightly against your inner shin or ankle allows
you to support the pose internally, using your core muscles. Which
version you choose to do depends on your intention, on the functional
purpose of the posture. Ultimately, my goal as a teacher is not to
qualify you for the Yoga Olympics but to help you to become more
self-aware: Why are you doing the pose, and why are you doing the
pose a certain way?
I plan on taking a Bikram class sometime this summer. I miss it.
Maybe my teacher will be a drill sergeant, maybe she will be kind.
Maybe I’ll wear a headband to class, so the hair-wiping issue doesn’t
come up…and maybe I will skip Reclining Hero Pose, even if the teacher
disapproves, because the health of my bad knee is more important to me
than doing the pose by the book. Either way, I will choose. And I
encourage you to do the same.
This weekend, while you’re drinking your clean bottled water and
watching fireworks instead of missile explosions, take the time to
acknowledge and celebrate your freedom, as an American and as a human
being.
Namaste!
Maria
YOGA NEWS
Check out the attached July calendar for a complete listing of class
times and locations. Here are the highlights:
Yoga at the Beach will be held this Saturday, July 3, at 9 a.m. under
the band pavilion at Jean Klock Park in Benton Harbor. The new
parking rates are in effect: $5 day rate for Benton Harbor residents,
$10 day rate for non-residents. To avoid the parking fees, you can
park at the Perry Ballard lot, just one block past the park entrance,
and walk over to the band pavilion. Many of you have taken to riding
your bike to the park, which is awesome! Carpooling is also
encouraged. Please bring a towel, sunglasses, and/or a hat, just in
case we have to relocate to the sand during class.
Morning Yoga is cancelled on Monday, July 5, because the library is
closed for the holiday. See you on Monday, July 12!
Join me for HOT YOGA on Monday, July 5, at 6 p.m. The barn is a
fantastic venue in which to practice yoga, especially when you are
upside-down! Come check it out…this is a fun, energizing practice
appropriate for all levels. Please bring a towel and water to drink.
Cost is $10.
Starting July 7, Wednesday morning yoga moves to the Harbert House Bed
& Breakfast! This 9 a.m. class will take place in a large screened-in
porch, looking out on a tranquil natural setting. Ahhh!
Just a reminder…I am available for private yoga sessions, yoga
parties, and retreats. I also have gift certificates available.
Contact me for more information!
See you on the mat!
Maria
