Yoga // In the moment

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Earlier this summer, I started attending yoga classes and I haven’t looked back. I absolutely love it. I started with a gentle class and now I’m in an introductory class. The gentle class was a lot of floor work and a lot of stretching. The intro class seems to be more about the building blocks of yoga. We’ve learned the Sun Salutations and she spends some time explaining the positions and how to do them properly, which is helpful. I can look at a picture in a book, but having someone there to help adjust your body is awesome. Once I know how a pose is suppose to feel it’s much easier to get there again. Muscle memory or whatever, right? 

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This past weekend I went to a 2 hour yoga workshop put on by a friend of a friend. The instructor is Mindy and she currently resides in South Korea...so, if you ever find yourself in her area you should check out her studio! Anyway, her workshop was INTENSE.  Like I'm-still-sore intense, haha!  It was a great workout and I did some things I didn't think I was capable of, like some poses involving binding.  I even (sort of) did a pose called the Bird of Paradise - Mindy was there to help me bind and get me upright of course, but it still felt awesome.

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In my regular Monday night class we were told to focus on being in the moment.  It sounds like such a simple thing... to be in the moment, to be present right now.  It's not that simple, not for me anyhow.  Just as my mind was starting to wander to what I had to do when I got home and what I might be doing for the rest of the week, my instructor (Jill, check her out too!) said something along the lines of ...as you feel yourself, your mind, leave to other things, pull it back.  Pull it back here to the studio and focus on your breathing.

I just thought... wow.  I'm a day dreamer by nature, I can't help it  - I just am.  I don't think it's always a bad thing, but I do think it can be detrimental at times.  I'm always thinking about what could have happened or what might happen or how I should have reacted. Or you know, what if I had made this or that decision instead?  Or driving home on auto pilot while making a mental list of things I should/could be doing.  I'm not sure all this "what if" day dreaming is such a good thing.  Why? Because then I miss out on what's happening right in front of me.  I can, and sometimes do, take the things I have for granted and don't always appreciate the people and good fortunate in my life the way I'd like to.  That thought right there, well it makes me sad.  So, instead of just setting an intention for my practice I'm setting an intention for my life, for my being, for my day to day.  I am going to make an effort to be more present, to bring myself back to the moment.

Wish me luck. :)

xo, kassie