Rock your asana

I wanted to share my experience with Rock Your Asana, a class I took a couple of weeks ago before Christmas break, and how it made me think and start to connect things in my practice to other things that have been going on "outside."

So a couple of weeks ago, I had a day off from class to study for finals, which meant I could take my yoga class at a different time than I usually do. It was a Tuesday night, and I don't usually make it to the 7:30 pm time slot, and I had this weird excited energy so I was craving a super active practice, ala hip hop yoga (not my usual cup of tea, more on that later-). Except, I ran into Kate Greer in the elevator - and as we started talking and I found out she was teaching class! I had never taken class with Kate G. before so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect and had heard mixed/intimidating things about RYA... I was early and still deciding as I chatted up my workstudy friends who were signing people into class. My knee was aching in this intense way, and that's what ended up being the deciding factor, so I nervously (what? I haven't been nervous for class since JANUARY) walked in and set down my mat.

I liked how she started out class - everyone introducing themselves and sharing if they had any injuries or any requests. It's not really typical of teachers to do this, but some classes it really adds to the feeling of community and connection in the room - like we're part of the same thing. I almost didn't feel bad when it came my turn, maybe I've gotten over feeling badly about this darn knee injury...

As Kate starts teaching, her words are intelligent, creative, perfect.  It's like she is in my mind, telling me exactly what I need to hear. We begin classic suns, and I stand in tadasana (or what I think is supposed to be), she comes over to offer me assists. She adjusts my feet to hip distance, feet aligned perfectly, knees slightly bent - her words "a more sustainable practice." I feel grounded, as if my feet are roots and my arms could touch heaven - WOW, this is what tadasana is supposed to feel like. I pause there for a few breaths to let it sink in a little.

She continues her flow, and it is challenging for me - filled with inversions. People are up in handstands and God-knows-what and my emotions begin to start a little roller coaster of self-doubt and criticism. Why can't I do that? Everyone else is more advanced than me... Why am I here? Am I in the right place?   I should be able to do inversions by now, just need to work a little harder... Maybe I should just leave... Do I look like a n00b? Maybe Kate can teach me how to do a headstand... Stop crying you look ridiculous, why are you still in child's pose? 


The flow continues, smart and strong - I feel fatigued and end up in child's pose more times than I cared to be counting for. Kate's voice echos through the room, words seemingly aligned with my mental state. Her words are poetry - she shares quotes and stories and her passion - at one point her insight - "Limitations are a gift...." She goes on, I think at first no way - but then, it hits me how true her words are... And please get out of my head, it is getting creepy how "On key" this is...

We transition to inversions at the wall, and something inside me experiences a MAJOR shift. I've stopped questioning and criticizing myself, and now I am just EXCITED to go upside down, albeit in my modified, crazy way... I prepare for down dog at the wall and go for it - my breath is focused and I am so happy happy happy to be inverted that I don't even care that everyone else is doing handstands.

Finally, it is time for savasana, and Kate is playing these ethereal, wonderful songs that strike some serious emotional chords in me. Her voice rings in - She asks us to focus on listening to the reverberation in the music as a collective experience, as we are all sharing with each other as human beings... Sharing the same experience, life experience... and as she says this, I'm like, darn, if I wasn't going to cry before I sure am going to now... I don't block this out (surprisingly, it's a bad habit for me to block out the negative) and I don't end up crying but I feel reflective and safe.

And since I took this class, which was clearly meant to be (I don't know if I believe in destiny, but that had to have been a crazy coincidence for just "luck") I've been obsessed with the idea of doing Kate and Peter's TT this July...

This class was just so PERFECT and what I needed - It was this sign to me SHOUTING that things are going to turn out okay eventually, even if not right away. In fact, I think it will take time, but it will be well worth it.