Transitions

The fall schedule is now in effect at Lulus and I am teaching a new class called Vinyasa Basics. I feel like a brand new teacher all over again. I was just getting comfortable with the old classes and whammo! Change! Its not a bad thing at all, mind you. In fact it is rather amusing to watch my own mind boomerang with just the slightest suggestion of change.

I am a creature of habit and I like routine. I have the illusion that it will all make my life predictable. I fall prey to abhinivesha, as translated by Ravi Ravindra as 'attachment to the status quo'. (Thank you to Kira for sharing this translation). Desire for a steady, predictable routine is not a particularly useful life skill, because, of course, life changes all the time.

The grip of abhinivesha occasionally kicks my ass. It reared its ugly head last night as a sat on my mat preparing for class. I had a hard time coming up with a sequence to teach and I started to panic. I googled vinyasa, watched videos, and consulted teacher training manuals. Although there was a lot of useful information, it all became totally overwhelming. I literally had to unplug and go to bed. I was on the brink of feeling like a total failure in life, but caught myself mid wallow to realize I was just plain ol' tired and trusted that a fresh morning perspective is what I really needed.

I woke up before the sun, made a cup of my favorite tea, and went into the studio to prepare for class. The space at Lulu's is especially lovely early in the morning. I had a few pages of notes I jotted down from my research the night before, but instead of relying on them for inspiration, I tossed them aside and sat for a while. (Its not a brave as it sounds...the notes were within arms reach and even though I didn't use them, I knew that they were there just in case!).

I asked myself the following questions:

What is vinyasa?

What are the essentials of vinyasa?

What does vinyasa mean to me?

Why do I like vinyasa?

What are some fun poses to 'vinyasa'?

One of the reasons I practice vinyasa is because I love the transitions between the poses. Poses, in and of themselves, are interesting of course, but for me there is a richer depth of connection when I move in and out of them with intention and breath. It helps me gain some perspective on the situation as well as stay in the flow of Yoga.

For many years I have been a selective yogi, a yogi of convenience. When things get difficult, or unpredictable, I can resort to ego in a New York minute. My practice lately is set with the intention to practice yoga all the time. Not just on the mat, not just when things are dandy, but rather in times when I need grace the most. Which is pretty much all time if I want to get downright honest about my life.  

I realize I'm drawn to the vinyasa practice because it is a safe place to practice moving through transitions with grace. It is not only periods of transition in my life that are difficult to navigate, but it is also the spot in my teaching that needs some attention. For example, instead of simply saying, "from Ardha chandrasana, move to standing splits", it would perhaps be more useful to say "keep your right leg extended behind you, float your right hand down to the floor, roll your right hip in line with the left,  balance the weight between your right and left hand, drop your head, tiptoe your hands a little closer to your left foot, spread your left toes, rooting down through your foot, breathe the right leg up towards the sky to standing splits." Or some version like that. This is one of the areas of work for me in teaching Vinyasa Basics. This is super fun stuff to play with! 

I tend to blow through transition instructions with the same inattention and lack of awareness that I treat the transitions in my daily life. Until now I haven't taken the time to smell the roses or navigate the thorns. In yoga as in life, transitions are part of the practice. It is all yoga. I'm learning to own this space, stay in the flow, and practice all yoga, all the time.

Today I am inspired with the possibility of noticing and enjoying my  life in its entirety. Today I am a grateful, brand spankin' new Vinyasa Basics teacher. Yee HAA!