波波：Yoga Journal -- It is good to be back

Just as I started to build a strong yoga practice, I had to stay away from my beloved Yoga studio for almost 2 months due to circumstances.  I managed to practice some poses at home, but it was not the same.  

As I started swimming and going back to the Gym two weeks ago, somehow I managed to stay away from Yoga practice.  There was a tiny voice somewhere telling me:"Hey, you can just swim through the summer... It is too hot to be in that 90 degree room.  Life goes on without Yoga."  I know I was just scared, scared of the imperfection in my poses, scared of practicing hand stand, scared of the unknown, scared of facing myself for 90 minutes.  One is totally exposed when one practices yoga.

The Mendusa Yoga mat stays in the trunk of the car, so I can drop by the studio whenever I can make to a class.  Tuesday evening as I was driving to the gym,  I turned to the opposite direction at the intersection to wards the studio.  There was a class in 10 minutes.  

The studio is exactly the same as 2 months ago.  Instead of the regular vinyasa flow class, there is a new teacher teaching a new class, Anusara Yoga. Christina, the petite seasoned teacher smiled at me :"Don't worry, you will do fine.".  

In the beginning of the class, Christina asked us how we should approach a challenging pose.  "Just do it?" someone answered.   "Well, actually not JUST do it, but do it with mindfulness and awareness" Christina smiled.  The word "mindfulness" set the tone for the rest 90 minutes of the class.  That afternoon, I did my first handstand with the help from a partner, which is something I thought I would never be able to do .. 

That afternoon,Yoga meant active and conscious detachment to me-- detachment from anxiety, anticipation and fear. 

It is great to be back!  I am truly grateful that I can still practice Yoga.