Written on February 4, 2009
I had to write this right away. I had to get out what I am feeling right now because I am not sure I would be able to explain it later. At this moment I feel like I've just had a full body massage, a couple glasses of wine and a vacation. All I really had was a Kripalu class at YogaVT.
"Kripalu Yoga combines postures, breath work, inner focus and personal awareness. Classes explore the release of blocked energy and the integration of emotion. The Kripalu experience is centered upon knowing the body while achieving balance of mind." This is from their website. Emily was our instructor.
I attended with my friend Connie. We thought we were taking a Jivamukti class. Yeah, I had never heard of that before. I could barely pronounce it. I'm not sure what the class is about nor do I care at this particular moment. The Jivamukti class wasn't this evening. Tonight's class was Kripalu. Either way I had no idea what I was in for.
Still feeling a little anxious from my Bikram experience I went in and laid my mat down. Once I did that I realized A)My mat had been in the car for several days and was cold and B) I had never brought it in the house from sweaty Bikram so it was wet and NASTY. Luckily they had extra mats and let me use one. There was a gigantic forced hot air vent pumping full blast in to the room. I am very worried and thinking to myself "holy crap, please don't tell me Kripalu is secret code for hot yoga". Looking around at the way people are dressed helps calm me a little. People definitely had more clothes on in this place. One woman even had on a hoodie. The stupid heater just kept blasting though. Finally the instructor came in , turned down the thermostat and the beast shut off.
We started in a seated position with a single chant of Om/Aum. I have to admit when I first did Yoga a while ago, the whole premise of the chant escaped me. I thought it was ridiculous. Then in one my buying binges I bought the P90X DVDs. I seem to collect workout DVDs. You've seen it on TV. Tony Horton telling you that you can get completely ripped in 90 days! So there is a Yoga DVD and it is killer. They end with I think, six chants of Om. Tony says, "This is not a cult or a religion it is just Oms.... You are basically massaging your central nervous system" Before hearing this I have to admit it was hard for me to get in to the whole Om thing. I felt silly. But massaging my central nervous system sounded like a good idea. So we started Kripalu with a single Om.
The rest of the class moves at a most humane pace. Emily's voice is calm, soothing, slow and soft without being annoying. You know the type that is monotone, slow and so annoying that it makes you want to punch somebody? Yeah, she was not that. She gave clear concise instruction and gentle correction. In down dog she came and placed the heel of her hand on my lower back and pushed. Now, of all the poses, I thought I had down dog...well, down. Apparently I wasn't down enough. Emily placed the palm of her hand on the base of my spine. It wasn't forceful or anything, just a steady pressure sending my butt and hips farther back than I was able to make them go on my own. Fine.
The class was made up of a mix of young, older, men and women. Everyone seemed friendly and accepting. There were experts and newbies. I fell somewhere in the middle. I know most of the poses and can get in and out of them OK. My form may not be perfect but I try. I was trying to take this whole experience in and just absorb it. A few times I got interrupted and reverted back to middle school. I am pretty sure there were some people there who were regretting their choice in lunch because several times someone let some very loud gas escape. I focused on my pose and my breath. Someone releases yet another *frrrrttt*. I focus on my pose and not so much nose breathing this time. OK, it is human everyone does it. I get over it and continue. Emily guides us into a pose, whose name I can't remember, but I do remember that it sounded like Rice Krispies in there. There were knees and ankles popping like crazy.
We continued moving in and out of poses. We did an inverted pose. A twisting pose. All in all it was not very strenuous but yet in still I feel like there were some muscles worked. Then it gets towards the end. I know this because she tells us to lie down on our back and prepare for shavasana/corpse pose. It is at that point I realize that at no time during the entire class did I look for a clock. I didn't find myself wondering "is this going to be over soon" I get bored easily and this happens frequently with me. But not this evening. I had reached the end and was focused on one thing for more than 30 seconds.
Emily shuts off the lights. Everyone is on their backs, palms up, feet together, eyes closed breathing regularly. There is some guided meditation then silence. Well it was almost silent. As I am talking the thoughts out of my head by repeating to myself over and over "clear head, meditation" over and over I get interrupted by a *snnoort*. I shake it off and continue trying to clear the day from head. Trying not to think of what I have to do at home. Clearing out what I should have done today and didn't. Clearing it all out. Then again *snnnnnnorrt*. I think to myself, "did someone fall asleep and start snoring?. I shake it off and continue my meditation and then yeah, it happens again I am preeety sure that someone isn't just super extra congested back there. Once I've identified it I can ignore it. So I did.
Emily turned on the light and asked us to roll on to our right side. Then push ourselves up to a seated position. We sit cross legged or criss cross applesauce, as the kids say now. We end with Oms. I think there were three or four Oms then three shantis and then three or four more Oms. I've since gotten over my fear of Oms and belted them out loud and strong. So strong that I could feel my insides reverberating. There is the massage to the central nervous system. As this is going on I am struck by how beautiful it sounds. There were close to 30 people in that room and the sound of Oms was, was, I'm having a hard time finding the right word. It was hauntingly beautiful. We ended with our hands to heart and Namaste.
I've never done any of those 60s mind bending drugs. Mainly because I was born in 1970, but you know the ones they talk about on the TV shows, where everyone is all mellow and dancing. Everyone is happy and has a stupid smile on their face and you wondering what the hell they are so happy about?! Yeah, well THAT is how I felt. I had this stupid smile on my face. My eyes were half cocked and I was moving slow. I don't move slow. EVER. I always have to be somewhere yesterday. Tonight I was moving slow. I was moving slow and I liked it. I felt relaxed and happy.
Yay for Kripalu and thank you Connie!
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