Child's Play?

"Life is not a dress rehearsal. Stop practicing what you're going to do and just go do it. In one bold stroke you can transform today." ~Marilyn Grey

Yoga is often portrayed as a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation. I consider myself a novice in the art of yoga, having just started out, but I'm already aspiring to become a full-fledged yogi in a year's time. I'm aware that what I'm about to say is terribly cheesy, but I can't help but feel that yoga found me, more than I found it. I've come to a place in my life where I find myself finally ready to make exercise the focal point in my daily regimen, in order to strengthen my lungs, improve my breathing capacity, achieve a sense of calm, a state of relaxation - overall, I want to become more aware of the ebb and flow of energy throughout my body to enhance my quality of life. I believe that yoga can help me accomplish this goal.

During my first 90 minute yoga session, I found that many of the positions we were instructed to practice were a bit beyond my skill level. Okay. In truth, almost all the positions were beyond my ability. The other positions required a good amount of balance, utilizing muscles and movement that were foreign to me and my body. Merely attempting some of the positions was enough to push my body to its threshold, so I would revert into Child's Pose as a way of reigning myself back in. Admittedly, I assumed the Child's Pose for the majority of the class. I could hear the instructor's words repeating, "listen to your body," as I hovered over my green yoga mat. Why did my body insist on assuming this position? Was I hiding, in shame of myself? As the other students' limber bodies held their majestic Eagle Poses firmly, I kept my face down on the mat, a turtle retracted into its shell. I had already positioned myself in the back row of the class, in case an embarrassing situation just like this one arose. I like to think that no one aside from the instructor noticed, but who knows. It turns out that the Turtle - I mean, Child's Pose, is in fact a restorative yoga position that induces deep relaxation and even stimulates the pituitary gland. It's true. I noticed as soon as my forehead hit the mat, that I felt centered, and experienced a sense of peace. It's no wonder why a child resorts to this position after throwing a temper tantrum.

Child's Pose: Start on your hands and knees. Sit your tailbone back towards your heels, coming to sit on your calves. Bend your upper body forward, resting your chest on your thighs, your forehead on the floor, and your arms outstretched forward.

While my obvious physical shortcomings held me back a bit in my first yoga session, I'm proud to say that I've definitely mastered the Child's Pose! According to Sri Dharma Mittra, there are at least 1,300 total variations of yoga positions. So, I guess that's 1 down, and about 1,299 to go! How many positions will I be able to master within a year's time? I'm certainly looking forward to finding out.