C-19: This Transition is a Big Deal

I am linking to an article by Aisha S. Ahmad called Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure which lays out the real priorities of right now: creating security in our immediate network, allowing a mental shift to occur once we feel foundations of safety, and then adjusting to a new normal with the return of some of our creative, engaged abilities.

The article reminded me of some experiences with taking faster-paced or flow-type yoga classes. In these classes, the instructor cues the students to move with each inhale and exhale. Inhale, raise your arms; exhale, fold into a forward bend, and so on. As I have both grown in my practice and my body has aged, I have come to realize that I can’t keep that pace on some more complex sequences. In a vinyasa class, I have only 1-2 good “vinyasas” in me, so I modify heavily or go in to child’s pose or downward facing dog for many of the vinyasa sequences.

I tend to teach a class with simpler flowing sequences and encourage taking one’s own pace because I realize the transitions are tricky. In moving from chataranga towards the ground and then into an upward facing dog, there can be a pressure to hit the new pose without getting there soundly. The wrists and elbows can take the brunt of those quick moves.

I want to offer permission on and off the yoga mat to create safety before shifting our mind and then moving through the transitions.

See you tomorrow.