I went to yoga that morning feeling weak. I was second guessing my plans for the day. Should I go to the morning class or should I wait until the afternoon? Should I get out and hike instead? Do I just want to lie on the couch all day? The answer to the last question was a big ‘yes’ and for this reason, I forced myself to go to yoga.
The teacher was one that I had never had before and I was hoping that I didn’t make the wrong decision by coming to this class— I’m picky about my yoga instructors. She started the class by saying that we would work our way to the Lotus pose. Then she started telling us the story behind the lotus. It grows from mud and murk and seeking light, it breaks through the dark to the surface to become a beautiful flower. The flower can only do this because it has a strong root and seeks to bloom from the negative into the sunshine.
“I get it!” I thought to myself. “That’s what I am trying to do!”
In yoga, you set your intention at the beginning of class. To yourself, you whisper what you want to accomplish with that hour of practice. Then you bring your hands to your heart space and seal that intention. That day, my intention was to appreciate my body for what it could do, instead of cast negative opinions towards the poses that I couldn’t quite get. Positive not negative.
I glided through my practice feeling strong and able and beautiful. When most of the class went into a headstand, I hung out with my feet on the ground, recognizing that my body was not quite able to do that. But my Triangle pose was awesome with the help of a small block, and my Flipped Dog was powerful. And then when it came time to do Lotus, I found myself easily getting into the position, one of the only successful yogis in the class to do so.
As I sat there, legs twisted like a pretzel, feet facing up to the sky, ready to receive, I gave thanks to my roots and promised to let them bloom.