Nothing Like a Good Kick to the Head

Yoga is a funny thing.  It actually makes people nicer.  It brings awareness to one's self and in turn makes you more aware of and more compassionate to those around you. Watching people place their mats down before class is always interesting.  The studio is going to get completely full so the mats will end up close to one another no matter what, and the goal is to stagger them so you can spread your arms wide without hitting thy neighbor.  But newbies don’t have the experience to know this yet – and often shy away from being too close to another person during practice.  They become territorial about their space and might pretend to be asleep or deep in a warm-up pose when someone looks to fit in next to them.  The tactic rarely works, but hey, they are new.

Yoga has a lot to do with being humble.  And the funny thing about being humble is that it comes and goes.  We are proud creatures.  And yoga is another way to practice the line between humility and confidence.  Difficult but possible.

Yesterday, I got to the studio a little bit early so I had my pick of spots to lay my mat.  I watched people file in and make room for others and I watched people guard their space.  The guy to the left of me did not stagger his mat even though he had plenty of room to do so.

While surveying the scene, I realized that there was a part of me that was in judgment.   It was a basics class and so I practice more than many of the people there.  I knew where to place my mat and knew where others should place there’s.  Of course, sometimes it’s best to just let things play out.  The newbies in the class would, over time, come to realize that they are better off with staggered mats.

Suddenly, I am cognizant that I'm up against something new.  Yoga is not about being “the best.”  And if we start striving for that label, we lose something in the effort.  Sure, it would be great to be able to do the most perfect Ardha Chandrasana, but that’s not what it’s about.  Waiting for class to start, I realized that by striving to be perfect, my humility was walking out the door.

And so, I spent yesterday’s class focused on being humble.  If I couldn’t go deep into a particular pose, that was fine.  I backed out a little bit.  I accepted that my practice is constantly evolving just like everyone else’s in the room.  That we have this in common.

This is another thing that I love about yoga.  It shows me things about myself that I can bring out of the studio and into my daily life.  It allows me to practice compassion and humility towards myself and others and helps me be mindful of both outside the studio.

And then, as a more tangible reminder to remain humble – and to ensure I was not getting too proud of my new awareness – the man in front of me came out of a back bend version of Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana and nailed me with his foot right on the top of the head.  BAM.  I saw a stars.  I was seriously stunned.

Apparently, the yoga gods needed to make sure I understood the day’s lesson.