Joie de Vivre

Participation report for March, 2009 (second of two): Six p.m. all-levels class at WLY, 3/25/09, taught by Beverly.

I hope this doesn't seem more like a personal letter than a formal report for a class, but I have to tell you I've never done a yoga participation that made me feel better than this one. Before class started I didn't know what to expect. The instructor, a woman of mature years whom I had never met before, conveyed a serious and intentional but at the same time very relaxed and friendly attitude that put everyone immediately at ease. There were eleven participants including me, and one observer.

We started with seven or eight minutes of directed breathing, and I noticed my breath was unusually short and labored. I hoped it wouldn't get in the way of a successful practice.

Starting with tadasana, the instructor had us incorporate a mild twist, optimally while up on the balls of the feet, although those who had trouble balancing were encouraged to include the twists with feet on the floor. I had never seen this before, but found it valuable. Balance poses are therapeutic for people with Parkinson's Disease.

We moved into cakravakasana/child's pose, a kind of flow with arm and leg lifts incorporated. The movements were precise, but the demands they made on each of us were no more than anyone could handle, as we were instructed several times to do no more than our bodies could comfortably execute. "Always listen to your body," was the specific advice the instructor gave us in that regard.

The first suite of poses transitioned into a down dog, and from there we went into prone postures -- salabhasana and bhujangasana with various arm sweeps -- the suite of cobra poses. I allowed my breath to get a little too ragged here, and finally checked myself, slowed it down, and re-established the linkage between respiration and movement. One thing I noticed is that my back is getting stronger, but I never push it to the limit.

Standing poses came next, both symmetrical and asymmetrical forward bends, and they felt very good. However, Parsvottanasana required a degree of muscular exertion that left me struggling for air, so I stopped and stood against the back wall for a minute to recover my breath. I always set up in the row closest to the back wall just for this reason.

Every Viniyoga class seems to assume a kind of triangular shape, with the level of exertion in the poses gradually increasing to a high point that generally peaks with a trikonasana of the utthita kind. I was able to perform this movement well except for the up-and-over sweep of the right arm, as I'm still having a bit of trouble with the shoulder on that side. The instructor noted approvingly that several of us were adapting the poses to our individual requirements.

We went into a supine posture for several minutes. Jathara parivrtti both followed and preceded apanasana, and during this twisting motion the teacher noted that this movement is a tonic for the nerves. It certainly was in my case, but more about that later. We ended with dvipada pitham bridges and savasana.

I came out of that class feeling physically better than I did going in, but what I noticed most was a remarkable elevation in my outlook and attitude. The mental effect was both surprising and welcome, and on the boat going home I felt really glad to be alive. I recalled Gary Kraftsow's words which I noted at the beginning of his Viniyoga introductory workshop I attended in Marin County eleven months ago: "the purpose of this is to enhance the flow of one's life."

This was a great class, and the flow of my life is definitely enhanced.