Without the Fanfare

I took my first class ever this past Thursday night with Christina Sell. The class really rocked, and I'm told there's a guy out there named Jesse who actually sweats more than I do! The class had such a positive and welcoming aspect to it, due to the wonderful people in attendance, something I love about doing yoga--you get to surround yourself with people who are open to life, and exude love and friendliness. It was a unique evening in several ways that really have no apparent connection other than they happened within a short space of time. I ran into a guy I hadn't seen in a long time, and he's in a place of fear and anger that took me by surprise, and I found myself having to establish a clear boundary with him, stepping up my assertiveness, and then walking away after realizing he would not honor my refusal to engage in scurrilous gossip with him. I saw another guy I hadn't seen in a longer while and got a nice hello and a warm hug from him, which was really sweet. Then during class the IT band of my left leg, behind the knee, apparently crossed over, or got crossed over, with the tendon and when it crossed back into position it made a loud popping sound that not only startled the hell out of me, it got the teacher's attention and I think most people in the room heard it. I now know that it's not that uncommon an occurence and I felt no pain, just a tiny bit of soreness yesterday, and during subsequent practices I found myself unable to do Garudasana and Padmasana with that leg, but I think in a couple of days or so all will be back to normal. Still, I wonder what caused that to happen?

Practice on Saturday with Cary was really special, and in recognition of the Winter Solstice he led us through a wonderful opening meditation, an intense vinyasa flow, then a closing meditation before Savasana. A trio of us did some giggling in class when our windshield wiper legs collided but it was fun and harmless. The essence of Savasana, stillness and silence, is not meant to bring an end to our playful endeavors, but to pay homage to the work our bodies have done and to touch in with inner waters of stillness, try to slow the ripples of the mind, and prepare ourselves for the many deaths and births we will experience, both literally and metaphorically. To die, but not to sleep.

Earlier this month my partner and I quietly and without fanfare, as is our style, celebrated our 34 years together as a couple. We had hoped that by this time in our relationship the political, social, and legal systems would recognize our partnership and grant us the same rights as those of opposite sex relationships but that didn't happen. It would be nice, but as Joni Mitchell sings, we don't need no piece of paper from the city hall, keeping us tight and true...

I always love practicing with Keith at Dharma, and did my second class observation with him on Sunday, then joined in the vinyasa flow class afterwards. In my opinion, he ranks among the very best teachers in Austin. A woman named Cherry I was talking with after class suddenly said "it's a great time to be alive". That really struck a note with me.

Peaceful Holidays