Welcome...

I think the biggest surprise last night at our welcome was the sheer volume of the class manual we received. It requires two hands. I enjoy being consistently impressed by yoga’s ability to transform and humble – you know, the way you feel when you know a class of 35 or so is going to explore your body with the most scrutinous and meticulous eyes possible. Kind of like the way people were checking out the collection of Bernini pieces parked at the Getty right now.

There were a few exercises aimed at cultivating such an eye, which is something I'm sure we'll soon improve. What is it, exactly, to examine (or behold) a stranger so intimately?
Okay, okay, so ultimately, I'll probably be forced to get over my insecurities about extreme observation. I can appreciate the relationship a yogi has with anatomy.

Today's classroom practice involved exploring tadasana, or, for laypeople, the “foundational” asana. About an hour and a half of today’s class was devoted to tadasana, in all it’s glory and expression. Talk about a test of mental and physical stamina. Tadasana is not too challenging, but the length of time the pose is sustained can make it dramatically more difficult. Granted, lots of time is spent observing, but if we devote this much time to, say, chair pose, I think I might cry. No doubt there are more extreme things on the way.

And for extreme, I should mention that I decided my new schedule creates a terrific chance to do a detox. I'm trying a prepared raw master cleanse. I've heard it's easier to fast when you're really busy. I hope that's the case, since I rarely control where my mind is. I hope to make it to day 10...