This week’s theme was balance. We looked at balance in a broader, deeper way. Not in such a precise or fussy way.
The word balance can sometimes be overused. I’m not sure we’re ever in perfect balance or if that’s even the goal. I think we’re always ebbing and flowing, pulsating in and out of balance. We know when we feel that stable contentment, and we feel when we’ve gotten too scattered or off center.
I asked students this week to think about balance beyond the traditional standing on 1 leg poses. We did practice some balancing poses, W3 in particular. However, students were invited to think about balance in the hips, shoulders, front to back, side to side, effort with effortlessness, inhales balanced with exhales, and any other way the word made sense to them. Balance might be an extra childs pose or a longer, deeper hold in a challenging asana. As students set their intentions, I encouraged them to let the concept of balance soak into their breath, their intentions, the fabric of their being.
Requests were taken for any pose a student felt would bring their body & mind into alignment. Dancer and camel were favorites. Poses included cresent with a side bend, some core work in side plank on forearms, crow, messy dog, triangle to half moon to revolved half moon, and a variety of work in Warrior 3. Each class varied a bit. We did W3 at the wall with blocks under our hands, with our hands pressing against the wall, alone in the middle of the room, and a crowd favorite was warrior 3 in rows holding each others shoulders! In a couple classes we added Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana as we stood in rows and held each other’s heels. Class rounded out with pigeon, camel variations and alternate nostril breathing to balance the two sides of the brain. Thanks for your dedication.
Namaste, Lynn
