This week the theme was repetition and artistry. Sometimes repetition might seem boring or dull. But repetition has another side. In its familiarity, it can be soothing, comforting and even free the mind. When we don’t have to concentrate so hard on learning something for the first time, space can open up in the mind and allow for observations and learning. The artistry is your own personal expression that you add to the poses. So when we repeated poses, yogis may have craved to feel what it felt like to do the pose over in a similar way, or on the second round, they may have wanted to modify within the repetition with their own arm or leg variation.
Class opened with a few words I wrote about artistry that I read to students while they connected with their ujjiyi breath. They began moving breath through the spine in cat and cow and into warming sun salutations. They repeated a few extra surya namaskar As in which they could modify with their choice of backbend. Two repetitions of classic surya namaskar B were followed by side plank and into some standing sequences. Those sequences were repeated twice and started with the placeholder of warrior 2 and flowed into “no hands” exalted warrior into “no hands” parsva konasana. Partner squat allowed for a friendly break greeting a neighbor, and then into two rounds of triangle followed by two rounds of tree.
Yogis emanated steadiness in breath and footing, and the energy seemed more focused on the second round of a pose. They ventured into watery spiders for the hips, onward to pigeon, two backbends and closing with two supine twists. In savasana, yogis pictured themselves as a field of flowers. Their breath the sunshine and water. As they visualized sinking into the soil & imagining all those petals unfolding, I encouraged them to feel deeper into the diamond-like light in the center of their being and to let their nervous system relax into the subtle glow. I thank my teacher, MC Yogi, for inspiration in those closing words. To our yoga community…. namaste, Lynn
