Too Soon to Retreat?
After all my searching, finally, a woman named Gail from Unique Yoga Retreats in San Jose took pity on me and suggested I meet a young yoga teacher in San Francisco named Jason
I check my mind at the door and go with her to beginners’ class. Jason seemed like a regular guy, so I went with it. I took his class and then agreed to some private lessons. A few weeks in, I can at least emulate a feeble Downward-Facing Dog.
Jason, it so happens, said he plans on taking his first group on a retreat to Mexico the next month. I asked him if I should go—if I could even fake it. He said I could give it a try.
Inside I feel he is challenging me—or laughing at me—which I don’t know. I think I might be up for the challenge.
Comments
i'm going to go with challenging you. as long as you are putting yourself into it, it doesn't matter whether your downward dog looks like it's "supposed" to or not. yoga is more than turning yourself into a pretzel. i say go for it!
Posted by: nora | February 12, 2007 07:59 PM
Hi Mark,
If you feel up for it, go to the retreat. Challenging yourself is an important part of finding out what can do and where your limits are... you may surprise yourself!
Posted by: Kierin | February 16, 2007 04:22 AM
I think that it is great that you are willing to go on a group retreat. It should prove to be very good and enlightening. Plus you should learn new poses to help you get fit. I have not been, but would like to go on a retreat like that sometime. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Mark Christiansen | February 17, 2007 12:02 AM
That downward dog? You've worked into it and it's the small discoveries of what your body can do are the things that you can celebrate.
Relax. Don't worry about keeping up with anyone. Enjoy all the poses, each week you'll get further along. It's your practice and no one else's. Have fun in Mexico and remember...even your teacher was a beginner at one time!
Posted by: kanani | February 24, 2007 04:48 AM
I was interested in your experience at Bikram Yoga. It seemed from the start of the Heal Thyself Mark' Story page 87 that your first experience with Yoga did not proceed as you would have expected.
Before I ask the question that came to my mind, I want to let you know that you and I share some striking similarities. Both of us have short arms and legs, barrel chests and knee injuries/degeneration. I have renamed our physique the 'The Lotus hates ME� physique.
In addition to these contrarian yoga physiques we also share a slavish passion for work, the people our work serves, and food. I think your latest yoga teacher said this best when he said "core are fine..., he's (and I) allowed them to go fairly dormant..." Ouch. I prefer to think of my belly as growing larger to enlarge my ability to feel empathy for more people but I think the reality is more along the lines of Crandel's thinking.
So, my question is why did you stop the Bikram Yoga series? Bikram is not offering any magic bullets (the marketing is different from the series) nor does it repair blown meniscus tissue but after five and a half years of three to five classes per week I have succeeded in greatly strengthen my knee, body, endurance, well-being and my ability to be patient, especially with myself.
This past summer I went to a five day Bikram Yoga session at the Hilton in Las Vegas. What a gas living life at two ends of the life�s spectrum. Although I struggled through the Lotus part of the sessions I stood out in the head stand, shoulder stand, peacock and other upper and mid body poses. You and I may never execute a perfect sitting lotus but I bet we will turn some heads with our upper strength and core balance.
By the way, 85% of the people at this Bikram seminar were instructors and had mind blowing yoga poses. During the torturous Lotus series, Bikram in his calm and gentle way yelled and pointed at me saying -- "FAT BOY YOU COULD DO LOTUS IF YOU LOST THAT BELLY...!!!" Without mincing words he let me know that I had to change fundamentally (brain and body) to achieve Lotus.
Then, when the class reached the inverted balancing postures Bikram watched me intently as I easily and without assistance balanced on my forearms. "Good boss, Good" he said. Then he jumped off the stage ran over and helped me achieve as close as an approximation of Scorpion my body has ever allowed.
Why do I tell you about the Bikram sessions? Because like you, I went into the yoga room at the Hilton (filled with truly gifted yogis and yoginis) with trepidation and uncertainty. I suffered but achieved; got broken down but rebuilt; started out lonely but met great friends and in the end as Bikram lowered my legs out of the pose, the entire class cheered and clapped for me. It was not so much that the pose was beautiful or perfect it wasn�t. It was, I believe, that the class and I caught a brief glimpse of my eternal soul - bright, light and full of energy.
Go to the retreat, come back to Bikram. Open yourself to finding that brightness, lightness and energy again. The alternative is like asking in court a question you don�t know the answer to � you are at the mercy of any direction the answer takes you.
Regards,
Jim Smith
Posted by: James Smith | February 26, 2007 08:51 PM