As we sat in a circle, a small group of yogis from all over of the globe, we went from person to person and introduced ourselves and shared what it was we were hoping for in the class. And though my thoughts had been very directed at "take-home" knowledge while waiting for class to start I found myself saying (and feeling) that I was open to whatever came from the class. And boy am I glad that I set aside my "Teacher-education" mentality, otherwise I would have missed out on a very valuable lesson that the Practice and my fellow Yogis were waiting to impart.
The instructor, Sarah, broke us up into two groups of three people (don't you love small yoga classes!), demonstrated the first Acro pose we would undertake and our work together began. Each one of us took a turn being the "Flyer" (the person who gets lifted), the "Base" (the person who does the lifting) and the "Spotter" (the person who keeps everyone safe). Now you'll remember I said I wasn't feeling particularly strong or vital that day, however I had in my group a lovely couple, the male counterpart Christopher being a good foot taller than me and at least 50 lbs heavier, and the female Maria who had a reoccuring low back injury. Due to Maria's back injury and despite my initial internal hesitation I was to be the Base to Christophers' Flyer, challenging my physical body and my confidence in doing so (don't worry they both survived!). The boost to my confidence in my physical strength was just a side effect however of the real outcome of this Practice for me.
My Husband, Dave and I recently learned that despite our initial intentions our time in Bali was coming to an end and we would be returning well ahead of schedule to Canada. Now for those of you who know me personally you will know that I am a Lady who likes to have a Plan and when something messes with the plan I have in my head of how things should go I become troubled (some might even say Grouchy lol). I know this is not very Yogic, but it is one of my Samskaras (habits) that I am aware of and trying to work on. The prospect of going Home early excited me, but for all the excitement I couldn't quite let go of my fear of the Unknown. What would happen? What would my Life with my Husband look like in 6 months? 2 years? 10 years? These were and are Big questions!
Working together in this Acroyoga class: communicating, building strength and confidence, and trusting in one another, helped me to realize that by holding onto my fear of the Unknown I am holding myself back from achieving GREAT things! In order to come into this series of poses building to Star Pose (pictured below) we had to trust that the Base would support our weight and that the Spotter would be there behind us to catch us if we began to fall. For those of you who have ever done "Trust Falls" at camp, seminars or workshops, you have some concept of what that feels like, that sensation of 'Blind-Trust' and how difficult it can sometimes be to achieve. Each time I leaped into a Wide-legged Handstand I had to trust that there was someone there in the background to provide adjustment, guidance and support if I needed it.
Just a little "Mat-Wisdom" from Me to You, share, like, subscribe or add your own wisdom below in the comments section.
Be Happy, Eat Healthy!
Links:
Radiantly Alive Yoga Studio, Ubud, Bali http://www.radiantlyalive.com/
