Letting Go and Giving In to Trust

What do you ponder as you wait for Yoga Class to begin?  This weekend I took to the hills of Ubud, Bali to take some time out for myself and give my undivided attention to my Practice.  Yet as I sat on my yoga mat,  in this town steeped in Yoga Culture, waiting for the class to begin, I wondered to myself what I would be able to take away from this class to incorporate into my own Teaching style.  Ordinarily I LOVE AcroYoga but on this particular day I was feeling a bit tired and just having got over a touch of the flu earlier in the week I have to admit I hadn't chosen to attend the class purely for my own growth and enjoyment.  I had a new class-concept in mind for my classes and thought I might be able to glean something from this teacher to meld into the mix.

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.

 Nearing the end of our Acro session I began to see the parallels between my experiences that day on the mat and the Transitional stage I was going through off the mat. Just as I had to trust in my Flying Partners not to let me fall I have to trust that everything in Life happens for a reason, letting go of my fears and embracing the Universes' divine plan for me.  No matter what happens there will always be someone (or something) there to catch you when you fall and we shouldn't let our fears hold us back from reaching our full potential as Human Beings!  We are all destined for some form of Greatness!  You need only to discover yours! ;)

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/

The Healthy Yogini Takes Flight!

A friend from Newfoundland came to visit us this week in our little corner of Paradise and she and I decided to head up to Ubud together to see the sights (which consist mostly monkeys and rice paddies), eat Delicious food (and most of it was healthy too!) and partake in some delightful Yoga.  It was her first time visiting Bali and she immediately fell in love with Ubud just as I did the on my first visit.  While we were there we had the opportunity to take part in a Flying Yoga class, which is a blend of Acro Yoga, Thai Yoga Massage, and Hatha Yoga.  And I have to say a little flight was just what I needed!

I have been living in Bali for about two months now and though I know it sounds hard to believe, it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows for me.  This move has taught me that no matter if you are moving to Antarctica or Fiji, uprooting your Life and leaving behind your Home and everyone you know can still be a pretty emotionally heavy ordeal.  And since arriving here I admit I have definitely been battling some loneliness and homesickness.  Living this past year in St. John's, Newfoundland was such a treat and such an easy transition that I wasn't fully prepared for the transition of moving all the way across the globe to a country where I don't speak the language or know anyone.  

So if the arrival of my Lovely friend Rhonda was just what I needed to lift my spirits, then attending this Flying Yoga class was the icing on the cake!  I had attended an Acro Yoga seminar once before and played around with a few flying poses with other yogi friends and really enjoyed it, so when I saw it on the schedule at Radiantly Alive Yoga Studio I suggested we try it (this was Rhonda's first Acro Yoga session).  

But I was completely unprepared for the level of connected-ness I felt to my partners (none of which ended up being my friend funnily enough).  We started the session by introducing ourselves to the group, and a brief warm-up while sitting knee to knee in a circle on our mats.  Next we linked arms and had to work as a group to stand as one unit, before walking the circle (created by our mats) periodically stopping and locking gazes with whomever was closest to us at the time.  Ordinarily I would feel a bit funny holding someones gaze for more than a few seconds but this exercise made me feel filled with the light of the other persons smiling eyes.  From there we split off into smaller groups of three and worked on Acro poses, consisting mostly of back bend variations like 'Whale'.  Our groups were made up of a 'Base' (person is the point of contact with the ground), a 'Flyer' (person who is elevated off the ground by the Base) and a 'Spotter' (person with objective view of Base & Flyer ensuring safety for both).  In order to perform the postures the three of us needed to work as a team, communicating and trusting that our group members would do their part and give us the support, guidance and leadership as we took turn playing each role within the poses.  Before we sealed in our Practice with one last resounding Om we went back around the circle and shared something we felt we had learned or experienced during the session.  I shared my experience of the Positive energy and connection flowing from one to the other as we practiced together.

                                                               Whale Pose Variation

Though practicing any form of Yoga technically makes you a part of the global yoga community, we often don't have the opportunity to connect with our fellow yogis in the everyday drop-in class.  We might practice next to the same person for months and not ever even say hello.  The beauty of Acro Yoga (and its' sister-style Partner Yoga) is that it brings yogis together to develop their practice in a direct, hands-on way, enabling you to step off your mat, build relationships with others, share some laughs and in turn gain perspective on the ups and downs of Life.

I left class that day feeling a redeveloped sense of belonging and connection to the Yoga Community at large.  In the midst of my emotional ocean of loneliness I had been thrown a raft, and though I am sure there will still be moments of loneliness/doubt in the future as I continue my Balinese Adventures, I know and trust that I will never truly be alone.  And if I get in really dire straights I can always high-tail it up to Ubud and take in another Flying Yoga class! ;)

For more information on Acro Yoga and to find a studio offering it near you click one of these links.

http://www.acroyoga.com/

http://www.acroyoga.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acroyoga

Until next time...

Be Happy, Eat Healthy!