I love teaching the Monday night Men’s Class.
Each Monday I arrive to the studio at 6:30 to a group of guys sitting on their mats waiting for class to start. Some of them engage in a pre-class stretch leg stretch.
On Monday nights the men work hard, relax deeply and we laugh a lot.
Especially when Tom requests corpse pose ten minutes into the class. Or when I ask them to take their arms behind their back in reverse namaste position.
I am amazed at their progress – especially with foot and leg flexibility, with lifting their chests and with a certain sarvangasana pose that challenges even more seasoned yogis.
They are learning a lot.
And so am I!
In one of the more relaxing poses last night, it struck me to let them know that what they are doing is profound stuff.
People who seem flexible or more advanced in their yoga are not making any more gains than they are. Enlightenment does not come more easily to those who can touch their toes.
Here’s a great quote from Bryan Kest. He’s an ashtanga teacher, but he still has pretty good things to say : )
| There is no enlightenment at the end of a pose.
Actually, there is no end to these poses. It seems to me in a general sense we as a society are enamored with the mystical, mysterious, the unseen & unknown. We are looking for the hidden teaching, the secret scroll or fountain of youth, and of course heaven and hell. Yoga practice seems to be used to access some deeper dimension or some enlightened state. Understand right now there is no connection between flexibility and enlightenment. Your physical capabilities have nothing to do with higher consciousness. -Bryan Kest |
Namaste to all of you!