Auspicious Beginning

There were cars in the parking lot when I got to practice at the new place this morning. Unlike last week, when I was a week early...

Already a bunch of folks in the midst of their suryas. The usual suspects and a few new faces. It was weird to be in a new space--the light felt a little bright and whereas at Volleyball Guy's place we were so packed in that your drishti got really close, at the Starbucks of Yoga Studio there is enough room that folks spread out and you can see people all the way across the room from you.

Plus the room is round--yes, a cylindrical room. I pretty much hate it, because I can't orient myself in space (it's weird how much we expect rooms to be rectangular), and because it is painted white, so basically, it's like floating in space. Sheesh. I'm sure I'll get over myself and get used to it. After all, I had a heck of a time at first in the yoga room here in my house: I would flip over in the prasaritas and kind of get vertigo from the vaulted ceiling. I always feel like I am hanging in there, drishti-wise, but apparently there is a split second where I orient myself kinesthetically by looking at the floor or the ceiling. Maybe with lots of practice that will go away. Maybe I will be able to let go of my attachment to up and down and give up that sort of control. In the past, I've gotten so relaxed in ardha baddha padmottansana that I start to fall forward. Luckily, the pain of first a right and now a left knee injury keep me from getting too cozy these days and rolling over ;-)

So the room was warm and the practice was good. A nice deep hanumanasana, which is kind of funny, because I haven't been practicing hanumansana and samakonasana at home--it's been a once-a-week-when-I-have-to-at-Saturday-led kind of thing.

Scary adjustment in the forward bending part of samakonasana (no idea what that's called...), which is always exciting. My leg was shaking uncontrollably and I suddenly had this urge to do a fake yelp to see how fast Volleyball Guy would jump up. LOL! No, I didn't do it, but I think it's funny that I was inventing a little joke even as my nervous system was rebelling. That can only be a good thing.

Volleyball Guy gathered us all together as The Other Dave, who was first to get to closing poses, was finishing up. Everyone into padmasana to chant the Mangala Mantra and Om Shanti, in honor of our new beginning in a new space.

Home really is where the heart is.