Lady Lavender: Divinity in progress...

Restorative Yoga?: What's that?

So, this time I went to a restorative yoga class. I was thinking that it was going to be a class where the instructor walks around and corrects your positions, etc. But, it turned out to be a class where I almost just slept the whole time.. It was great! I mean, I felt a little bad at first for thinking that it was a waste of time until I noticed the young man in front of me. He was quite young, about 24ish so it seemed and he had sort of a sideways slump in his torso. It also appeared that his side was a bit turned inward. His friend, sister or partner was definitely helping him along as we did some of the moves.

I tried focusing on myself but I couldn't help but pay more attention to the young man. What had happened to him I wondered? Is it curable? Is it from an accident? Was he born that way? I suddenly found myself off in curiosity land, contemplating every possible scenario. The last thing that went through my mind was how is this easy class helping this guy? I didn't think it would be helpful to him at all until I noticed that in the beginning of the class, he was very much slumped over. After a few moves, he was able to sit up straighter and taller but his friend kept helping him out. Finally, towards the end of the class, he was able to sit straight up, nice and tall on his own. He held the sitting pose for at least 2 seconds before he released himself back into his normal slump. He was tired and I could see his face turning red. His friend and the teacher gave him a hearty pat on the back and I could tell that he was giving it a lot of effort and what it must be like to have come so far. Being able to do that, must have been a milestone for him.

He was assisted during much of the class but I could see that as he progressed, he was starting to understand how to do the simple poses and how to situate himself. He was putting so much effort forth on trying to do the hands and knees or cat pose, that I believe he needed to take a break a few times. I suddenly found myself feeling a little bad for thinking how easy things were for me but then, I started thinking about the man in front of me. Look how much this simple class is helping him - I thought. Look at how dedicated he is to try to get himself back in order and look how pleased he is with himself. I started to rethink why I was there. . . I observed the man one more time and I was taken with happiness. I was glad he was there and I was happy to see someone with a will take charge of mind, body and soul. I was thankful to witness his effort or struggle be it doctor recommended or personal. I was joyous to think about myself and the very reasons I came - to heal. We were all there to heal and improve our mind, body, and spirit.
The experience of the restorative class became much more precious to me. I didn't have to feel like my body had gotten a heavy workout in order to be pleased and satisfied with my progress. I was thankful that I have a goal and that I'm sticking to it.

After class, I made the commitment and bought myself an unlimited monthly pass. Now, I have to use it!