Yoga in NC, Yoga in CA
From November 3rd through 10th of 2023, I went on a personal trip to California and Oregon. I taught a yoga session to my student JM the day before, and then said farewell to both work and teaching for a week. This vacation proved to be rejuvenating, helping me reconnect with the energy I need to do both of those things.
That said, I still participated in my teacher’s “Sequencing for the Nervous System” workshop on Saturday, November 4th. From a rented Air BnB bedroom in South San Francisco, I took advantage of the jet lag by waking up on time for the 9am EST workshop start time.
We started the workshop and got immediately into a practice session, which my teacher layers with didactic sessions in her workshops so that students get an experience of what she is lecturing about. On this particular morning, I did not feel so much like practicing yoga. My digestive symptoms were flared up from the stress of airplane travel the day before, and I felt bloated as well as congested from the air quality in the city.
And still, I practiced. The power of my teacher’s method, Subtle Yoga, was particularly evident to me on Saturday morning. For a morning practice, we start very slow. My teacher calls it “meeting the mood”. We start standing with easy movements like shifting side to side, before going into “quick energy movers” like Breath of Joy. We use the breath through out, practicing familiar poses such as Warrior 1 and Pyramid Pose with breath counting. The breath counting starts with 5 in, 5 out, and as we hold the pose we include a 1 count retention after the inhale. All of this works the breath, making the familiar poses more challenging. Warrior 3 becomes more dynamic with this type of breath counting, making the balancing aspect even more challenging. I keep my back toe on the floor and focus on my breath counting. It is a different type of yoga practice.
We come down to the floor and the breathing becomes more complex. We move in and out of a contralateral table top twist as we count the breath and increase the length of the exhale. I am starting to feel more at ease and more comfortable in my body.
At the end of practice we do a short s’avasana, and then begin pranayama. In all of the practice sessions in this “Sequencing for the Nervous System” workshop, we conclude practice with a pranayama session. I am reminded that this is the intention of physical asana practice; to prepare us for pranayama and meditation. I am better able to focus on my breath, and my breathing feels more at ease following practice. I am not so acutely aware of my digestive distress, and feel more regulated. We increase our exhale to up to 15 counts-5in, 1-2 pause, 15 out. My teacher reminds us not to “overbreath”. She describes some common symptoms like pressure in the eyes, dizziness, or nausea. The 15 out count is an invitation but as with all yoga we must listen to our body and find the edge-a place of challenge but no forcing. I get up to 15 out-my natural breath has always been characterized by surprisingly lengthy exhales. I wonder if that is true for everyone in the workshop.
After practice, I return to the antique Air BnB couch to listen to my teacher talk about the principles behind what she just taught us. I feel markedly better. The experience reminds me of how powerful this work is, and of how grateful I am for my teacher and her pioneering style in the yoga world. I want to get better at teaching the breathing aspects of yoga poses, and at helping my students feel better after our sessions.
