Day 3 -- Yoga is sooo hard!

So I just got back from Yoga Nidra, Sleeping Yoga, and I am kinda mad. 'Cause I slept though the whole thing!!!

I did sleep through it, but I'm not mad. I'm relaxed. I heard from other participants (there were about 20, I think; it was really popular) that they were able to achieve very deep relaxation. There will be another one in late October, and I hope to go to that one and stay awake during the Sleeping Yoga. Wait -- is that a good goal?

Before that, there was Meditative Yoga with Jennifer, which I used to attend before Greenbelt Om even existed. This is a really interesting style of yoga that I'd never run into before. One of her special techniques is tension and release. She has you strongly tense and quickly release various parts of your body: feet, lower legs, knees, upper legs, and so on, up to even the scalp. I asked her how I can really release the tension, because I'm better at clenching than relaxing. She said to either think of the release as a sudden gush of water, or not to clench so tightly so that I can release more easily. I tried her first suggestion and it was pretty helpful. I found that releasing my breath sharply as I released the tensed area was the most effective way.

I would highly recommend this class to people who want to get into yoga. The postures aren't too difficult, and Jennifer has a beautiful voice and a really understanding way of conducting the class. One of the best parts is that she sings at the end of the class. She sings to you to relax the various parts of your body. She sings to your feet and to your scalp and everything in between.

Lunchtime Yoga, with Adi Trakich substituting for Debbie Martin, was just as advertised. Really vigorous, and definitely for the most advanced. I don't know how Debbie teaches, but Adi was a delight.

Adi the Hottie was a hilarious teacher, cracking jokes and enjoying the squirrels outside the windows. He asked us to tell the class something about ourselves as well as just our names. If there had been a yoga scene in the book "Everything is Illuminated", Adi would have been there.

At some point, Adi did this complicated move where he basically bent over sideways, clasped his arms between his legs, then stood up on one leg and held the other leg out upwards. He encouraged us to do it too ("Obviously you all have PhD's in yoga") but I just sort of stared in amazement, coming out of the pose he had talked us into, just to watch him do it. One other woman in the class was also able to do it. Clearly I have (maybe) a bachelor's degree in yoga, compared to them.

But I'll be back tomorrow for more yogacation. In other yogacation news, I didn't take any naps today, except --ahem-- at yoga class. I went to the dentist and it was the most funnest dentist visit ever. Tomorrow I plan to buy shoes. This is just grueling, I tell you.