Mini-Yoga Intensive

Sometime in the past year, I lost my yoga mat. It was a nice one, natural rubber/jute surface that was sticky enough, dealt with moisture well (important for hot yoga), and it was a pleasant dark reddish purple color. I think I left it at a yoga studio. It had its faults; it was starting to shed bits of jute onto my clothing, but I wish my poor sleep-deprived self hadn't walked away from it. Meantime I've been using my husband's, which has an assortment of grime and smells like the floor of our older car. Which is to say: stale french fries.

For Christmas I received two beautiful yoga mats! One slate blue Jade that is a nice heavy weight, unrolls itself silently when you set it down, grippy without being sticky. The other turquoise with a pretty petal design, like Gaiam but a different brand, I think.

Because our former babysitter down the block is here on a holiday break from college, I took advantage of her a couple of days this week, and my husband's three day-weekend, and I'm lining up a mini-intensive this week. As things have worked out, it's going to be four to six of my favorite teachers. How clever I am.

Wednesday I went to a Vinyasa class at Hot Yoga of Laurelhurst taught by Megan Carroll. She inspired me to attend Samarya Center teacher training, and is flat-out awesome. The rigorous class started and ended with meditation and focused on core work and observing attachment and aversion.

Thursday I went to a Vinyasa class at Sutra Yoga taught by Angela Gayle. I hadn't seen Angela in over a year, and I was really looking forward to taking her class. I was pleasantly surprised when she remembered me and gave me a big hug! Her class was of course challenging and offered lots of choices for, as she puts it, "advancing practitioners." (With my extremely sporadic practice, rebuilding core muscles, and Achilles tendonitis, that ain't me, but I'm getting very good at honoring my practice in any "level" of yoga class. Beyond that, as a mom of two, whether or not I can actually show up to a yoga class trumps which teacher or particular level/flavor the class is!)

And this afternoon brings a class I've looked forward to for over six weeks--candlelit silent Hot Hatha taught by Audrey Benton at Hot Yoga of Laurelhurst. A candlelit silent practice on New Year's Eve is something very special. Say what you will about Hot Hatha/Bikram yoga--it is pretty amazing to practice silently but in synchronization with a room full of practitioners, the only sound our collective breath and the occasional "change" uttered by the teacher. And when I get to attend on NYE, it always make me think of the class I took on New Year's Eve 2006. I finished the very last bit of work at my office job I was quitting JUST in time to scoot down to Hot Yoga of Laurelhurst. Camille, who has now moved out of state, taught the candlelit silent practice that night. It was very symbolic to me to actually FINISH my office job and head to yoga class, ushering in a new year in which I would only teach yoga--no day job.

New Year's Day I will take Vinyasa class from the incredible Jo Parsons at Urban Yoga Spa. (If space allows teachers to practice, that is!)

And I'm hoping to take on Sunday the 2nd from one of the many amazing teachers at Samarya Center... but I haven't picked out a class yet.

So five days of yoga--yummy doesn't begin to describe it. Two days in and I'm already sore in places I've forgotten about--especially my abdominals right under the rib cage. But I'm also replete with energy and feeling fairly peaceful.

I've heard it said that your yoga mat reflects your practice, or your life, and I think there's something to it. So here's to a 2011 full of yoga on my new mats, mindfully carried to and from class in a mat bag!