Slow can be the way to go. I’m in Martha’s Vineyard this weekend and my mom and I took a Yin class with Josh Montoya at the Yoga Barn. The class was slow, deliberate and taught without commands. I was given an opportunity to linger in shapes that worked for my body in the moment. Longer holds were sometimes challenging. A four minute camel pose was a slow build but one of more intense things I’ve attempted in asana in a long time. Sometimes faster doesn’t mean harder and you can run the risk of missing a moment of clarity. Holding camel pose for an extended period let me explore the my breathing as awareness glided over the front of my body from my head to knees. And though my monkey mind tried to wander off to escape the intensity it wasn’t possible. I had to stay put. Four minutes seemed like four hours. Time felt suspended. Focus shifted to the internal and I went from listening to the insects outside to noticing how deep my inhales and exhales felt. I didn’t feel like I was going too far. I realized that it’s important that I spend more time with this practice.
Yin is a way for me to begin again and again.
Namaste y’all.
