30 Day Challenge, Day 3: The day of rest

After a vigorous flow sequence in the hot room, there is nothing that feels better than taking child's pose and feeling the burst of air that cools the room as the teacher fans the door. Today, regularly resting in child's pose and savasana made a hot, fast-paced class almost relaxing. Almost.


My practice, however, did not start that out that way. As I prepared for class in the change-room, I picked up my bag, full of yoga clothes, in exchange for the dress pants and cardigan that I was wearing. I opened up the Lululemon reusable bag, and was surprised when I saw many more clothing items in there than I remembered. As I took a closer look, I realized that I had selected the incorrect Lululemon bag on my way to class and instead of bringing one containing my yoga clothes, I took the one filled with my dirty laundry. Excellent. 


Luckily I had a pair of clean capris in my car. I had no sports bra or athletic top, thus I was stuck wearing a satin Victoria's Secret bra with a cotton tank top. When I walked into the hot room, I was convinced I already felt uncomfortable in my clothing. As a result, I could not sit still before class, and was fidgeting all over my mat. 


The perfect remedy for my restlessness was a savasana to begin the class. Throughout the Hot Level 1 class, which was a challenging flow, we regularly met in child's pose, savasana, and lying on our stomachs. (It's much easier to relax and stay still when you're exhausted.) 


While these restorative poses were a welcomed instruction, I was thrown off by a mid-class savasana. Following the completion of our standing poses, we moved into the relaxation pose. 


Savasana?! I look down at where my watch usually sits. 


There's no way an hour has already gone by, I thought to myself, Well, maybe it has... That was a lot of vinyasa... Should I close my eyes? ... Did the lights just dim, or is it just my imagination... So, are we staying here? Or maybe we'll be doing some seated positions? Dammit, someone tell me what to expect next!


Huh. Talk about anticipation. I was able to relax in all of the child's poses we had taken, but a savasana in the middle of class completely confused me. I was so familiar with savasana being synonymous with 'final pose,' that I could not relax when it took place in the middle instead. 


While I was worrying about what would come after this half-time surprise, I was caught off guard when we left savasana for a hip-opener. I didn't even have a chance to enjoy it! I was too busy worrying about what was next to come to receive the full benefits of the pose.


I acknowledged it, and focused on finding mindfulness in the rest of my poses. When class finished, and I took my real final savasana, I was able to lie still and did my best to live in the moment.


Following 'namaste' I looked down at my shirt and dress bra. I was soaked right through, was throughly uncomfortable, and had not noticed a thing until then. 


I guess my focus isn't as bad as I thought it was, after all.