5 of 30

Nov/16/11 Yoga and Beyond Studio/0930/75min/Tara

Wow what an amazing day! I started with a yoga class and the rest of the day has been full of exciting wonderful events. When I say full, I really mean that. I couldn't have fit in anything else. The best part is I feel like I lived today. I don't feel stressed at all. Every moment today was a moment I was a part of and present for and was suppose to happen. It was a great day! The crazy part is that it's 10pm and I'm still full of energy and thinking clearly. I don't think I complained about one thing today! :)

Today's yoga class was 5 of my 30 day challenge. The instructor was sweet, strong and worked us hard today. I just turned off my mind and let her guide me. Something that stood out for me today was she asked us to close our eyes as much as we could. This is the first time I really trusted myself to be in the poses with my eyes closed. I felt strong and balanced, when I went into the pose with my eyes open it took me longer to feel comfortable. It was a great feeling to feel the pose instead of having a gaze point. Something I struggle with is where I should be looking when holding a pose.

My favorite pose today was the Camel pose AKA Ustrasana. I do find it very interesting that there is an animal ( downward facing Dog) or element ( tree) for most of the poses. So I did a little research on Camel pose. I like what I found out about Camels. I have never seen one but have heard from others that they are stubborn and will spit, so, watch out! lol I found out after some "Google exploration" that they have terrible vision but are great at navigating through the desert. I also learned that they will not under any circumstance carry more weight or unbalanced weight on a journey. The Camel will lay down and not move until the weight has been removed or re-balanced before it will go anywhere. Funny! Camel pose in yoga is a very challenging pose in that it has made me nauseous, dizzy, and weak. When I feel these symptoms all I want to do is lay down . Similar to the Camel and not move until those feelings go away. What I never realized before is I truly have to focus on my internal compass to get into the pose. I have to be balanced before I move into the pose. That way my body will be able to handle the journey into the pose. Otherwise I will feel sick and need to lay down.

Every day, in yoga and in life we are looking forward, " Goal setting" we are always looking and moving forward. I think the reason why so many of us(I'm not the only one) find the Camel pose so difficult is it turns our life upside down.

We are truly looking backwards and upside down. When we do this its so overwhelming that it creates symptoms like anxiety, nausea, weakness, dizziness and we forget to be curious and let the moment happen. We seize up, we close up, and our muscles tighten up pulling us forward. In order to really enjoy, to be like the camel we need to navigate from within. We need to start trusting what weight to carry and what is too much. We need to stop looking to the future or looking to our past for the answers. We need to let what we feel now to be ok. That is when we start to enjoy Ustrasana.