SHOWING UP . . .

I remember once being in a workshop or training and the instructor thanked us for 'showing up' and continued on that theme throughout the session.

In yesterday's YogaHour, there were just two students.  (I think June first might have been a Yoga Holiday for my students, based on all class attendance -- oh, well.) No matter, these two have been faithfully attending in these YogaHour classes; one for about 8 months, the other - for the last 3 months.

As happens with a smaller group, Leslie gets nit-picky. Not a bad thing, just something to be aware of if there aren't a ton of students in the room. A smaller group offers itself opportunities to embellish and enhance poses. Example: For one student, down dog has gradually become deeper and deeper - in the shoulders (not something we're striving for). I offered a verbal adjustment (verbal always precedes manual, according to John); when that didn't work, I got physical - holding both triceps up close to the armpits and resisting the student's attempt to 'dump' (ugly word, but it works). Comment afterwards: "The sub on Friday was on me the whole class for that same thing.") Nit-picky is not just a 'leslie trait' - whew!

Reflecting on the class, I emphasized shoulder blades and glutes (4 corners, kind of). Used the glutes to move into the bent knee of Parsvakonasana. When I first learned that (a Desiree workshop), my reaction was 'huh?'. Then I tried it. My glutes have never been the same. They had a nice, soft life before - nothing to do but hang out. Now, tho, they have purpose - they help with movement into the bent knee poses, they work hard during poses like trichonosana - anything to make my hamstrings feel better. I've asked them to 'show up' and their power to improve my yoga has been impressive! Everyone (and every part of everyone) needs purpose and to actively participate.

The title of this blog, 'showing up', was meant to convey that I 'show up' for class. And, more than that, that I 'show up' in my poses. So easy to stand in tadasana with little attention to legs or shoulders; after all, it's 'just' tadasana. A quote from a friend: "there's no 'just' about it". Because when I don't 'show up' in tadasana, it's a darn good bet that something - attitude, alignment, action - will reflect that in my subsequent poses.

As I closed the class yesterday, all I could think to say was 'thank you for showing up'. They attended class, but - more than that - their work reflected a desire to 'show up' in each pose. Great work!

Gentle Yoga this morning, then maintenance at The Yoga Center (meaning I'll clean, and the plumber will come to turn on the swamp cooler and fix the toilet) - all in preparation for BJ this weekend.  WHAT FUN! (BJ, that is).

Hope your Wednesday is a good one,