yoga Monday

Unlike last week when my back was all sorts of wonky for yoga class, I arrived this morning feeling really ready for it - physically and mentally. It looked like it was going to be a private class until another girl, Emily, showed up. Emily and I are often in early a.m. yoga together and we have that little bond. It's funny because I've been doing yoga pretty faithfully (except for when there's a conflict or when I'm out of town) for over a year now at Yoga Vida and there is a little sense of community among us 6:30 a.m. folks. It's not the same by any means as the community of T3 (or any of the other places that I frequent with the same people day after day or week after week), but Emily would definitely be in my little yoga community if I were to draw one.
So, this morning it was just Emily, Malia (teacher), and me. And it was lovely. We took things at a slower pace, really holding positions and getting good stretches along with good adjustments. It was actually a treat to have such a small class and I definitely went new places in some old positions. There was actually a moment in one pose where I felt as if I was walking through a door to a whole new room (or world as it were...). Very cool. Funny that I've been doing that position for a year now and have never gone there. I have to think that somewhere else in my life I have created space that allowed me to walk through it - as if I wasn't being held back emotionally by something.
Which was actually what Malia shared with us today. She said at one point, "root yourself so that you can rise." She went on to explain that if we don't know what we're rooted in, if we're not really grounded in who we are or what we believe or how we want to live our life, we cannot rise to the next level, soar to the next height, go where we are supposed to go. It's a funny image really because it seems to contradict itself...the idea of digging deep and making sure your roots reach down and are strong...and at the same time reaching upwards and rising.
But it also makes sense. You can't really ever reach a new level with any sort of stability if you don't have a strong foundation. I feel on most days that I'm still building my foundation, filling in the cracks, leveling it out. And maybe I'll be doing that all of my life in an attempt to reach new heights. As time consuming as it is, it's good work, and I sort of hope I am always in a state of repair if it means I'm still growing and becoming the person I'm supposed to be.