Lay still like broccoli

I have always been a fan of yoga.  I have been practicing yoga for about ten years.  I am no yogi but I give it my best shot. I used to practice yoga on my own but I don't have the capacity to do that at the moment so I go to a class on a Tuesday night and on Sundays when I can.

Shavasana is known as the corpse pose in yoga.  For me, it always drums up a line from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts' character is trying to convince Richard Gere to veg out and likens it to laying still like broccoli.  Every single time I enter shavasana, I can hear that line!

The idea of shavasana is to focus on the breath and the body and find a place of relaxation.  I find it one of the most challenging poses in yoga.  Either I fall asleep (clearly not a meditative state) or my mind wanders terribly.  Like everything in life, being still and reflective takes practice.  One of the things I love about yoga is that it's all about practice.  You can't be "wrong" when doing yoga.  It is not a competition.  To the perfectionist, a la me, this is refreshing.

I love the way my body and mind feels after yoga.  I love lying in shavasana and reveling in the tingling sensation.  To me, it's a sign that my body is alive.  It seems crazy, but it's something I tend to take for granted.  The awareness of my body after a strong yoga session is incredible; second only to the flush after orgasm.  I love the depth of my breath, the stillness of my mind and the warmth that my body generates.  Being a cold person, that's a rare feeling for me!  I soak in it.  I bask in the glory of my fully functioning, albeit thoroughly damaged, body after a yoga class.

For me, yoga is the only time where I appreciate my body for what it can do.  The remainder of my week is spent cursing my inept body, my flawed brain, my over sensitivity, my jealousy, my insecurities and my incredibly deficient self esteem.  But, for the hour or so of yoga, I can see something different.  I can see strength and I can appreciate my imperfections for what they are - just another part of me.  Yoga makes me realise that my imperfections are not what is important about me and that focusing on them generates a skewed view of who I am.

I aim to carry the peace yoga brings to me for longer periods after each class.  We all need more peace in our lives.

Namaste.