Child's Pose for the Win

Last night I went to restorative yoga again.  And, again, it was awesome.  This time, my friend Ashley joined me.  Ashley bought a single session while I was setting up our yoga mats.  When she got to her mat this was the conversation we had.

Ashley: I can't believe I paid $15 for one session!
Me: It will be totally worth it.
Ashley: side eye look as if to say "Your pants are on fire."

This time during the restorative session I did fall asleep a few times during my poses.  I woke up when the instructor started talking.  It was a little bit awkward.  I was having a peaceful rest and feeling pretty limber then realize "OH CRAP! I'M IN PUBLIC!"

Favorite pose of the night.  Yep, that's a pose.
Source

But you know what?  Several other people fell asleep too.  It is just THAT relaxing.

After the session and saying our "namaste" I turn to Ashley.

Me (whispering): So, what did you think?
Ashley (whispering back): That was SO much better than a bar!

So, here's the thing I'm finding out about my yoga challenge ... it is more than just an exercise.  I thought I would do this challenge in order to try a different exercise that I'm not used to.  While it has done that I have also started studying the teachings of yoga.  It is more of a mindset than a pose.  It is definitely part of the way we live rather than an exercise class.

I'm reading a book by Rod Stryker titled "The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom".  He goes into detail of how yoga can offer practitioners a fulfilling life through basic understanding of oneself and how we can influence the world around us.

You can get the e-book here. I checked mine out from the public library. Because I'm cheap.

Funny thing is, the minister at my church shared a message to this same effect a few weeks ago.  His words were "draw a small circle around yourself and fix what's in that circle before you try to fix everything else around you".

Yoga is teaching me more than flexibility and breathing techniques.  It is helping me to be more focused, less stressed and mindful of what my potential purpose in life may be.  For me, yoga is more therapy and healing than breaking a sweat and exercising.  I'm liking this monthly challenge a lot.  I don't find it is difficult for me to get to a yoga session because I've made it a priority.  It allows me to get rid of the outside influences of telling me what I should be doing (work, family, friends, organizations, etc.) and gives me the opportunity to refocus on just being me.

As it turns out, just being me is totally awesome.