Twistacular

Last week, I taught a twisting class. I spent the week before preparing the class, walking through it, trying the sequence, working on the transitions, making sure it would make sense for a class. So, suffice it to say, I did a lot of twisting that week! For those of you unfamiliar with the effects of twisting asanas (postures) in yoga, twists are wonderful for detoxifying, for aiding in digestion, and for massaging our internal organs. They help us digest our food, but also help us digest our experiences, and our emotions, so they can flow through us, instead of sitting and festering inside us.

After the class was finished, I had some time to sit and be still. And I was amazed with what happened in my mind! The week before, I had been struggling with some thoughts, some decisions, some things I thought I needed to figure out. That week, my mind was working so hard to figure it out, and all I did was exhaust myself and indulge in a little mind-spinning, with no real understanding. As I sat in quietness, after the week of twists, clear concise thoughts started rising to the surface, about all I'd been spinning about the previous week. It was so peaceful, so easy, so gentle, so clear. It was as if all those twists had processed and digested all those worries and thoughts and samskaras, and out came such clear, calm knowledge. It was beautiful!! And that night, I slept so deeply, and dreamt of solutions and resolutions to all I'd been worried about.

I have studied these effects of yoga, but it was incredible to actually experience how asanas (the physical postures) can truly affect our lives. Through the ancient writings, we see that asanas were intended to prepare us for meditation. I saw this in action this week, when my asana practice allowed the junk to be cleared out of my mind and body, and I could sit and hear the calm, still voice that knows.

This yoga stuff is deep, and beautiful, and I'm so excited to keep learning how it can transform our lives!!