openness in close quarters

It was ironic that my favorite yoga teacher focused on openness in today's class. I thought, she has got to be kidding. More than 30 people came to class today - some, including me, could not even figure out where to place themselves. There was barely room to raise the arms sideways. Where has the sensitivity gone?

I struggled to settle my breathing in the introductory child's pose, knowing I will have to constantly adjust myself within my little 24" x 72" rubber of a space to avoid accidentally slapping my neighbors during the Suriya Namaskar. It was at that moment, that it made sense to me, what today's lesson was. As I tried not to get kicked by the person in front of me or not kiss his rear on my way to a forward bend, I learned to take it slow, assess my space, adjust and just embrace the energy of this crowded room. And then I found calm.

Outside the mat there are far more occasions when we will feel constricted - be it by other people, circumstances, opposing ideas or our own thoughts and fears. After the class I didn't feel shortchanged. I felt all the good stuff in the right places in my body - reminding me that I can still make the most out of anything in life even without having my own comfortable space. And for that I am thankful for this class. The teacher probably did this on purpose (she is wise that way).