Between Yoga Class Yoga

I had a Bad Class the today. Distraction was coursing through my veins. It started with the way I got there - in a rush. It's amazing the parts of your body where you can feel the stress. It starts in your stomach, the need to hurry. And it creeps up your spine until it muddies up your thoughts. In a cab cruising down Michigan avenue on the way to Roosevelt, I could almost feel the tick of the clock over to the next minute. Like each little movement took me one step farther from pre-class meditative shivasana.

I got there in plenty of time to get a spot and relax for solid five minutes before class, but I couldn't turn off my mind. It was racing just like it was in the cab and wouldn't hold still. When class started, I could focus on everything around me but couldn't bring it back to my practice. I thought I detected a weird smell on my mat and spent every down dog sniffing to see if I was right. I had forgotten to pin back my backs and was obsessing about the amount of sweat pouring off my forehead and how it would affect my hairstyle. My mind drifting racing back and forth from one detail or another with a lack of focus which aggravated me even more.

After class, I still felt frustrated and found I was beating myself up for not being able to relax. I immediately realized how ridiculous I was being, stressing out that yoga didn't fully de-stress me. Yoga class are amazing, but the things that go on in my head when I am not in class is ultimately the governing principle. Practicing between-class yoga is almost better than making a class on time at the risk of a stressed out cab ride.