A lot of stuff comes up when you hold a pose for a while, especially one you think (ok, I think) is so standard and, well, comfortable like downward facing dog. Last Saturday morning, Carlin had us hold downward facing dog for some time and she mentioned we would be in the position for a while. She suggested we start thinking about what it feels like, what parts of our bodies are we becoming aware of, maybe even for the first time, is something hurting (if there’s pain, go into child’s pose), or is there shaking (don’t worry, she reassured, that’s vriti). As we have been reminded in former classes, Mr. Iyengar said that it’s precisely when you want to get out of the pose that the pose actually begins. And, believe me, there were many moments that I wanted to get out. So why did I stay? Was I trying to prove something to myself, was I trying to prove something to others, to the class, to Carlin, was I actually enjoying it, was I curious? All of these questions may not be the same ones that come up for you, but the questions that do come up, and the answers that follow are one of the central reasons we practice yoga, to better understand ourselves so that we can be free. We take yoga so that we can listen: to our bodies, our minds and our hearts.

Many times in class we hear yoga is not only about what you do on the mat but what you do off it as well and that is so true. Carlin’s class has stayed with me since Saturday. I have thought about the joys and frustrations I felt and why. At one point, she asked some of us to contain our energy and outbursts and I have since thought about the importance of containment. I think the Dalai Lama, whose 75th birthday it is today, sums it up in a beautiful way in this quote: “Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.”