I
was taking a Power Yoga class when 9/11 happened. It was called the
Warrior Workout and was part of my plan to become a more fearless being.
There is a lot I like about yoga. It allows for strengthening both your
body and mind, while at the same time encouraging a sense of peace and
acceptance. In the style of
yoga I was practicing at the time, one “position” is to lie on the
floor and laugh from deep in your belly.
We did this in class the week after 9/11 and as I looked up at
the ceiling and tried to center my breath, I tried to laugh, but the
sound of all the laughter around me sounded like crying, so I cried
instead. I noticed that when I am practicing yoga, I am kinder to my body, to myself. I found that I am more forgiving of the parts that are not as strong because I feel other parts compensating. On my yoga mat, what I normally think of as my body's flaws transform into assets. For example, the thickness of my hips and legs sustains me as I sit with my legs crossed. What I earlier considered unwanted fat becomes support, and it even looks different, more powerful somehow. I wish...
Salahub 2003 |