“Breathe in…and breathe out,” I say soothingly again and again.
These seemed to be the only words in my yoga vocabulary, but my Thai and Burmese language skills weren’t quite advanced enough to explain ahimsa or the meaning of Om. And the women I was teaching at Baan Unrak Home for Children and Destitute Mothers in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand seemed happy with this, along with my encouraging nods and smiles as I led the class by body movement rather than verbal instruction. This was my first lesson in accepting what is.
I started a yoga class for the women at Baan Unrak because I felt they needed this special time to slow down, breathe and honor both their bodies and spirits. The women work hard with many responsibilities: at the home either cooking, cleaning, watching after children, weaving and so much more. On top of this, many of the women are recovering from emotional trauma, so I thought yoga would be a real antidote for healing.
My class of Thai and Burmese women came in all sorts of lovely shapes and sizes, from age seventeen to fifty. They giggled like school girls when I showed them Tree Pose, as they bunched up their sarongs and swayed like branches in the wind. Of course I had to modify some poses that just wouldn’t work in a wrap-skirt (Warrior One for example), but this was another lesson in accepting the modesty of who I was teaching and modifying to the individuals. Not everyone in the world is comfortable in the latest yoga- wear spandex, or trousers for that matter.
My deepest intention with the class was to help bring peace to their day, some element of feeling nurtured. To let them know its ok to take time to breathe and how they deserve this blessing of connecting to the Divine within. When I watched them with their eyes closed in a posture, breathing in and out, letting go; I could see they felt a sense of relief. A sense of being restored to their true nature that perhaps they forgot even existed: of feeling open, safe and loved.
So here I was, out to create a perfect, Zen-like yoga space to help bring these women closer to peace. But it was hard to maintain a classroom space of peacefulness when there were babies in the room, because some of the women couldn’t leave their children with someone else. Here they were with eyes closed in Mountain and there were babies wailing with tears! There was construction going on outside. Life was happening around us and it was just too much for this yogini who was used to Deva Premal, candles, incense and cloud walls. In the beginning this frustrated me to no end. How are you going to feel peaceful with all this noise? But one day I experienced a beautiful realization: when I looked around, I saw all the women had their eyes closed. They were still glowing. They still maintained that sense of calm. They were in acceptance of the noise because it’s just their way of life. They knew how to let go and accept it as a part of our experience, to surrender to what is. It was me who didn’t understand real peace within, me who didn’t understand that it doesn’t matter where you are if you’re at peace inside. My idealized notions of the ‘perfect’ yoga space had to go. So I closed my eyes to join them in surrender and together we experienced the gift of peace.
I’m a world traveling yogini, surfing my way through life. Now I understand that what I love most about traveling is that it keeps me connected to the flow, to the pulse of that which changes. Traveling and yoga share the same inherent principle to me: complete immersion in the experience of the moment I’m in. So whether I’m in a wild market scene in Delhi or meditating in a ricefield in Bali, the gift of peace is there for me.
Because it is me. Om Shanti.
Heather Rideout’s passion for travel combines with her love of yoga. Since completing her 230 hour certification with Asheville Yoga Center in 2008, she has taught, practiced and studied in Nicaragua, Bali, Morocco, India and of course the United States. Both a traveling gypsy and yogini, she finds the two go hand in hand: roaming the world keeps you constantly in the flow of the present moment. This is the dance she moves by and what inspires her to share yoga. To read more about Heather’s adventures, visit www.wanderyoga.com
Popularity: 7% [?]
This pose is beneficial for the neck because it has the effect of stretching and relieving tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders. It can be an awkward pose in the beginning so, please practice with the guidance of an experienced teacher and exercise caution and mindfulness throughout. If you have a recent or extreme neck injury, you should probably wait to practice Shoulder Stand until it heals and until you have consulted with your doctor.
Author