A few days ago I was invited to attend a free yoga course in one of the many parks in and around Jerusalem. The class was a Saturday morning class, unique in that there really is not much offered in the way of group fitness on Shabbat, so I chose to attend. As it was a beautiful morning, as are most in this country, I rode my bike to the park.
Once again, being Shabbat, there was very little traffic on the streets, so I enjoyed the quick downhill ride even while knowing that, as with many trips, it might be challenging, and may take a little longer, to get back.
Being 10 minutes early, which would have been cutting it close at any yoga class that I have attended in the States, made me the first one to arrive. As I was unsure of the location and was the only person in the area with a yoga mat, I asked a couple passing by if I was at the right park. That’s when I learned that knowing the official name of a park did little good as there is the official name that almost no one knew and there is the nickname that the parks are referred to by the locals. I decided to trust Google maps and waited. At about 5 till, the instructor and one student arrived. I would have recognized her anyway, as my regular instructor was teaching this Saturday, but had I not, the yoga mats would have given her away. Within a few minutes, others started arriving and the class started on time, well on Israeli time, about 10-15 minutes late.
It turned out to be a very nice class. The 30 or so students were mostly a little more mature in years than me, something I get to say less frequently, and it was a very nice park with a lot of shade under large trees. It was still a little cool out and there was a light breeze to keep those late arrivals that did not find shade cool as well. As the class was held only in Hebrew (this instructor normally throws me an English cue now and then) I had to pay attention to the participants near me to keep up. Along with the students was a hand full on 1 and 2 year olds running around enjoying the morning as their parents participated in the class. One of the most memorable moments in the class was when one ran up and hugged the neck of his father while his father was in an upward dog, basically trapping him in that position.
At some point during the class, while in tree pose, I heard a female participant say something that made me think, which sometimes leads to writing, and for which I have written all that proceeds this as I did not want to write just these few words. I can only assume that one of the little ones either grabbed her only support leg during the balance pose or signaled to be picked up when she said…”How can I balance myself when I also have to carry you.”
We all lean on someone now and then. For those of us who tend to lean towards solitude, sometimes it still takes a short text or Skype IM to keep us on our feet (whether we want to admit it or not). We should just be careful not to lean too much on others or to try to carry too much for others. We all still need to be able to balance ourselves.
Or, maybe it meant nothing and I was just looking for something to write.
Thanks for stopping by.
Monday, July 21, 2014