Pranayama class

Tonight I took my first yoga class in about a year. I went to Peentz, my first Iyengar teacher. I started taking classes with her 15 years ago this month. It's a long story about my involvement with Iyengar yoga, but it can best be summarized by saying that I trained in that method for 10 years and will always be grateful for the teachings. However, I left rather disgruntled after certification which was a 4 year process. I left about 2003.

Enough time has gone by. I want to start taking classes again to focus on strength and alignment, hallmarks of the Iyengar method. My body is craving the challenge and feedback which will help to recover from the surgeries and treatments.

Tonight Peentz taught pranayama which is basically mindful breathing. There are whole books written on the subject. It is considered the 4th "limb" of yoga, an advanced practice. I used to practice it daily, one time for about 3 years, then another time for about 5 years. The class tonight was excellent. We did some asana to open the body, then several variations of viloma. Funny, I hadn't really considered taking it up again until tonight. It felt excellent to open my chest from the inside, using just the breath and position of the body. Peentz is a really gifted teacher. It felt like going home again to be with her tonight. , Comfortable, connected and grateful for her extensive knowledge and skill which she lovingly imparts.

I hope to take weekly classes through the end of the year with her. It feels really right. You can go home again!

So I think I'll pick up the practice again, just one day a week. I don't have time to practice meditation 30 minutes a day, 45 minutes of asana and a separate pranayama practice. I think that once a week will be a good start.
image by Lola: walking in the woods last Sunday with Mark