Weekend #5 Word: Vulnerability
The door was opened and several walked through this weekend. And it was beautiful.
Vata in the house!
I learned all about Ayurveda and it was so intriguing. I had taken the “What’s My Dosha?” quiz before and knew that I was a Vata but I learned so much more this weekend, and this quote from my teacher, Lisa, really embodies what I learned:
"Ayurveda takes care of the body so that we can take care of the mind when we are on the mat."
How beautiful is that?! I just loved it. We need to be aware of how we are taking care of our body so we can better take care of the mind. If there is anything I have learned through my knee injury and ongoing healing, it’s that when something hurts, it affects the mind too. So attention to that crazy cycle is important.
It was fun to learn about Vata’s, Kapha’s and Pitta’s and how we have a little of all of them but are predominately one type. The Pitta’s in the room were more vocal than the others but it was really fascinating to me that we would all laugh or look to one another and say “omg, that’s me!” when something specific was said. It’s neat to see how we like to identify with things like routine, forgetting to eat, or always seem warm. It was a really fun exercise to go through and learn about.
Forward Folds, Twists, and so much Sanskrit!
Did you know that downward dog is a forward fold? Or boat post? If you are a yoga teacher then you are shaking your head, yes, but this was news to me, my friend! I wish I could have seen my face when I learned that. It makes complete and total sense now that I understand it but I would have never thought that before learning the mechanics behind it. I am always learning and it’s so much fun.
But you know what’s not fun? When your back hurts when all you are doing is sitting with your legs extended in front of you. This was me about 99% of the time learning about forward folds. It was so much pressure and not the good kind. It was so uncomfortable so I spoke up and said what I was feeling. I just had to figure it out because I didn’t see anyone else in pain like I was. The crazy part is that after I said something there were about 3 other people who said they felt that too. (Note to self: there is always someone else feeling or questioning the same thing, so be the one to speak up).
The best news is that because I spoke up and explored this issue, I figured out what was going on! Answer = I am seriously lacking a lumbar curve. Yep, all this time I guess I have been too worried about sticking out my butt so I have tucked it under. This will happen no more! I have made a pact with one of my YTT buddies and we are lit-trally (said like Chris Traeger from Parks and Rec) going to text each other every day and ask “are you sticking out your butt today” until we make it a habit to have a neutral pelvis. We are rounding our lumbar curve so there really isn’t one there and it’s hindering our spine, our yoga practice, our everyday life and…..our digestion! Who freakin’ knew?!
So stick your butts out everyone...but do so by tilting your pelvis, not by sticking out your ribs. That creates a whole other problem. You’re welcome!
Vulnerability is so sweet.
On a more sensitive note, can I just say how sweet it is to watch people walk through the vulnerability door? My heart was filled this weekend as I am so honored to sit in a room with people who are willing to open up and share. There were physical things shared like my back issue that led to us talking about how that could possibly be an unconscious block to not stick out my butt because someone said something about it a long time ago, to more emotional things like eating disorders and setting boundaries. Oh yes, the idea of boundaries came up and I found out that we have a whole lesson on this topic and I. Can’t. Wait! What a fabulous thing to talk about!!! I am dancing as a type this (excuse any typos).
Okay...I’m back from my excited dance break. But when boundaries came up there were others than chimed in about how they created boundaries in their lives and it altered some of their close, personal relationships. That takes some serious courage to talk about in a room full of people that we have only known one another for 5 weekends. I’m constantly humbled and amazed that I have the privilege to sit in a room with this amazing humans. I truly am. I want to applaud them all for their bravery and willingness to walk through the vulnerability door!
So again, I learned a lot, am constantly amazed with it all and am looking forward to the next weekend! I am truly forming friendships that I believe are going to last a lifetime and that is so cool!
Until next time,
