grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Seven Shades of Yoga

By

morgueFile Kakisky
Within seven seconds, I chose yoga over Facebook. I hadn’t been to yoga in weeks and was spending way too much time with the other. But I’d been busy. Writing, I’m alway writing. And last month I had strep throat that lingered. Plus we just returned from vacation. 
Yada, yada. 
Excuses, excuses. 
Seven minutes later, I was out the door and into the humid morning wearing my favorite yoga pants that somehow seemed smaller.
After a seven minute drive, I signed my name on the clipboard. “Don’t worry if I spend the whole class in child’s pose—just ignore me, I’m rusty.” I explained to Michelle who teaches Explore the Body. I needed to explore my body. We had become strangers as of late.
Michelle laughed and promised to call an ambulance if I stopped breathing altogether. She’s nice that way.
I sorted through at least seven yoga mats to uncover mine, dusty and abandoned, propped in the corner where I left it in July.  
Seven minutes into shoulder stretches, I felt the squeeze of a Charley Horse building through my arm. I adjusted. Charley eventually released his vise-grip hold on my invisible bicep, but not until I reverted to steady pre-labor breathing exercises. 
Seven minutes later, I floundered into and out of Thread the Needle Zen Pose. But I did it. Sort of.
Seven more poses, and my shoulders loosened, my mind cleared, the nerve endings in my body tingled. 
Seven cleansing breaths into Uttanasana, I could bend near enough to the ground to notice my shabby toe polish. 
Seven shades into final Shivasana, I remembered why I love yoga. 
Namaste.
talya
This was written for the Write Tribe Festival of Words. Prompt: the number Seven.

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Comments

  5. My hubby and I have only recently started doing yoga together. I couldn’t believe how relaxing it was!! I often use some of the yoga techniques we learned to relax when I am about to go to bed or just need to wind down. Love it!

  9. Phew, I was exhausted just reading about your workout. Never realized yoga was that intensive but then I’ve never tried it. Great use of the number seven and I chuckled over your post.

  13. uhhh…wasn’t Yoga a bear’s name? After reading your hilarious story, I think Yoga really could be a bear, or at least, it would be for me to try to do…just sayin’.=) And please, no visuals of me fighting the Yoga “bear” unless you can visualize me at the ER, later.=) But seriously though, when it comes to me trying Yoga, I just don’t think my ‘stretchy pants’ can stretch that far.=)

  17. Love the way you’ve written this….There are days when I wake up on time and do my Yoga routine, I am pumped up through the day. Both my body and mind feel light. Then there are days when I just get a little lazy :(, trying to change that!

  18. I am in love with yoga ever since I took part in a workshop last year. But I find so many excuses not to do it nowadays.

  19. I am in love with yoga ever since I took part in a workshop last year. But I find so many excuses not to do it nowadays.

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