My training and focus have always been on vinyasa with dynamic fast-flowing movements (you don’t have time to think about anything else as you’re ‘in the moment’ and focused on quick mini-adjustments with positioning). Ashtanga primary and secondary series come to mind as both series are fixed routines where ujjayi (breath) and bandhas (energy locks) build deep heat through extreme physical stamina. Two nights ago I took a vinyasa class because that’s what my body always craves, always knows, always.
So last night I was challenged in remaining in the moment through deep connective tissue repair work in holding long poses in a restorative yoga class. This ‘soft style’ doesn’t involve muscle effort so much as mind control work- holding (sitting) poses for long stretches of time. You use a lot of props to support & relax muscles so you can dive deeper into the real challenge of shifting your body out of ‘fight or flight’ mode and into a deep mental and physical recovery mode. At its core, this style is to set up a nervous system reset.
Time (physical stillness) replaces effort as your mind is forced to slow down; a powerful meditation. Those minutes of holding a single pose force you to go inward and use your ujjayi to go deeper without letting your mind wander, hence the challenge. The deepness you naturally sink into now gives the body time to release the tension in order to stretch and lengthen the fascia- especially in the hips, where typically cyclists and runners experience muscle shortness/stiffness. The result is your body produces more collagen and you become more flexible.
Class started at 17:45 and finished at 19:30, but time had lost its edges, so it hardly mattered. My body was buzzing in such a relaxed way that I find choosing words to describe the experience challenging. The four of us and teacher sat around afterwords, drank tea, and bonded before transitioning back to reality. The setting was this cool old house in rural Ermida (Vale da Ílhavo) next to the Boco River, which drains into the Aveiro Lagoon and on to the Atlantic. I floated out the door in such a dream-state; my perspective on everything was altered. The sharp edges of my mind had been rounded out. I was fortunate in that I drove as I don’t think my legs would have allowed me to pedal the seven kilometers back, but not because of muscle soreness. Instead, my limbs didn’t want to work; they wanted to float.
The rest of the evening was passed in a hypno-pompic state of consciousness, plus some da kine. Gafanha da Aquém’s festas had just started, and the music lured me there about 22:00. It was like I was floating above myself, watching my actions; dancing, talking to strangers, people-watching, etc. My newly discovered biker bar felt like a refuge as I had just recently met the owner when I needed some inner tubes for my bicycle. So, I knew one person there, and it felt like a place I could peacefully enjoy the activities from. As much as I wanted to dance until the roof caved in, my heart was set on home and continuing this inner peacefulness state that I’d achieved from not just yoga class but the beach and surfing earlier. I needed to be alone to really absorb what a fucking beautifully monumental day it was for me.
I’ve been so physically active cycling and running that I haven’t given myself time to focus on honoring my body by restoring it to let the calm seep in- to compliment the physical aspects. I’m in this transition-state of being deeply exhausted yet hyper-aware. It was a necessary self-intervention for sure!
I woke up at 4:00 am again and went outside to see if I could see any remaining meteor showers and do some writing. It’s now 6:00 and, from what I can tell, I’ve only written a bunch of half-developed thoughts and definitely have not been able to eloquently pen them! This feels like a ‘brain dump’ where my non-linear thoughts are moving faster than my typing can keep up with. The result likely doesn’t make sense to anyone reading, but...whatever. This is my therapy!
I can feel my body is still quietly pulsing with this mysterious energetic force traveling my inner highway- delivering life-force energy (prana) to all my chakras— most notably to my sacral chakra (very fortuitous). Something is brewing and it’s intoxicating and a pleasure to be consciously aware of this flood of endorphins, dopamine, and a deep cellular calm. I can feel this chemistry, or alchemy, happening. My energy is flowing freely as I’m intoxicated yet tranquil. I still can’t find the words, but maybe I can say that it feels as if my body is fully receptive to the pleasures of life and the of wildness.
And… all this is from 1 restorative yoga class. Imagine the possibilities.
