a note.

this morning i did something i haven't done in a long time: practiced at home. since i started working at bamboomoves, i either take class here, or do my practice in the studio before things start to get busy.

before bamboo, being the thrifty yogini that i am, i usually took class at yoga to the people, which is by donation, or used yogatoday.com. this morning i skipped my usual run and gym workout for an intermediate yogatoday class entitled, "power and concentration." turning my lamp to the dimmest setting, i rolled out my mat to face the windows, where the morning sun was just beginning to peek through my leafy curtains. i took a moment to meditate before i started the class (their opening meditation is often short and sometimes distracting), and then dove in. It. Was. Beautiful. i love my apartment. it's warm and cozy; i have lived there for six years and the colours are just right... the lighting is just right... the smell is just right... the energy is just right... and doing yoga, grounding in my space, felt just right. i was completely in my practice in a way i am not when with others. though the class was challenging at times, with balancing poses lasting much longer than i am used to... (and a few balancing poses that i could barely do, for that matter), i was focused and grounded through my entire practice. adi (the instructor) spoke of growing roots into the ground beneath; i pictured my roots, reaching deep into the wood floor, winding back up... curling over my windowsills and through my curtains... releasing energy back into the air, encompassing me, and coursing back through my body through pranayama. the sanskrit instructions began to sound like a song (aaaaashva sanchalanasana, aaaaadho-mukha svanasana) and the movement of my body became a dance... sweet choreography from asana to asana, with the flow of prana directed with mula bandha (root lock) and uddiyana bandha (naval lock).

by the end of my practice, my body was open and tingling. adi ended with seated meditation, but i turned her off to take an extended savasnana, eye pillow guarding against the then fully risen sun. every sound spurred mental orgasm as my body sank into the energy pillow i had created.

it's now 12pm, hours since my last 'om shanti,' but i can still feel the effects of my practice and the peace feels beautiful.

whether you practice at the studio or at home, enjoy your practices today lovelies.

xoxo, kristen.