The universe has been sending me signals this week, and I’m receiving them…maybe unable to interpret them fully, but receiving them nonetheless.
First, the two classes earlier in the week that focused heavily on pranayama. Then yesterday at my regular Rolfing appointment when I showed up very eager for deep bodywork, and my rolfer decided it was the time to instead have a somatic experience session that left my body largely untouched. The idea behind somatic experiencing is that trauma that isn’t fully dealt with emotionally gets left behind in the body, building up over time, even being the catalyst for illness and other physical, mental or emotional problems. Through somatic experiencing one becomes more aware of the physical sensations in the body, ultimately aiding in the letting go of the held traumas.
Today when I was late for the class I planned to take at Triyoga, Leila Sadahee’s class was right under my nose at Indaba – lucky me! Leila, fresh from her trip to Peru, spoke about her time with a shaman in the jungle who sees the human form as a series of shapes based on energetic flow and blockage rather than at face value (no pun intended). The class was focused on yoga as a healing medicine, with the theory that when engaging specific areas of the body this can lead to a shape of health rather than disease. Billed as a hip opening class, it was not immensely challenging physically and not obviously hip-opening, but certainly strengthening with great alignment instruction. To add to this, Leila is a passionate and compassionate teacher who is captivating and charismatic. If you love Anusara but haven’t been to Leila’s class, make the time – this is a special and gifted teacher.
Having said this, of my handful of Anusara classes and workshops I’ve attended so far, none has resonated with me on a deep personal level, despite enjoying the practice. I am planning to go to Zhenja De Rosa’s workshop tomorrow and have heard wonderful things about her, so maybe tomorrow my world will get rocked by Anusara. At the very least, I expect another hint from Ms. Universe soon…
