Have practice will travel
” I see a lot of advanced yogis out here tonight” he says through his microphone, sweat dripping down his face and eyes glowing; we all stare back at him, expectantly. ” You know how I can tell you are advanced? You all have big smiles on your faces.” Can it really be that simple? A smile to show how advanced we are? This begins the discussion of what a “yoga practice” is. How do we define it in our daily lives. Does it have a structure? Is it only yoga if you do handstands and arm balances, or meditate for hours everyday? I hope not, because if that is the case, I am in big trouble. This past Saturday I was “ton of bricks” reminded and reassured that the practice of yoga exists where you find it, and yes, so often that is as simple as in a smile. I traveled long and far to visit a friend and attend a concert by the now notorious “MC Yogi”. I watched as the crowed gathered and my friend ” the great Mr. Livingston” stepped behind the turntables that supported MC Yogi. I felt the base and heard familiar samples from my youth. He held the microphone to his lips and poured out the stories of the deities who’s names we practice in class so often. Not as scripture; more like the comic book renditions of super heros and their amazing powers; powers that illuminate what is most universal and beautiful about humanity. What I was so pleased to experience was that in fact, no matter how the story was told the message was delivered. I felt that familiar feeling of light rise into my chest, the joy spread through my limbs and through my breath and my movement I was set free. Sounds like the description of a yoga class no? It is. We danced, chanted and breathed together; we sweat and glowed collectively from our shared experience. No mats, no quiet meditation, no yoga clothes. I shook my booty at an MC Yogi concert and it was the best practice I have had in months.
This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 1:32 pm and is filed under Anya's Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…