April 5, 2008 - Saturday. Left my apartment in Nacogdoches at 5:30 a.m. to drive to Houston for a Yoga Class & Pranayama Workshop. I thought I'd be miserable having to get up that early, but I have to say, it wasn't too bad. I always enjoy witnessing the change from darkness to light. It's a beautiful time of day... one that I don't see too often because I rather enjoy my sleep. Perhaps I'll one day find the Yogini in me that rises with the break of day....maybe....
The workshop was held at Unity Church of Christianity in Houston, TX, in the Pyramid. I had some time to spare before the class began so I decided to shoot a few photos. I got that pic of myself by propping the camera up on my car. It was either that or a very, very close shot of my face! :) It was a bit overcast in the morning; however, by the time the workshop finished around 2:00... the skies were clear, the sun shone bright and it was a gorgeous day! I
t made for a great drive home - windows rolled down with the wind flying through my hair, music blaring, and me singing at the top of my lungs. It was fan-tas-tic!!!The class was instructed by Maria Theresia. A 69-year-old instructor from Germany. I loved her accent. She was so incredibly sweet, and for some reason, everytime she said "body" I would giggle. Who knows? I'm just silly like that. She had such a comforting & compassionate presence in her teaching. I'm not too sure how long the class was - either 1 1/2 hours or 2. After practicing a number of standing and balancing poses, MT (as she is lovingly referred to) instructed us to come to the floor and lay on our backs. I thought, "all right... savasana!" Goodness was I wrong! I even put my eyebag over my eyes in preparation for Savasana, until I realized we were moving further into our practice! Haha! We were actually only halfway into the class and I was ready for relaxation. I had to take a moment to ponder why I was so ready to stop and move into that state. Overall, I enjoyed the experience very much and found the class to be another opportunity to learn more about myself through my yoga practice. I love this reminder from MT, "Yoga is NOT exercise. It is a meditation with your body." I love this statement because it is the absolute truth of a yoga practice. If one thinks yoga is exercise, then you miss the bigger picture of what it truly is, and you miss an opportunity to enhance your life by creating that union of mind, body, and spirit.
The Pranayama workshop was led by Roberto Mazzarella. He studied singing under Pavarotti's teacher in Italy. I thought that was pretty cool! He sings opera and is a yoga instructor as well... among other things. Super nice... and funny! It's nice to be around that kind of energy. There are time to be serious and there are those times for the heart to play... and Saturday was a day of lightheartedness and joy. The pranayama exercises and speaking of the chakras and Patanjali's eight-fold path was a great refresher for me. It's nice to be able to go to a workshop, after having been through my Yoga Yoga studies, and apply what I have learned. It's a blessing to be able to learn from others and to be able to share ideas and thoughts. I wasn't sure if I was going to go to Houston for the workshop, and now, I'm so glad I did. It was a beautiful space and there was such love in the energy of all of the people that attended. It really warmed my heart. I know I mentioned it before... but I really liked the lightheartedness of the group. Perhaps most of the attendees knew each other already, but not once did I ever feel outside of the group. It was lovely.... I can't wait to go again!Namaste.
All Photos © Jennifer Chua Photography, All Rights Reserved.
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