Yesterday I had my first “Beginning Yoga” class. It was great – other than the fact that due to lack of space, I was forced to put my map in the very front of the class directly next to the instructor and a mere inch from the mirrored wall. That in itself kind of killed the relaxation effect. There is nothing enjoyable about staring directly at yourself while at the same time noticing a sea of eyes behind you seemingly staring right at you. In a word, AWKWARD!
Regardless, once I stopped thinking about everyone around me, I really loved the class. I have been doing self-guided yoga at home for years. But, I always found it difficult to fully grasp the positions by following a book or video. It was much easier having an instructor explain what to do and then following her lead. In addition, I realized that I was making my yoga poses much more difficult than they needed to be. I always stretched to the point of discomfort thinking that was most effective, but during the class we were urged not to go too far and as a result I got a greater energy boost from the workout.
At the end of the class, the instructor said something that I thought was rather profound. She said, “today don’t let any distractions get in your way. If someone irritates you in line at the grocery store, take it as the universe’s way of distracting you from something else that could be worse.” What a great way to look at problems, obstacles, etc. As the universe would have it, I was given an opportunity to experience those words of wisdom later in the afternoon.
A few hours after the yoga class, I had an amalgam filling removed and replaced with composite. I did this for 2 reasons – 1. vanity, becaue the dark metal filling was in the front of my mouth and glistened in an unflattering way when I smiled, and 2. I am completely freaked out about the health dangers of mercury and I want to slowly replace all of my mercury-containg fillings. I think the move was a good one, but I was very scared that by removing the filling I could be doing more harm since I could swallow some of the filling. I told my dentist about my fear, and she took extra precautions to put me at ease. Still I was very nervous when I left the office. I ran some errands, but I kept obsessing about the thought of mercury exposure. I tried the yoga deep breathing which worked a little to clear my mind, but it wasn’t until fate stepped in that I was truly “distracted” from my negative thoughts.
Fate came in the form of a patch of black ice on my sloped driveway. I was still thinking about the filling and planning on discussing the whole ordeal with my husband as soon as I got in the house, but first I had to stop at the end of the driveway to get the mail. As I stepped out of the car, I stepped directly on the black ice and down I went. Alas, my mind was cleared of the filling worry and now focused on the pain in my wrists and back. It was painful and funny at the same time, but it did knock some sense into me – literally. Why worry about what could happen when the things that truly knock you on your butt always come when you least expect them?