I taught a deliciously slow and well-propped yin/restorative community class yesterday evening at Hot Yoga Østerbro in Copenhagen. The last-Friday-of-the-month session offers an alternative to Fredagsbar (the Danish end-of-the-work-week evening tradition of drinking with colleagues or fellow students), although I did serve a spicy ginger rooibos tea afterwards.
As we chatted after spending 60 minutes doing a total of four poses* (plus savasana, of course), the idea of rest as distinct from sleeping or downtime like reading a book or watching TV came up.
“When was the last time you did nothing for 15 minutes?” I asked.
The answers shouldn’t have surprised me.
“Yesterday. With you in the Thursday yin class.” “In savasana earlier on Monday.” “Here. At least twice last week.”
Right. Students in a Friday evening yin/restorative yoga class probably already know what it means to really rest—and value that experience. It’s an incredible compliment to facilitate this kind of ease and deep rest for others, as well as a reminder to bring that focus into my own practice.
If you’re in the Copenhagen area, I’m teaching Sunday morning restorative once a month at my friend Heidi’s Gentofte studio (check out the schedule for 108 Yoga), along with my regular Thursday evening warm yin classes at Hot Yoga Østerbro (rest assured, the temperature is pleasantly toasty, not sweat-inducing). And I’ll be back for another Hot Yoga Østerbro community class on Friday, February 27!
In the meantime, I’m going to set up a super-well-propped legs up the wall and give myself at least 15 minutes of doing nothing.
* Those four poses were 1. gently inverted tree, 2. supported one-knee twist, 3. crocodile, and 4. easy chair. Great postures for getting still and easing tension deep in the body.
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