Jeff Bridges and Yoga

I really loved this quote from The Dude and the Zen Master. I actually loved the whole book, but this quote references yoga in particular:

"It's like yoga. I'll say, Put your head on your f**king knees, come on! And you know what? I get hurt because I can't do it and I'm not patient or kind to myself, I pull a muscle. I don't respect where I am. I push it too hard, I hurt myself, and that turns me off the whole process. But I could do it more gently, you know. Like, row, row, row your boat--gently.
     Sometimes I feel that my relationship with you[Bernie Glassman] is a bit of a yoga pose, too. You expand faster than I want to, so it can become uncomfortable. The relationship is always about opening, jamming, digging what it is to be intimate and generous. It's asking, Who are you? What are you? These are the same questions that I ask myself in different situations in my life, and the challenge is not to judge myself or my answer but to just notice. One of the things that I notice is that there are limits, and limits are a cool place in which to hang."

A New Student Experience

After the Partner Restorative Workshop I taught last weekend, one of the participants shared her experience with me. I love hearing about a person's experience with yoga. It is especially validating when someone else has a similar experience to what I have found with yoga. One of the reasons I became a teacher was so that I could attempt to share some of the amazing benefits I have received, and when that happens, it is intensely heart-warming. Here is what she had to say about the workshop:

"I wanted to take a minute to share my experience in your couples restorative yoga class.  I'm not a yoga person, but my husband is interested in it, and he's so good about trying things I like that I figured I should give one of his things a try.  I went into the class very nervous, but felt comfortable pretty quickly.  I have a very hard time turning my thoughts off, being quiet, or looking inward.  The thing that made this class work for me was that my focus was on my partner, not myself.  We tuned in and focused on each other, and learned about each other.  I was able to feel my husband's breathing, feel his skin, look at his eyes, all the time being encouraged to observe.  I learned so much about him.  I don't really have words for how I felt, but I can say that it was intense, and at the same time my anxiety level was lower than it has been in years.  I love my husband, we are the kind of couple who really get along and who do everything together, but I have never felt close to him like I did in this class, and even after.  At the end of class it was hard to come out of that intimate space of just the two of us and realize there were actually other people around.  Both of us had an amazing experience, and now, days later, I still feel changed from it.  We plan on taking this class again, and for myself I'd like to try a restorative class working without a partner, to build some tools to relax and slow down from every day life.  This class made me feel so healthy, inside and out.

Thank you, Reina!"

Please share your experiences with yoga in my class or others, I'd love to read about them. Namaste.