The Yoga of Masking: Teaching A Private: Wailea, HI: November 29, 2020

R E S P E C T for yogis and maskers everywhere.

Yoga is “hard enough” as we move through life. Sore backs, stiff necks, pandemic trauma; all of it, including wearing masks and social distancing. For most beginners, they would throw both arms in the air and decry to hell with it.

But not my yogi.

He texted last week to set up our yoga session. In pandemic times so much can happen in a week, it's a miracle in and of itself that we still aligned with 10AM Sunday morning practice.

He's not a complete beginner, as I've come to find out. In fact, there's not much this yogi hasn't done, not so much in yoga practice terms, but in life. He's a friend, and he's a giant positive influence on my life. He’s powerful and completely awesome, almost intimidatingly so.

Working together with yoga is an interesting way to re-meet. It's not like we're golfing or scuba diving. It's not really social at all. It's other worldly in that way.

My practice style is casual with a lot of flowing mixed with moments of stillness. There's a steady suggestion to give attention to your breath, and occasional instructions to direct your mind to higher realms, like gratitude, joy, beauty. Not pretending tight spots aren't there, rather ,finding relationship to all of it and discerning from within the best use of breath and awareness, appropriate to the situation.

It's more difficult than teaching sun salutations, and today I felt burdened by distance and masks and new offerings that I almost fell for the mind trick, "why bother" and "he hates me".

But you know why I didn't? Love and respect for anyone willing to yoga under any circumstances. There is nothing short of an invitation with the Divine to be in yoga, no matter what. Struggling with how best to convey the practice is always a worthwhile endeavor.

If he calls back for yoga again, and oh how I hope he does, I'll know a lot of cool things to bring to the mat, now that I've experienced his other-world world.

Here is our sequence (which wasn't hardly anything I'd planned)

supine pranayama
windshield wipers
round up

seated circles
seated forward fold
tipping Buddha

neck stretch with reverse prayer

basket hands uttithasukasana
seated twist

cat and cow
leg stretch with lift

downdog
tadasana

guitar hero

warrior II dance with wide legged forward fold

tadasana with gratitude meditation
Namaste

Health, Love, and Rock n Roll