In the Comfort Zone: Teaching A Private: Wailea, HI: March 14, 2021

When it’s wet and muddy, we just do our yoga standing up. Learning to find a comfort zone even when my whole class idea gets ditched. It helps when you have a willing and capable participant!

The recent rains have left even the driest parts of the island, like Wailea, soggy. During the practice we got misted on, further dashing my plans for an awesome supine shoulder opener I was excited to share today. We yoga-ed on, even in the rain. The whole practice today was done standing, which, for a gentle yoga class, is on the challenging side.

But I voted to keep the our practice sequence standing because it felt nice to be in the comfort zone and warm and dry. Cold and wet didn’t sound fun at all. Besides, the Sunday Yogi can take it all on his two feet: His poses are strong and steady, his balance is thoughtfully considered. He’’s not afraid of hard work, and he can take the heat!

After all, the practices of yoga love to be practiced. They are practical and effective, they meet us where we’re at. They teach us to leave our comfort zone in order to find refuge in being comfortable in our own skin, no matter what.

I realize today, also, that I worry less these days, well, about everything, but one of them is that the yoga will hurt him. He's practiced enough now to have that sweet spot of internal knowing just how far to bend and stretch; to take care of himself so in those ways. His practice is ready to advance to stronger levels.

Eric Shiffmann often says, “ self trust is the advanced practice”, and how right he is. And wow, how advanced The Sunday Yogi has become in just a few dedicated months.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Here’s our standing sequence today.

Mango stretch
Shoulder circles
Swimmers
Breaststroke and reverse breastroke

 Static sholder stretch with yin channels and wrist twirts
Rocket man 

Windmills
Bow and arrow
Standing Neck stretch

Beach chair lunges
Warrior III
High lunge twist
Low lunge

Warrior i
Pasvatadasana with modified reverse namaste
Tadasana

Gratitude meditation
Namaste

 Health, Love, and Rock and Roll