Backbending on Saint-Jean Baptiste Day!

Source: Pixabay

It wasn’t always the case but, as I grow older, I love travelling. It gives me a sense of freedom. I realize that taking myself out of my routine is good for my soul (even if I don’t go very far!) During my travels, I try to visit new yoga studios and attend new yoga classes. It allows me to refresh my practice, to get inspired, and to experience surprises on the mat! Visiting Montreal for a few days, I attended a yoga class for the first time at Yoga Bhavana this morning, where I was immediately confronted with my nemesis of yoga postures: backbends! ​

The teacher asked us to perform different variations of backbends, all supported by props (wall, chair, bolster, blocks, blankets.) Embracing the challenge, I gave it a go and reminded myself that I was there to explore and hopefully walk away with some learnings.

Throughout the class, I was reminded that letting go, putting my head back, while attempting a backbend variation, and trusting that the wall will support me, is still a scary affair for me. My biggest discovery was that, even though I struggled and never reached the "expected results", I was at peace with myself, and not once did I feel inadequate (and believe me, there was lots of potential for that!)

I constantly repeat in my classes that a yoga posture is a journey (not an end result.) It does not matter how a yoga posture looks as long as it feels good (and that the students are safe.) I guess I finally listened to my own words of wisdom and experienced it this particular class.

Walking out of the studio, I encountered a St-Jean Baptiste Celebration where kids were jumping, flipping, and (you guessed it!) back bending in an inflatable room. They made it look so easy! Fearless, bendy, happy! What else could I do but smile?