Portland has some amazing yoga centers, and at the time of writing this I’m three days deep unto a two week (for $20 dollars!) unlimited trial at Yoga Pearl, downtown. I’ve been falling in love with Power Vinyasa practice, with the room heated to 95F, which has the effect of warming muscle tissue to the point where tightness is an afterthought.
I’ve been doing Yoga daily since I arrived in Portland, almost to the point of having my practice be the focus of my day, and it’s had some interesting effects:
1, My practice has accelerated.
I’m starting to feel like my practice has begun to develop. I’m getting deeper into poses, and with that comes a sense of effortlessness, which is really important.
2, I’m becoming more relaxed.
There’s a lot going on in my life right now: I’m freelancing full-time, which has its challenges, I just moved to a new city, I’m separated from my awesome girlfriend, ultimately I have no idea what I’m doing (like the rest of us, I suppose.) By practicing Yoga daily I’ve found that I can maintain peace and calm amidst the chaos.
3: I’m concentrated in the moment.
A lot of people practice yoga like it’s a race. They’re racing to the end of each pose, and eventually each class, and then they race out of class to the shower. I’m coming to realize (more so than I have in the past) just how important it is to move through every moment, in yoga and in life, as if it’s the only moment. Yoga is about the journey, not how fast you can get to the end of the pose.
The most powerful changes come in the in-between moments. If you’re not paying attention you’ll miss them.
