Rolf Gates has a quote at the end of his first book that I use at the end of a lot of my yoga classes.
“So we show up. We work. We burn brightly in the moment. We live with passion. And when the moment is over, and the work is done, we take a step back and we rest.”
In yoga class, we end in Savasana, the pose of the corpse. Lying down doing nothing but breathing and letting the body rest. It’s the most magical part of yoga. It’s the time when our bodies are prepared to absorb what our practice has given us. If any muscle fiber has been lengthened, it’s in our rest that we memorize that new length. If any part of us has gotten stronger, it’s in our rest that we memorize our new strength.
My hope, as we come to the end of our 30 days together, is that you have been expanded, lengthened, strengthened, and challenged. We worked hard at nothing.
And now, we rest.
Now we allow time for our bodies and our minds and our souls to absorb what we’ve learned in this 30 day program. Thank you for joining me here. Thank you for taking time for you. For listening to your heart and following where it leads. I know the world is a better place because of it.
As we roll up our mats, and put away our cushions…NOW the practice of yoga begins.
Namaste.
*Photo by Chris Thompson on Unsplash
