Awesome inversions and stormy savasanas

Who doesn't love a good, old-fashioned alliterative title?

Today was definitely better,  but by the time I got to my yoga class, I was exhausted. It always amazes me how my practice can change from day to day - yesterday I was feeling huge and strong and ready to take on the world, today I was feeling totally shaky in poses that don't generally pose a challenge for me.

My teacher today was the person I mentioned in my last post, Charlene Yeh. I've never taken a class with her before, and now that I have I can understand what all the fuss was about. She was really, really great. She led us in a gorgeous chant at the beginning of the class, and she's one of those teachers who gives you massages with nice-smelling lotion at the end of the class. 

And yes, the stuff that came in between the chanting and the savasana was good too. We did some neat inversions, including this reverse handstand sort of thing where you start out with your hands on the floor and your feet on the wall with your body making a 90 degree angle in the air, and then you slowly walk your hands back towards the wall and climb your feet up so that eventually you're in handstand while facing the wall. It's neat to have the usual way you do things turned on its head. Plus, I love inversions. These days I am all about inversions.

She also talked a bit during class about this Zen book she is reading, and what it has to say about the beginner's mindset. The book says that beginners have many options open for them, whereas people with a more "I'm advanced" mindset have a more narrow world view. Obviously, it's important to keep that beginner's mindset and try to stay open to learning as long as you keep living. This is something that I need to remember.

There had been a storm brewing all day, and the clouds finally burst just as we were beginning savasana. The storm came all at once - rain pelting the windows, thunder and lightning so close by that they were nearly overlapping. It was wonderful lying there, breathing deeply, listening to the storm rage outside. 

Unfortunately, when I got home I learned that the storm had turned deadly in some places. To the north, east and west of the city there have been tornadoes, with people losing windows and the roofs off their houses. At least one person has died. For a while, we were afraid that there would be a tornado in Toronto - the sky was a sickly shade of green for about half an hour, and the cats were looking extremely nervous. It's strange how something as fiercely beautiful as a summer storm can be dangerous as well.