By Eileen Greco
Almost. But that would be very un-Zen like of me, and you probably deserve a little namaste (peace) in your life as much I do. As it is, the sign-up lines start early, snake around the corridor almost to the door, and the last unfortunate few are turned away when the class hits its 70 person capacity. This is a twelve-week non-competitive, all age-group, course that you adjust to your particular level of beginner through advanced or how you feel on that particular day. Plus it¹s inexpensive relatively speaking.
Classes meet on Monday and Wednesday at the harried time of 5:30 PM. I go with a fellow (beginner) rushed soul and between us, we juggle six kids, their schedules, work, and the dinner hour to arrive on time with our mat, brick and cushion. After our first cleansing breath, and our first instruction to ³Open your heart center² we move nimbly through poses starting with Tadasana (Mountain Pose) with only a few creaks, pops and unsteadiness.
Lorili Henry, the yoga instructor, has been practicing and teaching yoga for many years. She is also an interfaith minister and spiritual counselor and says it¹s not an hour long class for her; it¹s the way she lives her life. She¹s fully aware of the outside stress and frenzied energy that arrives in the Echo Park hall each week, and repeats often, ³Release your shoulders!², and ³Your shoulders are not meant to be long, dangling earrings.² Shoulders noticeably drop around the room over and over.
In fact, during the week, stuck in the after-school traffic, my shoulders wrapped around my neck, I hear her voice, Release your shoulders! I take a deep breath, heave a big shrug, re-set myself, if you will, back to that feeling of namaste. Honestly.
After holding an impossibly long Warrior Pose stretch, and then another, Lorili instructs us to feel and celebrate the warrior in each of us. Our muscles may tremble, but inside we are strong and unflappable.
After what feels like an aerobic work-out, we end flat on our mats in corpse pose immersed in relaxation. Lorili intones, ³you have nowhere to go, nowhere to be,² and I shush the running, daily commentary and to-do lists in my mind. Slowly stretching and sitting, we breathe and become more alert with each sonorous bell that is rung. Lorili sends us off with ³peace in your hearts, peace in your days and peace in your dreams.² We move about slowly, packing up, a smile where a clench held sway.
Recharged, our cell phones turned on, we order our pizza pies to pick up on the way home. Dinner is served. Mommy is mellow. Everybody is happy. ³Breathe,² Lorili advises, and we do.
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