I figured that since love is in the air with Valentine's Day just behind us, I'd write to you about a wonderful experience Vinny and I had today. For the spirit of this holiday, we signed up for a Partner Yoga Workshop. I have always wanted Vinny to try yoga, and I especially wanted to try it with him. My fabulous teacher was conducting this special workshop yesterday afternoon, and I immediately signed up as soon as she told me about it. I thought I was going to be forced to master my persuasion techniques to convince Vinny to sign up with me. To my surprise, he was very curious, and very willing.
We walked into the studio and were surrounded by many different kinds of people. Some had practiced yoga for years, some had never practiced at all. Some were young, some were old. Some were couples comprised of a man and a woman, some were comprised of two men. Some were lovers, some were friends. But we all shared one thing in common: yoga and love for our partner. You could feel the eagerness and anticipation in the room. Everyone was so excited to begin. I would implore you all to try it at least once- it is absolutely wonderful.
Though many of the poses were very familiar to me, they felt brand new. I was taking what I have been practicing for a long while, and turning it around to incoporate my partner Vinny. The one pose, however, that I would like to really touch upon is Sukhasana, Easy Pose. This is, quite simply, sitting upright, legs crossed, in a comfortable position. Your spine is in line, the crown of your head is pressing to the sky, and your sit bones are grounded on the earth. It's a seated pose that makes you feel extremely grounded with what is above you, as well as under you. It leaves you feeling calm. But adjusting this pose to do it with your partner, as simple as it may be, conjures up so many feelings and emotions. Some that I personally had never felt while sitting with myself.
Vinny and I began in Sukhasana. Rather than facing the teacher, we were facing each other. The tip of our knees were touching. Already, the pose felt different. When sitting individually, you feel nothing but yourself and the space around you. To feel someone else, especially someone you love, lightly grazing your knee adds a heightened connection to the pose. We didn't sit with our hands on our legs or clasped in prayer position, as you generally would. I took my right hand and placed it on Vinny's heart. He did the same. I took my left hand and placed it on top of Vinny's hand, which was on my heart. He did the same. We sat there, together, in silence. But we were linked by so much more than simply our hands. We connected together in breath. We felt the breath inside of us, and began breathing together. This action was not forced- it eventually came naturally. In an instant, I could feel his energy surging through my body. It was as though our bodies and breath had combined to allow us to feel everything from the inside. It was like a light, tingly fire. In my regular practice, my teacher has us begin in Sukhasana, and then cultivate our own personal intention. This can be anything from "may I relax", "may I be happy", "may I be patient"...it can really be anything you feel your heart needs, at that moment. Yesterday, our personal intention was cultivated for our partner. To Vinny, I sent out "may you be happy." And you know what? We must have really been connecting and feeling each other, because his intention for me was exactly the same. We both wanted happiness for one another. Once our intention was felt, we opened our eyes. We looked at each other, and were then instructed to give each other a hug. Our hug felt like it lasted forever. It was one of the warmest, most sincere hugs we had shared in a while. It was the perfect way to start our practice.
We did many asanas supported together. Downward Facing Dog, Warrior Poses, Tree Pose, Triangle Pose- just to name a few. Once we experimented with all the other wonderful positions, we ended the practice with Sukhasana again. This time, our bodies echoed with everything we had just done together, as one, in the last two hours. We sent out happiness to each other again. We hugged again. This time, the hug lasted longer than forever. And for a moment, I held back tears. Something boiled inside of me. I felt so connected to him, to his love. It was as though all the love we have shared for the last two and a half years was bottled and poured inside of us for that one instant. It was almost difficult to peel out of his embrace. But as we parted, that feeling stayed, and I know that it will continue to stay with us for a long, long time. It is not only something we create on the mat, but continue to create off the mat as well.
Namaste,
Lady Lotus
