Last night I finished the work week with another restorative yoga class from My Yoga Online. I chose the Fall Yin Restorative Practice, by the same teacher as the Yin Yoga for Winter class (my Get Out of Jail Free card), Melina Meza.
I was so tired, this class seemed like the perfect choice. It was 22 minutes long, with a short series of poses, each held for 12 to 30 breaths:
- supine butterfly
- supine twist (two sides)
- modified child’s pose with forearm stretch (two sides)
- sphinx – this was much easier today, after having done it 5 days ago – a testament to how quickly the body adapts to new forms
- virasana (kneeling pose)
Since the class was 8 minutes short of the full 30 minutes of the Reach Out Challenge, I followed it with 4 minutes of legs up the wall and 4 minutes of sivasana on the bolster. Then I did about another 10 minutes of Mysore practice (named after Mysore, India, a centre for yoga, the Mysore practice can be a free-flowing practice responding to the body’s spontaneous desire for movement).
According to the class description at My Yoga Online, “In the autumn, the Chinese Five Elements system promotes the lung and large intestine meridian lines to ensure that sufficient heat is drawn inward and downward, preventing imbalances that may result in the common cold, constipation, or insomnia. Yin yoga is a wonderful way to help restore your sense of balance after a long summer. In addition to calming the restless and anxious energy of fall, the longer held postures in this class will help prepare your mind, body, and spirit for meditation.”
Unfortunately, while the class did help me get to sleep, I woke up at 3:30 am feeling anxious and unable to get back to sleep! So I am not sure about the overall calming effects of the class. I did get up and meditate, so perhaps that part of the claim is true. However, it is possible that this new routine of practicing yoga daily, and doing poses that are not part of my regular practice, is opening up the energy channels (meridian lines) in my body. Perhaps I have so much energy running through the channels that I don’t need as much sleep. In any case, I love the Yin or Restorative yoga style, and look forward to trying the other classes with Melina Meza. She has several slightly longer vinyasa flow classes, as well as a Spring yin yoga class.
Thanks to my friends and family who have pledged 50 cents or a dollar a day for the 30-day Reach Out Challenge. If you haven’t done so and would like to sponsor me to raise money for Yoga Outreach, you can use the online donation link. Or phone me at 604.251.6337 or send an email to kyrempel@gmail.com. Thanks!