Learning Flexibility

I was so excited about my plans for this weekend. Several months ago, I booked a weekend at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, a retreat center in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. The weekend program was to be taught by David Swenson, a renowned expert on Ashtanga yoga. I have read David's books and use his primary series DVD to practice at home, and was really looking forward to meeting him and exploring my Ashtanga practice through the workshop.

Unfortunately, when I flew into Washington, DC to connect through to Albany, NY, I found out that my flight was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions in the northeast. Furthermore, when I discussed my flight situation with Kripalu, I discovered that David Swenson's travel plans were also hampered by the weather and he would not be able to make it to the center either.

Wow. What a bummer. My trip, which was to be my one "me" weekend away this year, was completely turned upside down. Not to mention that I was now hundreds of miles from home in Washington, DC.

Usually in these kinds of stressful circumstances, I would get anxious and depressed. However, after discussing my options with my husband, I decided to stay in Washington, DC for the weekend and visit with my sister-in-law, who lives in the District. She was so gracious to ask for a half-day off of work in order to spend time with me.

I ended up having a great weekend with my sister-in-law, eating at wonderful restaurants, shopping in fun little boutiques, exploring the landmarks, and of course, painting the town red at night.

To top it all off, I even found a small yoga studio near my sister-in-law's house, Boundless Yoga, where I was able to practice both Saturday and Sunday mornings. While the classes that I took were not the typical Ashtanga or vinyasa flow classes that I normally take, it was good to take time to slow down and on focus on alignment and form in Iyengar-style hatha yoga classes.

Even though I wasn't able to focus on the flexibility of my body the way that I expected to this weekend, I was able to practice flexibility in my attitude and heart by "going with the flow" and choosing spontaneity over disappointment. The weekend was fun and exciting - not at all what I had planned, but a terrific vacation nonetheless!

Today's workout:

90 min. hatha yoga practice

60 min. walk around DC