Deep Rest Weekend
Just this past weekend I had the pleasure of attending a deeply restful weekend with Adelene Cheong, London's top restorative yoga teacher and Lizzie Lasater, daughter of the renowned Judith Hanson Lasater, a lovely teacher in her own right. This was my first time to meet both of them. I do not even remember the last time I went to a workshop and I am so pleased that I came to this one.
In the last two years or so, my practice has shifted a great deal from being strong and dynamic to slow and meditative. That is why I love yin yoga. It makes me slow down, be still and simply focus on the present moment.
Lizzie was saying that seeing her mother's practice change from asana-based to more pranayama and meditation now that she's older made me wonder that although I am half her mother's age, my practice has already been slowing down lately.
I know exactly why. I am a mother to a young child, who needs care 24 hours a day. I am a homemaker; having moved house just a year ago our house is still a work in progress. I am a businesswoman curating yoga retreats and holidays here and abroad while at the same time teaching and travelling around the globe (with a child in tow!)
It is almost November. In a few days we are off to Iceland for my last yoga trip this year. When I think of how fast this year has flown by, it makes me worry about my health. To be honest I have been so busy with planning and organising new trips that I also have neglected spending quality time with my daughter. I heard myself many times telling her to wait because I have an email to write or I am on the phone with a client. Or “soon we can do this when I finish ____ …”
Going back to the topic, the reason I signed up for this workshop is that I knew deep down I had to allot this time for myself. No more ifs and buts. And of course, I get to meet the teachers I have wanted to meet for so long.
My experience: It is Wednesday morning, three days after the event. My body still feels really restored, my mind is recharged and my sleep better. You are probably asking what we did over the weekend. Aside from a few micro movements and group discussions, we laid ourselves down and “slept” in half an hour bouts on bolsters and chairs on our yoga mats.
Wow, pure heaven! Now I can feel the difference between simply vegging out on the couch and actually doing some restorative poses, for the same amount of time. Definitely worth it.
Who wants to give restorative yoga a go?
