Diary of a yoga retreat - day 3 - pm session

DAY THREE - AFTERNOON SESSION

We always begin with a strengthening session and something within me loves it.

Strangely enough, whatever has happened to me during this yoga experience over the last four or five years, my body has come to soak up every little posture, every little movement we make. It's great, the strengthening exercises.

I am thirty nine and a half years of age and I feel like my body is stronger now than at any time in my life. My teacher, I am very blessed to have, has been studying yoga for 25 years. All of the postures she knows, all of that ab strengthening serves a mother of two fantastically. I feel lighter, stronger and more powerful and far more clear than at any other time of my life.

Down the end of the shala there is a very sweet little white boy from Sydney with a harmonium, one of those amazing Indian instruments which he is playing softly with a jangling sound. He is chanting for us as we practice. What a gift, how magical. Really lovely. I realize that soon enough we will be required to be chanting along with him. The panic starts to set in.

While the asana, the physical postures, leave me feeling like a bird, flying and full of light. When it comes to singing, it's like a full metal jacket settles upon my torso. I know my shoulders slump, even though I try and lift them. Singing is the hard one for me. I grew up being teased about singing. I grew up understanding that I didn't have a good singing voice.

This teacher of mine, my beloved guide, has full faith in my singing ability. So I go and sit next to her, right next to her. She of the melodious tunes, she of the uplifting tones. She of the golden voice. She sings along with this sweet guy and slowly I begin to make a noise. Because I am nervous and freaking out about the singing my voice goes funny. It turns to a little croak and I have to really try so very hard. It is this trying so very hard that also stops my voice working. Whatever, I think.

So I sit, half lotus, left hip is sore from sitting and sitting and sitting. I begin to remember and I feel more than anything that these chants are vibrational. It is a call and a prayer to god. They are powerful and they are thousands of years old and I feel their power. So slowly but surely I begin to sing. We are probably there for 45 minutes to an hour. I start of in half lotus but it doesn't take too long for my hips to begin to scream at me. Burning hot. So I go back to cross legged sitting. Then I move onto sitting on my heels. Swaying with each song, shawl draped around my shoulders. It's beautiful here and slowly I let out some voice. I know that it is ok, I know that there is a song in me. There is a tune. She believes in my singing. She is not people pleaser that is for sure. She would not believe just to appease me.

My husband and kids always laugh at me that because I put on my silly voice when I sing because I am nervous and shy and I don't want anyone to laugh. They have been laughing at me for years now. One of my first memories of being in school, 5 years of age. The teacher telling me to sit near the back and not sing so loudly. Bless me.

So I start to sing and near the end, after nearly an hour of singing consciously I feel my chest loosen, like it does in the asana practice and I hear a very quiet little tune come out of me. It feels really good. If we did this every day for a couple of months I'd be all right. So I sing. It's lovely.

I sing the chants every day (albeit somewhat tunelessly). I know I can sing them and today I feel the energy. All of us have come together from around the world to open our hearts and practice yoga. Afterwards, the very beautiful guy from Melbourne, the sweet daddy. He has a little 2 year old, he left his child as well to come and practice yoga with this lady, our teacher. He says that he feels like it put him back in balance, the chanting. That he opened his heart, that it was abit stuck. Exactly what the chants are meant to do. Open our hearts from within.

One thing about these yoga retreats is that you meet some beautiful people. People on a similar path, wanting the same thing. I am happy I am here.

DAY THREE - AFTERNOON SESSION

We always begin with a strengthening session and something within me loves it.

Strangely enough, whatever has happened to me during this yoga experience over the last four or five years, my body has come to soak up every little posture, every little movement we make. It's great, the strengthening exercises.

I am thirty nine and a half years of age and I feel like my body is stronger now than at any time in my life. My teacher, I am very blessed to have, has been studying yoga for 25 years. All of the postures she knows, all of that ab strengthening serves a mother of two fantastically. I feel lighter, stronger and more powerful and far more clear than at any other time of my life.

Down the end of the shala there is a very sweet little white boy from Sydney with a harmonium, one of those amazing Indian instruments which he is playing softly with a jangling sound. He is chanting for us as we practice. What a gift, how magical. Really lovely. I realize that soon enough we will be required to be chanting along with him. The panic starts to set in.

While the asana, the physical postures, leave me feeling like a bird, flying and full of light. When it comes to singing, it's like a full metal jacket settles upon my torso. I know my shoulders slump, even though I try and lift them. Singing is the hard one for me. I grew up being teased about singing. I grew up understanding that I didn't have a good singing voice.

This teacher of mine, my beloved guide, has full faith in my singing ability. So I go and sit next to her, right next to her. She of the melodious tunes, she of the uplifting tones. She of the golden voice. She sings along with this sweet guy and slowly I begin to make a noise. Because I am nervous and freaking out about the singing my voice goes funny. It turns to a little croak and I have to really try so very hard. It is this trying so very hard that also stops my voice working. Whatever, I think.

So I sit, half lotus, left hip is sore from sitting and sitting and sitting. I begin to remember and I feel more than anything that these chants are vibrational. It is a call and a prayer to god. They are powerful and they are thousands of years old and I feel their power. So slowly but surely I begin to sing. We are probably there for 45 minutes to an hour. I start of in half lotus but it doesn't take too long for my hips to begin to scream at me. Burning hot. So I go back to cross legged sitting. Then I move onto sitting on my heels. Swaying with each song, shawl draped around my shoulders. It's beautiful here and slowly I let out some voice. I know that it is ok, I know that there is a song in me. There is a tune. She believes in my singing. She is not people pleaser that is for sure. She would not believe just to appease me.

My husband and kids always laugh at me that because I put on my silly voice when I sing because I am nervous and shy and I don't want anyone to laugh. They have been laughing at me for years now. One of my first memories of being in school, 5 years of age. The teacher telling me to sit near the back and not sing so loudly. Bless me.

So I start to sing and near the end, after nearly an hour of singing consciously I feel my chest loosen, like it does in the asana practice and I hear a very quiet little tune come out of me. It feels really good. If we did this every day for a couple of months I'd be all right. So I sing. It's lovely.

I sing the chants every day (albeit somewhat tunelessly). I know I can sing them and today I feel the energy. All of us have come together from around the world to open our hearts and practice yoga. Afterwards, the very beautiful guy from Melbourne, the sweet daddy. He has a little 2 year old, he left his child as well to come and practice yoga with this lady, our teacher. He says that he feels like it put him back in balance, the chanting. That he opened his heart, that it was abit stuck. Exactly what the chants are meant to do. Open our hearts from within.

One thing about these yoga retreats is that you meet some beautiful people. People on a similar path, wanting the same thing. I am happy I am here.

Susan Plesser
I am a Yoga instructor, but first and foremost i practice yoga. i became an instructor so I could share the joy that Yoga brings me, with others. I run classes, small retreats and have an online Yoga Products Shop.

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