29/06: Doing my Civic Duty - Zen Style
Category: Teachers & Studios Worldwide
Posted by: gigi
Although I had lost my summons, I knew I had jury duty this week...it has been in my calendar for months, like a big black X forcing me to refuse job opportunities and vacation invitations during this holiday week. So without my summons, I had no Jury ID number, and therefore when I called 1800 SRV JURY, I couldn't get any information about when and where to go.
So I decided, heck, I'll just show up early to the same courthouse and try to figure it ou. In order to get to Downtown L.A. before rush hour, I thought it might be a good idea to take Andres' 5:30am class at Santa Monica Power Yoga West. I had always wanted to but now I had a good reason.
When my alarm went off at 4:50am, I promptly hit snooze.
I was debating whether or not to go, and my cell phone chirped from the living room: "Message Received." I wondered if it was my sweetheart, who's on the east coast right now, and then again: "Message Received." So I got out of bed to check my phone and sure enough, it was him. So I quickly replied, to which he asked: "Why are you up at 5am??" At that point, there was no turning back.
When I arrived at smpy, it was still pitch black outside and all I could see in the studio was the harmonium in the candlelight. We started with some mantra Kirtan chanting and the harmonies were incredible. I couldn't really decipher what we were supposed to be saying, but I just made the sound and enjoyed the energy.
We warmed up our bodies slowly and Andres reminded us that yoga is not about ego: "Don't take your body for granted," he said (I'm definitely going to use that!). He also reminded us that "Love is the best medicine in the world."
Our flow didn't last very long, and I didn't sweat very much, but it was fun and rewarding. I was proud of myself for actually showing up and although the class was listed as an hour long, when it was all said and done, it was a solid 75 minutes. Not bad. Now I'm using WiFi at Jury Duty and trying to stay zen.
So I decided, heck, I'll just show up early to the same courthouse and try to figure it ou. In order to get to Downtown L.A. before rush hour, I thought it might be a good idea to take Andres' 5:30am class at Santa Monica Power Yoga West. I had always wanted to but now I had a good reason.
Andres plays the harmonium
When my alarm went off at 4:50am, I promptly hit snooze.
I was debating whether or not to go, and my cell phone chirped from the living room: "Message Received." I wondered if it was my sweetheart, who's on the east coast right now, and then again: "Message Received." So I got out of bed to check my phone and sure enough, it was him. So I quickly replied, to which he asked: "Why are you up at 5am??" At that point, there was no turning back.
When I arrived at smpy, it was still pitch black outside and all I could see in the studio was the harmonium in the candlelight. We started with some mantra Kirtan chanting and the harmonies were incredible. I couldn't really decipher what we were supposed to be saying, but I just made the sound and enjoyed the energy.
My new favorite instrument: the Harmonium
We warmed up our bodies slowly and Andres reminded us that yoga is not about ego: "Don't take your body for granted," he said (I'm definitely going to use that!). He also reminded us that "Love is the best medicine in the world."
Our flow didn't last very long, and I didn't sweat very much, but it was fun and rewarding. I was proud of myself for actually showing up and although the class was listed as an hour long, when it was all said and done, it was a solid 75 minutes. Not bad. Now I'm using WiFi at Jury Duty and trying to stay zen.