Before Yoga & After Yoga

My husband and I recently visited our son at college. We stayed in a hotel that was in the midst of “youth hockey weekend.” Apparently, our hotel was conveniently located right across the street from the ice hockey arena where kids 10 and under were playing tournament hockey. I now know that checking is not allowed until age 11 in the US, much to the chagrin of one parent who complained to me that in Canada, they can check – apparently – from the crib on up. This, he claimed, is why Canadian players reign supreme.

But I digress. While on the treadmill in the exercise room Sunday morning, watching Meet the Press and keeping track of my mileage scrolling along the front of the machine, the door opens and a mass of kids, hockey players I guessed, flood into the room. They were jumping on the other treadmills and steppers, picking up weights and being, well, kids.

Now, Before Yoga, I would have marched to the front desk, complained, and had the kids summarily dismissed so I could finish my all-important workout and feel suitably outraged that parents of said children had left them unsupervised ('can you imagine...' I can hear myself saying). Instead, I thought I'd just wait and listen for what to do. I was just about done with the treadmill. I had brought my mat and had intended to do some sun salutations. I waited for a moment and felt that this is what I should still do. So, I got off the treadmill, made some space for my mat – between the masses of children – took off my shoes and socks and started to practice.

After a few poses, the kids started watching me. Then they started talking to me. Several of them at once. 'What are you doing?' 'Is that yoga?'

'I'm a yoga teacher,' I told them. 'Do you want to do some yoga?'

I got a resounding affirmation. So I just sort of followed their lead. Tree pose seemed the obvious jumping off point. We talked about balance which they told me is all important in hockey. After that, the kids started doing what they thought were postures – and then I'd suggest ways to refine the pose. Dancer. One boy did a Headstand. Downward Facing Dog. None of them were racing on the treadmills anymore. They were relatively quiet. After a bit they thanked me and left. I knew I'd certainly had fun.

Before yoga, I probably wouldn't have gone to the front desk – but I would have thought about it. Most likely I would have just left and felt inconvenienced. I might have made the day worse for these children, by sending some negative energy their way. Instead, After Yoga, I'd like to think I helped make their day just a little better. I was able to not react but just respond, gently and with awareness, to the situation – like carefully selecting a piece of ripe fruit and enjoying it. As TKV Desikachar said, “The Mastery of Yoga must not be measured simply by the ability to master the techniques of yoga...but how it influences our day-to-day living, how it enhances our relationship and how it promotes clarity and peace of mind.”

After Yoga, I was able to savor the energy and enthusiasm of these children – which Before Yoga I would have found annoying and inconvenient.

So, the moral of this story is – as the Dalai Lama says - “If you don't like what is happening in your life, change your mind.”

                                                                                                -Anne Ondrey