Sealing the Back Foot

At the beginning of class, Gloria read an Irish blessing. What I remember: may your path be clear... Then Gloria said it's always good to get blessings and hugs. True. She also told us about a community garden that she contributes to and that the main gardener pointed out four-leaf clovers that come back every year. Most people don't see the four-leaves but they're there if you look for them, the gardeners concluded...

Gloria prompted us to prepare for practice by encouraging us to be present on our mats and in our lives and the latter really resonated.

When Gloria said to breathe like wind through an instrument, it helped me to breathe much better. 

We woke up our toes, ankles and feet with chair pose. In fact, we woke up a lot of body parts. It was good to be reminded to seal my back foot in Warrior I since it's a pose that I often struggle with.

As we stretched the hips, Gloria talked about connective tissue and how, if you hold the stretch, the body will have an Aha! Moment.

Right before savasana, Gloria invited us to trust the process of letting go and I let the concept roll around in my mind then latched onto it.

After savasana, Gloria said a mantra that she often says. Here's what popped out for me: you are cherished...you are loved...may you live in a strong body...