Sometimes, I find that the smallest, unexpected thing can shift my outlook entirely. Today I went to a yoga class at Darshana Yoga in Palo Alto (a gorgeous studio - highly recommended if you are ever on the peninsula!) I was feeling quite gloomy, despite the gorgeous California sunshine beating down. A woman brought her 9 year son to the studio, prepared to sit and play on his Gameboy while she practiced. Catherine, the studio owner and teacher, invited the boy to practice with us, as apparently he goes to the kids yoga class and is quite an accomplished yogi! The boy accepted the invitation and dragged a mat over next to his mom, where he proceeded to move through the asanas with us with amazing grace. I could hear his breath, energized, and challenged, throughout the class. He floated in and out of a balancing sequence like he was born to be on the mat. It was a real treat to see and to share the space with someone so young, the group of us spanning decades but connected by something much more powerful than age. Obviously, we live in a special place in the Bay Area, where yoga mats are dropped from helicopters and you can find babies, dogs, and houseplants doing yoga in parks around the city. But the real delight came during shoulderstand. Catherine was reminding us of all the benefits of the pose, including shoulderstand keeping us healthy "so we can live longer and happier lives", at which point the boy broke the silence in the room, effusing "Uhhh-huh!"
How uplifting to be reminded by someone less than 1/3 of my age of why I love yoga! The genuine enthusiasm and untarnished outlook on life of a child - something I think most of us could benefit from absorbing from time to time. Who knew my teacher today would be a 9 year old stranger with moppy hair and a Gameboy. Thank you, Luke!
Sally Clark
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