Closing our Eyes

I remember my yoga instructor in San Francisco, Leila, having us close our eyes once in awhile, like in pigeon pose/Kapotasana, because our eyes take in a lot of information. Closing the eyes can help you notice how your body feels, and focus inward a little more.

Last week in my small group class, our instructor Susan had us close our eyes in a pose. I zoomed in on my balance, or lack thereof, and how my weight was being distributed. Closing our eyes also helps heighten other senses, especially hearing for me.

This morning in my home practice (with Adriene's videos), today's mantra and intention was to be present, and possibly open to new experiences and/or opportunities. So, later today in my weekly group practice, we did a shoulder stand supported on chairs and against a wall. I had never seen this demonstrated before, let alone tried. So here it was, a new experience.

After this practice I decided to set a yoga goal to work my way to headstand pose/Sirsasana. (Actually my longstanding goal is crow pose. I'm talking years and I still can't do it yet.) Yesterday I happened to watch the video of Gisele Bundchen on Jimmy Fallon where they both held plank pose. They also showed her perfect headstand on the beach photo. Something to aspire to.

However; the best part is closing our eyes at the end in Savasana where we rest, and let the nutrients of our practice settle in. And like Leila used to say, "May the yoga be with you."