The first five minutes

Every Thursday evening, there's a moment I look forward to.
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It isn't a yoga pose.
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It isn't the end of class.
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It happens during the first five minutes.
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People arrive carrying their day with them.
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Some have come straight from work. Others have rushed through supper, errands, or family responsibilities to make it there. Their minds are often still on the conversation they just had, the email they forgot to send, or the list waiting for them when they get home.
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As people arrive, there's conversation.
Shoes come off.
Mats are unrolled.
Someone almost always smiles and says, "I'm so glad I made it."
Then I invite everyone to begin.
The room becomes quiet.
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Most people choose to lie down on their mats. Not because they have to. Some prefer to sit. Others begin in a chair. There isn't one right way to arrive.
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I intentionally don't rush these first few minutes.
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There's often a little fidgeting.
A shoulder adjusts.
Someone stretches a leg.
A deeper breath appears.
It's completely normal.
Our bodies and nervous systems have been "on" all day. They need a moment to catch up.
And then it happens.
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The movement settles.
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Brows soften.
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The room grows still.
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It's almost as if everyone has quietly set down what they've been carrying.
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Over the years, I've come to realize that this isn't separate from yoga.
It is yoga.
Because before we move our bodies, we first have to arrive in them.
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We have to notice our breath.
Notice how we're feeling today.
Notice the places we're holding tension.
Notice that we've been living in our thoughts all day and gently reconnect with the body that's been carrying us through it all.
Only then do we begin to move.
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I sometimes think this is the part of yoga that isn't talked about very often.
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People imagine yoga is about flexibility or balance or learning poses.
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Those things can certainly be part of the practice.
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But long before any of that, yoga offers something much simpler.
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A chance to pause.
To reconnect.
To become present to this moment instead of replaying the last one or worrying about the next.
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I think we all need places where we can stop being everything to everyone else for a little while.
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Maybe that's why, after all these years, those first five minutes are still my favourite part of class.
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If you've been wondering what it would be like to come to Everyday Yoga for the first time, I hope this gives you a glimpse.
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The hardest part probably isn't the class itself.
It's deciding to come.
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After that, we'll simply begin where you are.
Together.
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Stay well and happy moving,
Lisa