As a relatively new yoga teacher, I was more eager than most to get back into the yoga studio this fall. I missed teaching, my students, and the larger Sun & Moon community. I especially missed practicing yoga with others in a shared space. Yet when it came time to commit to teaching in person, I initially said no.
My decision wasn’t about COVID; I knew Sun & Moon's safety protocols met or exceeded the advice they received from local public health and medical professionals. Instead my decision was about a mask. Or rather, the mask that would hypothetically be on my face as I attempted to teach breath-centered yoga asana practice in person. Though I had grown accustomed to wearing masks outside the house, including while hiking in the Smoky Mountains this summer, doing yoga with a mask seemed impossible.
Fortunately I changed my mind. Because after several in-person classes and 360 minutes of elapsed yoga later, I have discovered that practicing yoga with a mask on is a lot easier than it sounds! In fact, I often forget I have a mask on in the first place.
That’s right. Someway, somehow the reality of wearing a mask fades into the background of my felt experience as soon as I begin moving, breathing and focusing.
How could that be? My guess is the mindful nature of yoga asana. Yoga tends to expand and embody our awareness, enabling us to see and feel a reality larger than the one our overactive minds cling to off the mat. The resulting mindfulness transcends even the existence of a 4×7 inch piece of cloth on my face.
Equally surprising are my memories after the fact. Days later, when I recall a specific sequence or pose from class, I remember whole bodies, not masks. Or if I try to recall a specific student, I see their entire face, without a mask. Are masks inconsequential in my mind’s eye? Maybe. Or maybe my human ability to connect via eye contact and body language rises above.
Either way, I am relieved to know that until masks become a novel artifact of 2020, I have my weekly small group class at Sun & Moon to look forward to and yoga in general to remind me that things are not always what they seem. Sometimes they are better.
