Gates mentions a lesson he's learned from the flow style of yoga he teaches. It's basically that the posture doesn't end: the transitional phases are just as important as the poses themselves.
Part of me wants to laugh. When I "crash land" out of locust or full locust, it's pretty clear to me that a posture has ended. But of course, I've concentrated pretty hard over the past few months on developing a quiet attitude between poses. In the floor, we are continually told that the Savasanas are at least as important as the poses themselves, because they are where we reap the benefits. And in the standing series, it's much the same with the emphasis on remaining still, focusing on your eyes in the mirror, and low slow flow of breath.
Ultimately, the class should become a 90 minute moving meditation. I've certainly never achieved the result for the full 90 minutes, but I become more and more aware that that end might be possible.
Gates takes this further. He says that the same attitude should extend outside of class. Every moment is an opportunity for what he calls a "holy interacton." I can see glimpses of this. The peacefulness that comes from practice does bleed over into everyday life -- sometimes more and sometimes less. And of course, more is better.
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