I take a cautious step out into the raw icy air and it stings my dry nostrils. I hug my jacket tightly to my skin and I bow my head down, careful not to make eye contact with anyone because I am already late. I can feel my droopy eyes begging me to turn around and go straight to my warm, inviting cocoon aka, my bed, and never ever leave. No, I really don’t feel like going to yoga tonight. My mind is whirling with all of the tasks I have yet to complete, and how is this class going to be beneficial? I ask this question as my fatigued body attempts to walk myself to the gym. I finally burst through the Miller Center doors eager to leave the cold. Once I arrive at the yoga studio I scan the room and see all unfamiliar faces. I felt like that person taking the last slice of pizza; awkward. I used to do Yoga in Minnesota so confidently, as if I were better than the teacher (obviously that wasn’t the case) now it’s almost as if I don’t even know what Yoga is. I try to busy myself, so I go and grab what seems to be the squishiest mat that will provide the most comfort when I lay down. I plop down on my mat and stare at myself in the mirror. I swear I can see a dark black and blue ring around both my eyes, and the fluorescent lighting definitely doesn’t help my haggard appearance. I hastily look away and make eye contact with the teacher, a student like me. She then begins to speak in a very soothing voice calling us all to lay flat on our backs. Alright sweet, I can do this. I ease my way to a laying down position, my body feels like a stiff bolder against my flabby, fleshy mat that has most likely been used by hundreds of sweaty, disheveled students before me. I close my eyes and I take a deep, and prolonged breath. 

Thoughts fill my head like air filling a balloon and it’s about to explode. I need to study for that test tomorrow. Did I grab my laundry from the dryer? crap I forgot to call my mom back. I wonder what will go on next weekend. What time is it? I ease open one eye, its 7:35. Ugh, 55 more minutes. Ok Regan, lets put some effort into this. I really try to focus on my breathing. I feel my in-breath fill my lungs, the pause I take before I let the air out causes a complete stillness to fall over my entire body. I gently let the warm, moist air languidly escape from my mouth. I continue to keep my eyes shut, focusing on my breath. The musky smell of sweat has been left over from the zumba class. The fans have been turned to high volume in an attempt to cool down the stuffy room, and I can feel millions of little hairs becoming pinpoint straight on my skin forming goosebumps all over my body. My mind has started to slow and my limbs feel limp, almost as if they have been disconnected from me and are floating on my yoga mat. The teacher asks us to come back to the space and to make our way to a standing position. I pry open my eyes, noticing that everyone is struggling to force themselves out of lying down. Guess I am not the only sleep deprived college student here. I stand straight up as if I were a soaring skyscraper that not even an earthquake could tear down. I survey over the mesmerizing mirrors that surround the room causing my mind to feel dizzy from all the different angles of the classroom.
All my muscles are tense and elongated as I breathe myself into downward facing dog. Strands of my hair float in front of my face, dancing from the wind of the fan. I feel a sting of a small amount of perspiration forming on the top of my lip and forehead. I can hear the labored breathing of my fellow classmates near me, and I join in. It’s almost as if by taking deep breaths my body is given the strength and endurance to hold itself in this awkward v-shaped position. My arms tremble a bit, and my hands have turned beet red from the pressure of my body pushing on them. The fact that they keep sliding forward because they are so clammy doesn’t really help either. I strain my neck to see if anyone is noticing just how much I really am struggling. However I see everyone intently focused on their practice, their faces scrunched in determination, chests moving up and down from their heavy breathing. We are all in this practice together, no one here is to judge, everyone is here to grow together, as a community. I feel a comfort I didn’t feel before, and start to flow through my practice taking it position by position, pushing myself to my full potential without comparing myself to the others. 

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My hair dances before my eyes while I breath myself into downward facing dog. 
We are nearing the end of our practice and I feel liberated and electrified. I am in the 
The heart is open and exposed while the arms reach out to give support to the other students in the room. 

starting position of tree pose, my one leg rooted into my mat while the other fits snuggly into the indent of my leg. Everyone begins to open their arms like branches on a tree. My heart welcomes the compassion and openness radiating out of everyone in the room. I am open and exposed. Yoga is more than just about the exercise, it is also about the company of the people and the tenderness everyone feels towards one another. We each want to better one another in our practice but also in our lives. I think of my hall on that first intimidating day at Wake and how everyone was so welcoming and built each other up allowing me to feel a sense of belongingness, even though I was the northern girl from Minnesota. Everyone has to be the new guy at some point, but having a community that fosters common values and strives to bring the best out of people can be so rewarding, and bring about great advantages.  I felt so isolated and uncomfortable at the beginning, and in life there are going to be many instances that cause you to feel that. Allowing yourself to open up and to except what others have to offer while giving what you have to offer in return can support and help us grow. I gawkily fall out of my tree pose, diverting me from my deep thoughts. I look around and see all the graceful flowers planted around the room inspiring me to go back into my tree pose. I intently stare at a miniscule speck on the ground that looks like a piece of ground black pepper, plant my right leg into my mat feeling my roots grow and support me. I swifty bring my left foot and locate it into the natural dip on my right leg. My branches start to grow and I feel everyones arms reaching out, keeping me sturdy. The teacher speaks out asking us to descend from our trees. I am applauding myself on the inside, but staying calm and collected on the outside. The teacher then asks us to make our way to lying down position. I made it. I hear the soft movements of everyone willingly lying on their backs as if the mats have become our very own luxurious islands. 

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Our mats are like floating tropical islands. The warm sand hugs your body and it pulls you into a soft, sweet daze. 

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I lay motionless on the my cushioned yoga mat. My skin tingles as the sweat pools on my body, and I feel heavy like a rock against my mat. My muscles ache, and I feel as if I have been stretched to my full potential.  I keep my eyes closed and take a deep inhale and the musky scent of people’s sweat flows into my nose. The cool air from the fan burns my dry nostrils, and the air against my dry mouth tastes fresh and cool. I can feel what little is left of my saliva in my mouth, and take a swig of water washing away the leftover taste of tangy salad dressing. The pure, cool liquid fills my mouth, and the cold water flows down my throat. I can feel my body absorbing every bit of it. I close my eyes again and hear each person breathing deeply. Some fast-paced, some slow long breaths. The fans rattle as they spin as fast as they can go, but the air it blows sends a shiver down my body as the sweat cools my skin. My mind feels at peace, and open to what the rest of my night has to offer. I feel the endorphins kicking in and my mind is in high spirits. My ears perk up to the sound of the instructors voice asking us to come back to our practice, and to start to slowly wiggle our toes and fingers. I begin to wiggle them out of stiffness, and gradually make my way to a seated position. All the while I keep my eyes tightly shut with the fear that if I open them this serene feeling might disappear. I come to a seated position with my back upright, yet my body still feels loose. I slowly but surely force my eyes to open, and immediately squint at the light that is pouring in through the window on the door. They quickly adjust and I make my gaze around the room, everyone is sitting crosslegged, backs straight and rigid, faces calm and expressionless. The dark room, and the light from the door coming in casts a shadow against everyones face, creating a harsh contrast of shadow and light.. I can see the moon bright and high up in the sky outside the window. The teacher looks into our eyes, holds her hands as if she were about to pray, bows, and says “Namaste”.  Everyone in unison repeats in a soft, translike voice.

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Nama means bow, as means I, and te means you. Therefore, namaste literally means “bow me you” or “I bow to you.”

 

“Namaste”.