"Nirvana Rebirth" is not as complicated as you think

Since I was a child, I have been an exercise insulator. I have poor sense of balance and often fall. My cardiopulmonary function is not good either. I will be out of breath after climbing a mountain for less than an hour. My hands can never touch my feet when I bend forward. For me, walking is already a form of exercise.

The reason I chose to practice yoga is entirely because of the saying "If you start exercising at a certain age, your physical fitness will be maintained at that age."

Of course, the main reason is that I have come into contact with several yoga teachers who are over 50 years old. They have delicate skin and a slim figure, which is a big inducement.

On the other hand, I wanted to learn how to truly relax.

However, there are so many yoga classes available in the market, from gyms, the China Youth Corps, community colleges, activity centers to private classes. There are Oki yoga, Hatha yoga, vitality yoga, etc. Which one is right for me?

I spent two weeks on a yoga course search.

During this process, from fear and frustration to crying and relaxation, I also experienced a deep dialogue between body and mind.

My Yoga Experience

This is the base camp for the recently popular Vitality Yoga teacher training course, and it is also the teaching class where celebrities such as Na and Yang Lijing received their certificates. Because there are so many participants, I can only attend the 8 o'clock class.

Teacher Lu Wenhao, who created the Vitality Fitness Yoga, pointed out that Vitality Yoga can achieve the effects of weight loss, body shaping and health restoration.

The course design includes a comprehensive physical fitness program including cardiopulmonary function, aerobics, muscle strength, flexibility, etc. Yoga is only a part of it.

"Whose legs are the most beautiful?" "My legs are the most beautiful." "The students dance well," "The teacher teaches well." While doing aerobic dance by tapping your feet - and tapping - and tapping to the beat of dance music with strong rhythm, you should keep answering the teacher's questions. If the teacher says you can answer, it means your breathing is adjusted properly.

With more than ten years of teaching experience, the teacher has a very clear understanding of the body's organizational structure and therefore strictly requires that every movement and posture be correct to avoid spinal misalignment.

Two teaching assistants were walking around, correcting the students' posture.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t exercised in a long time, or maybe the teacher was staring at me too nervously, but by the time I finished the last yoga stretch, my hands and feet were weak and I felt dizzy.

I finally understood that there is no free lunch in the world. To lose weight successfully, such rigorous training is necessary to produce good results in a short period of time.

But I still couldn’t learn to relax in this class.

Another yoga class was held in the remote Jingmei area. I was not familiar with the road conditions and got lost for half an hour.

Before class, the teacher carefully sprayed essential oil with a scent similar to lemongrass.

“Close your eyes and imagine the green light shining down from the top of your head. Yes, do you feel comfortable?” Holding the green essential oil that the teacher had put for me in my hand, listening to the teacher’s soft voice like a radio host, I felt myself slowly sinking into a green forest.

This class is very much like a yoga class for spiritual SPA. While performing the movements, the teacher shares her experiences and philosophy of life with the students. There is also a pair of golden-haired "class dogs" in the class who wander leisurely among the students, which is very interesting.

When it was almost over, the teacher led us in sitting in meditation, "Imagine yourself as flowing water. When you encounter a rock, don't force your way through. Instead, turn around and let the water flow by..." The teacher's words penetrated my heart, and miraculously, I shed tears.

My teacher said that I would only feel sad if my heart became soft, but I hope that my limbs could become just as soft so that I would not have back pain.

During this time, I also went to Hsinchu and other places to try a few yoga classes, but most of the classes were too difficult (I accidentally took the advanced class) and too fast. I always tried very hard to do it, but the more I pushed, the harder it became. I couldn't keep up with the pace, and I felt frustrated. I thought that I was so stubborn that I might not be cut out for yoga.

Until I met pathologist Li Feng, who has been fighting cancer for more than 30 years and also practices yoga diligently. She said she would just teach me a few warm-up moves.

"Focus your mind on one point and relax everything else." The petite girl taught me how to bend forward. My fingers could only reach in front of my knees.

She looked at me, snapped her fingers against my shoulders and said, "Relax!"

It was as if a magic wand touched my shoulders, and my shoulders suddenly relaxed, and I could actually "put my hands" down again (note, not stretch them out). Moreover, the more I loosened my hands, the lower they felt.

"Look, didn't we do it?" Li Feng, with a head full of silver hair, blinked and said with a smile.

It seemed like he had realized something, and when he rushed to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to teach in the afternoon, he finally put in an amazing performance.

This was the first time that I could easily do a handstand and a hoe pose, and feel every muscle in my body heating up, exerting force, stretching, contracting, and relaxing, and I could actually control it.

Only then did I realize that the muscle names I had memorized in physiology and anatomy textbooks were not nouns, but real-life feelings.

The teacher also praised my flexibility.

"Imagine that the sun's light surrounds you and you are bathed in golden sunshine..." After more than an hour of stretching, I didn't feel tired at all. My body was full of oxygen and vitality.

I sat cross-legged in the closed classroom, but I could feel the warm sunlight on my body.

This is also the first time that I can calm down, forget about work and worries, completely relax, listen to my own breathing and heartbeat, feel the present moment, and my heart is filled with peace and tranquility.

Proust, the author of "In Search of Lost Time", leaned on a small piece of baker's madeleine cake and instantly entered into the wonderful memories of the past.

Yoga, just like my Madeleine cake, will lead me to explore more mysteries of life after relaxation.