The Season of Zen

The Sarasota Film Festival is over.  Easter has come and gone.  “Season” is slowing waa-aay down.  As much as I love the hubbub between November and April, I’m ready to breathe deep and exhale.  In other words, time to get back to yoga.

For several years I’ve been trying to commit to yoga on a regular basis – with less than regular results. When I consistently take yoga, I feel more mentally clear, emotionally satisfied, psychologically calm, and physically comfortable – I even sleep better. Invariably, though, I’ll go for a few weeks, then bag out for several months.

If yoga makes me feel so good, why don’t I stick with it?  I “posed” this question to certified professional-level Kripalu yoga and meditation teacher Gary Halperin who has been teaching yoga in Sarasota for the past ten years.

Gary Halperin strikes a (yoga) pose on a Sarasota beach.

Voted Natural Awakenings Readers Choice “favorite yoga instructor” winner for the past three years, Halperin says he hears my story frequently.  “People tell themselves, “‘I’m not flexible,’ or ‘I’m too old,” or ‘I’ll start yoga when I’m in better shape or when I lose weight.’  But anyone can do yoga,” Halperin says. “If you can walk for 20 to 30 minutes and sit on the floor comfortably for 10, you can do my yoga class.”  For people who feel stressed or too busy to slow down for yoga, Halperin says yoga practice can help “balance out the highs and lows” of life.

Yoga offerings abound in Sarasota — everywhere from Mandala Yoga Shala, to Rosemary Court (classes offered seven days a week), Yoga for the Heart, and hot Bikram Yoga, among others. Fees vary, but websites suggest that drop-in fees range from $12 (Halperin’s for example) to $15; package deals can get the cost per class down further: one of Halperin’s packages gets you in the door for $8, and others run $10-11.   If you’ve never tried yoga, I recommend Halperin’s three-week, “beginners” class (www.feelbetternowyoga.com) starting May 9 at 6 p.m.; only $30 total, and it’s a great, easy introduction to yoga.  If “free” makes you feel more flexible, check out the free Hatha yoga led by Avananda out on Siesta Beach (near the blue lifeguard stand), at 9 a.m., on Saturday mornings.

I like Halperin’s class because his quietly humorous, nonjudgmental instruction guides me through poses without making me obsess about achieving perfection or worry that I look goofy (which I’m sure I do).  At the very moments in class when I feel conflicted about being there – like I should be checking off some item from my “to-do” list instead — or even when I’m just feeling insecure about how my body looks while holding some “let it all hang out” pose, Halperin invariably says something that brings me back to what matters, reminding me to focus on just being and accepting the “here” — accepting right where I am and what I’m capable of at any given moment.  It’s a powerful lesson for my life outside of yoga.

If I can just get myself to class regularly, I could have those moments of Zen all year-round, regardless of the season.  As Halperin says, “There’s no better time to start than right now.”

Follow MC on Facebook at MC-Coolidge; e-mail mcsarasota@gmail.com.