“Comfortably Numb” in Savasana
During the calender school year for the last four years I have had the fortune of being a part of the P.E. Department at Vistamar High School in El Segundo. At this Independent High School the teenagers are able to choose Yoga as their P.E. elective. For one hour 3 times a week they come in and we meditate, practice pranayama (breathing), and move through different sequences of asanas (postures). I think back to my high school and remember dreading P.E. and having to dress out in green and white, our school colors. It wasn’t that bad, really, it’s just that I didn’t gel so much with Tennis or Track or volleyball, which I actually came to love as an adult. Being anywhere between the ages of 13-18 is an emotional time with hormones and the pressures of test, peers, and trying to get into the the right school to determine your future. I do remember my mother trying to get me to meditate as a teenager to help me relax and take things in stride and I would just look at her funny. Now as an adult I look at these kids and think how far we have come and how lucky they are. They come into the classroom, unroll their mats, sit still in a circle, eyes closed in complete silence for the first 5 minutes. Do you ever remember doing that in 9th or 10th grade? Especially in front of your peers? Times have definitely changed. These 12 teenagers, boys and girls, look forward to coming to yoga. Most of the time they want to just have savasana (final relaxation). So last week one of the boys, Noah, asked if he could pick our savasana music. He had his ipod so he plugged it into the speakers. His choice…”Comfotably Numb” by Pink Floyd. I couldn’t help but smile.
