Lazy Warrior

7 September 2009 - Yoga in Gemmayzeh- Beirut, Lebanon.

Chloe had never been to my favorite yoga studio so she didn’t know what to expect. She arrived before me and sms-ed me, “All the women are skinny and look like dancers. Am I going to be okay?” Ha. The first time I walked into a class I thought it looked like a Victoria Secret’s fashion show dressing room – all the women perfect, clad in tight yoga clothes with long luscious Lebanese hair and flawless skin. “You’ll be fine!” I lied back. I had no idea if either one of us would survive. It was a crowded Yoga 2 class and the room was hot. The beautiful peace-cool teacher, whom I’d not had before, was totally hard core. Tough class. She said some really cool things that helped me get centered, and a prayer where we acknowledged our best teacher is the one inside ourselves. She played great music including an old version of Black Hole Sun which I did not realize was not a Soundgarden original. As she directed us to go into Warrior One pose then Warrior Two, she meticulously corrected our form, telling us technique and admonishing us not to be lazy warriors. I was thinking, lady, you’re lucky I’m being any warrior at all. I was about to crumble to the floor. She invited us to a Global Mala yoga day in the mountains on the 19th September where we do 108 sun salutations in dedication to world peace. I decided I kind of wanted to attempt it. Gave the teacher my email after class and made a note in my mental calendar.

After class I hung out with Chloe and we talked until after midnight about everything under the sun. She invited me to Moscow with her in October. Plane tickets are cheap and she’s got a friend with whom we could stay. I’d had my heart set on doing the yoga course in the Himalayas in October, but the course was fully book and I’d been waitlisted. Moscow sounded like a great alternative. Chloe and I hatched our plan.