There are days when strenuous physical exertion seems like just the ticket. Yesterday was that kind of day. I'd finished a major project on Monday, raced to meet a deadline yesterday, and after an hour of rush hour traffic, was pretty toasted by the time I got home. Forty minutes at the gym helped a lot, as did a good night's sleep. But instead of jumping out of bed revivified this morning, I woke up feeling slow... but in a good way, the way you might feel on your second day of vacation at a tropical beach. Almost as if my blood were circulating more lethargically. So when I went back to the gym this morning, it was for Easy Does It yoga.

The Easy Does It yoga class undoubtedly was designed for beginners and people with injuries, but as with any asana executed with attention, there's always something to get from it. We started quietly, with a kind of meditation. Marydale (sounds like a flower, doesn't it?) led us in a trio of OMs, reminding us that the vibration we were creating was joining with OMs all over the world. I'd never really stopped to think about an international chorus of OMs, but perhaps because I've been reading a Pico Iyer book that touches on many different cultures, I was able to flash through a series of beatific faces happily OMing.

For the next hour and 15 minutes, I gave myself over to slow stretches, relaxing my internal organs and allowing the stress of the week to flow out through my extended limbs. Because it was such a basic class, we even did downward dog with blocks. The blocks made the pose new; suddenly it wasn't good ol' downward facing dog any more, but a whole other entity. Like writing with my "other" hand, it caused me to reevaluate what I was doing.

With the almost languid pace, there was time and focus for niggling details like spreading toes, keeping feet flexed at appropriate times and maintaining connection with the earth (okay, floor, but I know it's down there somewhere).

As we approached the end of the session, Marydale asked if anybody wanted to leave before shivasana. Could she be serious? That would be like leaving dinner before dessert. Leaving the beach at sunset before that huge golden orb drops into the ocean. Turning off the TV before they announce that Michael Phelps has won another Olympic gold medal. It's practically my favorite part of any yoga class.

As I left the studio, I took a copy of the weekly handout of "Food for Thought." This week's is a quote from the Tao Te Ching, and you'll probably recognize it: "The giant pine tree grows from a tiny sprout. The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet." Happy walking!

Photo courtesy of Shayan.