My Yoga With Adriene roadshow experience

Last Tuesday I fulfilled a long held dream and went to Alexandra Palace to practice yoga with Adriene Mishler - of Yoga With Adriene fame – as her European roadshow hit the UK and had the most incredible night. I’m not sure my words will do it justice but I really wanted to share it with you and highlight some of what I took away from the night.

I bought tickets to take my best friend Lauren, another Adriene devotee, for her birthday and we were fortunate to arrive early and be in the first block of people let in to set up their mats. Once set up we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere as the hall filled, music began playing and all around us people were sat talking, meditating and limbering up. I had decided beforehand that I wanted to spend some time setting the intention that I was going to let go of any attachment to the quality of the practice, in terms of what I felt I “should” be able to manage. Throughout September I’ve been working on “letting go” – of anything that doesn’t serve or support me. It sounds pretty basic and easy in principle but it takes some work! This felt like a perfect opportunity to continue putting it into practice. Being a perfectionist and hard on myself is something I’ve excelled at and when it comes to yoga, there’s no difference. In the past I’ve been so focused on trying to do what I felt I “should” be able to, I’ve lost the joy of the practice. This time I really wanted to tune in to what my body was telling me it was able to do, go with the flow and just enjoy myself.

Adriene came on and as we closed our eyes and focused on our breath, amongst many other beautiful things, she said “Trust that you are where you’re meant to be. Right down to where you are on your mat, trust that that is the space you’re meant to be in tonight, next to who you’re meant to be next to. Anything that happened before, anything that might be happening after this, just let go. Let it all go …” Imagine the little smile and chuckle I had to myself at that point!

The practice began very gently, just enough movement to start warming the body. Adriene had us all clap to begin the practice and let me tell you, the sound of 2400 people clapping just once but in total unison was really quite something!

We weren’t too far in when the first low lunge was introduced. Because my initial training in hatha yoga meant the focus was moving straight into an asana and then holding it for long periods, my transitions for vinyasa are still very much a work in progress. Although I know I can get from a low lunge to Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I) for example, it takes about three times as long as most people and I have to really focus on my balance. I also have to modify my transitions quite a lot due to the weakness of my left leg and super tight hamstrings. So, we’re in our first low lunge … right leg forward, left back and I was absolutely fine. Up, flow, down again, left leg forward this time. I wobbled. I tried to correct myself. I tried to shift my back leg to rebalance. I fell. Flat on my arse, not even on my mat but off to the side of it! With absolutely no grace or elegance! Honestly, six months, even a month ago, that would have been more than enough to induce tears, maybe a panic attack, definitely feelings of shame and frustration. But not this time – I brushed my hands off, sat on my mat, got my breath back and rejoined the flow at what felt like a good time. For the sake of my already very wobbly legs, wanting to get to the end of the practice and to not be a distraction to others I decided to sit lunges and any variations on warrior out, taking bālāsana (child’s pose) and dandasana (staff pose) instead, closing my eyes, finding my breath and connecting to my heart and the energy in the room.

One of the most joyful moments for me came during one of these moments of downtime. There were a number of yoga teachers assisting Adriene throughout the practice, walking the room, ensuring people were okay, generally supporting everyone. I was in dandasana, eyes closed and felt hands on my shoulders and back. Very, very gently I felt myself relax at each point of contact and my breathing slow and ease. As the lady assisting me moved away we caught each others eyes, I placed my hand on my heart and mouthed “thank you” and in return she smiled, clasped her hands together and said “Namaste”. Such a brief moment but for me completely encapsulating the special energy and support present in the hall (and more amazingly we’ve since connected via Instagram!).

Coincidentally (or not, depending on your view point) the name/theme for the roadshow has been ‘Up Your Connect’, which I have to admit I hadn’t thought too much about in advance. After the physical yoga practice ended we were all sat up as Adriene talked and to end the night she asked us to place our right hands on our heart and then reach out and place our left hand on the shoulder of the person next to us (cue those of us with short arms shuffling about trying to reach those people!). Lauren was to my left so perhaps that changed my experience somewhat but to round off the evening that way felt very fitting. And I think I realised why Adriene chose this particular theme: for so many people to come together, breathing and flowing in unison, intentions set on sharing such a unique experience was incredibly special. We’re more connected to the world around us than ever before thanks to technology – smart phones, the internet, communication apps, social media etc but more people of all ages than ever are reporting increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. For those in the disabled or chronic illness community where activities and time out socialising can be quite limited, I get the importance of these advances in technology to connect us with others more than most but it was definitely still an important reminder of the power of connection for me. I know that I definitely feel at my best when I’ve been able to spend time with friends as opposed to the weeks or months that can go by without that physical contact.

As for the letting go of expectations for my individual experience – for the first time ever I was genuinely kind to myself throughout an entire practice. I didn’t beat myself up for opting out of asanas, I wasn’t asking myself why I couldn’t go deeper into something or getting frustrated. I was just so damn grateful to be there, for my body to be keeping up with anything at all. It was a magical feeling.

So I guess what I’ve taken away from that night can be summed up in three words:

Connect. Let Go.

Seriously – let go of anything that isn’t serving or supporting you. It’s a dead weight and you will feel so much lighter and freer for releasing it, whatever “it” might be. Like I said, it isn’t necessarily easy – it’s a practice and a muscle that needs flexing and strengthening. But I can genuinely say I’ve felt happier this last month for shifting out of a place where I was holding on to belongings, memories, feelings and patterns that have held me back for too long. Having the opportunity to finally do Yoga With Adriene was another amazing step in continuing to learn these lessons and deepen my healing.