simple sight

Do you set up your mat in the same spot of the studio during each practice? Of course, placement depends on availability. I do wonder, however, if you could set up in the same spot each class, would you, or do/would you mix it up depending on that particular practice?

Often when I arrive for a night class, most spots are occupied before I enter the space. I take what I can get. When I practice in the early morning, there are options aplenty for mat placement. Many times, still groggy from sleep, I gravitate towards the back of the room. The skylight above offers waking rays similar to those shining throw the front windows.

I have noticed, however, that my favorite back row spot is now the favorite spot of a woman I affectionately refer to as Ms. Bendy. She arrives early. Plants herself in the coveted spot and warms up with the flexibility of a well-seasoned ballet dancer. I assume she lays claim of said area so she may cause minimum distraction when she exits early.

For a few months, I set up next to her. Then, I tested myself by setting up in a different spot each class to see how it/if affected my practice. I found the middle of the room to be more distracting and as a result, my balance was a bit off. Soon, I discovered that I was just as comfortable in the front-right of the room as I was in the back-left.

Now, I crave this window spot. Rely on the support of the wall beside. Energize from the sun gleaming hazily through a steamed window. I keep an eye on the commuters waiting at the bus stop. Always grateful that I'm able to rise at this hour for my practice. Begin each day for me. This morning as L started class in mountain pose, my eyes rested on a window directly across the street. Each time we rose to our flat backs, my eyes returned to that spot. My drishti of the morning.

Then, something shifted. Not within me. As I rested into my first Warrior 1 of the day, I noticed the blinds of that window peel back, revealing the silhouette of a cat. The cat nudged the curtain around its body. Perched and kept watch of the goings on below.

This simple sight somehow delighted me. I would have missed it had I remained at the back of the room. Now, I wonder whether I'll be rewarded with this feline drishti each morning.