Euphoria

Ever notice how the energy of a crowd can be so electric that it is contagious? This is most often felt at sporting events. The crowd roars with excitement and you find yourself caught up in the momentum, standing out of your seat, cheering and clapping. It is amazing. It is euphoric.

Yoga can have a similar feeling of ecstasy. The energy of the group is powerful and can change your sentiment from when you first walked into the class. This can swing either way. Some classes I have attended contained a general feeling of heaviness, lacking in energy and enthusiasm. You can almost hear everyone scream with relief as we move into final resting pose of savasana. This seems to be more typical around the festive season when late nights, parties, high carbohydrates and sugar laden food along with too much alcohol are all too prevalent.

In contrast, I have also experienced many amazing and breathtaking classes that are strong and consistently flow with unison. These are by far my favourite, of course, and one of the main reasons why I continue to practice. But it stands to reason that the group energy can be all of these things. We don't outwardly think about what the group or anyone else is doing. The purpose of yoga is to go within and focus on your own individual practice. If everyone in the room does exactly that, concentrates on their breathing and moving with flow, the results are euphoric.